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Elijah and the Widow Craft for Kids

An Elijah and the widow craft for kids in three levels. Kids move the son from the loft to his mother: "See, thy son liveth" (1 Kings 17:23). Free template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Elijah and the Widow Craft for Kids
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Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages
Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5)
Time
15 to 30 minutes
Scripture
1 Kings 17:8–24
Bible story
Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in tan (or light brown), brown and blue, plus crayons for drawing the widow and her son
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed barrel and cruse page (page 3), one per child, plus an orange crayon (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the house: the walls tan, the roof edges and the door brown. Color the bed brown and the pocket tan.Color the house: the walls tan, the roof edges and the door brown. Color the bed brown and the pocket tan.
  2. Draw the widow in the oval on the house, with long hair and a long dress. Draw her son in the oval on the son card, and color the rest of the card blue.
  3. Cut out the house, the bed, the pocket, the son card and the verse strip on the dashed lines.Cut out the house, the bed, the pocket, the son card and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
  4. Glue the bed on its dotted outline in the loft, the room on top of the house. Put glue only on the sides and the bottom of the bed, not the top, so it makes a pocket. Glue the pocket on its dotted outline in the house the same way.
  5. Turn the house over and glue the verse strip on the back. Read it together.
  6. Tell it: Elijah carried the son up into the loft and laid him on his own bed (1 Kings 17:19): slide the son card into the bed. Elijah cried unto the LORD (17:20–21). The LORD heard, and the child revived (17:22). Elijah brought him down into the house to his mother: move the son card down into the pocket beside her. "See, thy son liveth" (17:23).Tell it: Elijah carried the son up into the loft and laid him on his own bed (1 Kings 17:19): slide the son card into the bed. Elijah cried unto the LORD (17:20–21). The LORD heard, and the child revived (17:22). Elijah brought him down into the house to his mother: move the son card down into the pocket beside her. "See, thy son liveth" (17:23).

This Elijah and the widow craft turns one printed page into a paper house with a loft on top. When the widow's son died, Elijah "carried him up into a loft" and laid him on his own bed, and cried unto the LORD (1 Kings 17:19–21). The LORD heard, and the child revived (17:22). Kids slide the son card into the bed upstairs, then bring him down to his mother, just as Elijah did: "See, thy son liveth" (17:23). It comes in three levels, with the template and teacher notes in one free PDF.

The finished craft, easy and medium level

The finished craft, harder level

What it looks like finished: easy and medium (first photo) and harder (second photo).

Why this craft works

  • Cheap and simple: one printed page, crayons, scissors and a glue stick.
  • Kids act out the story: the son goes up to the bed in the loft and comes down alive to his mother (1 Kings 17:19–23).
  • Gentle and full of hope: the focus is on God hearing Elijah's prayer and the child alive again.
  • It follows the Bible closely: the loft, the bed and the barrel and cruse all come from 1 Kings 17. Elijah is not drawn.
  • It carries the verse home: 1 Kings 17:24 (KJV) is glued on the back of the house.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and glue on the bed and the pocket. Kids color, draw and move the son. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut out and glue the pieces themselves.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add the barrel of meal and the cruse of oil from page 3, because "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail" (1 Kings 17:16).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask where God sent Elijah (1 Kings 17:9), what the widow had left (17:12), what Elijah asked her to make first (17:13), whether the meal and oil ran out (17:16), where Elijah carried the child (17:19) and what he said when he brought him down (17:23). Then read 1 Kings 17:24 together.

Tips for the classroom

Glue only the sides and the bottom of the bed and the pocket, so the son card slides in from the top. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and glue them on ahead of time, so all they do is color, draw and move the son. Cardstock keeps the house and the son card stiff.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Elijah and the widow lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Elijah and the widow craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's house, bed, pocket and son card ahead of time, and glue the bed, the pocket and the verse strip on for them. Preschoolers color the house and draw the widow and her son. Then they move the son card from the bed upstairs to the pocket beside his mother. About 15 minutes, no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Elijah and the widow craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, a little glue, and crayons you already have. The template is free to print. The harder level adds a second page.

What Bible verse goes with this craft?

1 Kings 17:24 (KJV), "And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the house.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also color and cut out the barrel of meal and the cruse of oil from page 3 and glue them in the house below the widow, because "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail" (1 Kings 17:16).

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