VBS HQ
Menu
Craft

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Craft for Kids

An easy Elijah and the prophets of Baal craft for kids in three levels, an altar of twelve stones with a lift-up flap of fire (1 Kings 18:38). Free printable.

Preschool–Grade 5

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal Craft for Kids
📌 Save to Pinterest

Download

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 18
Bible story
Elijah on Mount Carmel

What you need

  • The printed altar card, fire and verse card template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in gray, brown, blue, red, orange and yellow
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed barrels page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the altar card. Color the 12 stones gray, the wood on top brown and the trench around the bottom of the altar blue, for the water that filled it (1 Kings 18:35).Color the altar card. Color the 12 stones gray, the wood on top brown and the trench around the bottom of the altar blue, for the water that filled it (1 Kings 18:35).
  2. Color the fire red on the outside and orange and yellow in the middle.
  3. Cut out the altar card, the fire and the verse card on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.Cut out the altar card, the fire and the verse card on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
  4. Fold the fire's tab back on the dotted line. Put glue on the back of the tab only, and press it on the dotted box at the top of the altar card, so the fire hangs down over the wood.
  5. Glue the verse card on the back of the altar card and read it together.
  6. Tell the story with the flap: lift the fire and see the wet wood and stones. Then let it fall: "Then the fire of the LORD fell" (1 Kings 18:38).Tell the story with the flap: lift the fire and see the wet wood and stones. Then let it fall: "Then the fire of the LORD fell" (1 Kings 18:38).

This Elijah and the prophets of Baal craft turns one printed page into the altar of the LORD on Mount Carmel, with a flap of fire that lifts and falls. The prophets of Baal called on Baal all day, "but there was no voice, nor any that answered" (1 Kings 18:26). Elijah built an altar of twelve stones, had it soaked with water, and prayed, and "the fire of the LORD fell" (18:38). Lift the flap to see the wet wood, then let the fire fall. The memory verse goes on the back. It costs under 50 cents a child, takes about 20 minutes and comes in three levels, from preschool to 5th grade.

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 retell the story with it: count the twelve stones (1 Kings 18:31), point to the trench full of water (18:35), lift the flap to see the wet wood, and let the fire of the LORD fall (18:38).
  • It keeps the Bible's details: twelve stones, the trench, the wood and the fire, and for older kids the four barrels of water (18:33). No people are drawn, and there is no altar or image of Baal. The verse card on the back has 1 Kings 18:39 (KJV).

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the altar card, the fire and the verse card. Kids color, glue the fire flap on with your help and glue the verse on the back. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces, hang the fire flap at the top of the card and glue the verse card on the back.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): kids add the four barrels from page 3, two on each side of the altar. Then they say the memory verse from memory.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask what Elijah asked the people (1 Kings 18:21) and what happened when the prophets of Baal called on Baal (18:26). Then count the stones together and ask why there are twelve (18:31), and let the fire fall as you read 1 Kings 18:38.

Tips for the classroom

Print page 2 on cardstock if you can, so the card stays flat and the flap lifts easily. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces ahead of time, so all they do is color, glue and count the stones.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Elijah and the prophets of Baal Sunday school lesson and the Elijah on Mount Carmel word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Elijah craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's altar card, fire and verse card ahead of time. Preschoolers color the stones, wood, trench and fire, then glue the fire's tab on the dotted box with your help and glue the verse card on the back. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Elijah and the prophets of Baal craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page (cardstock is best), plus crayons and a glue stick you already have. The template is free to print.

What Bible verse goes with an Elijah on Mount Carmel craft?

1 Kings 18:39 (KJV), "And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God." It is printed on the verse card that kids glue on the back of the altar card.

How can older kids make this Elijah craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also color and cut out the four barrels from page 3 and glue two on each side of the altar, for the four barrels of water Elijah had poured on the altar three times (1 Kings 18:33–34). Then they say 1 Kings 18:39 from memory.

More for this Bible story