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Garden of Gethsemane Craft for Kids

An easy Garden of Gethsemane craft for kids in three levels: a three-prayers fold for the three times Jesus prayed (Matthew 26:39–44). Free printable.

Preschool–Grade 5

Garden of Gethsemane 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
Matthew 26:36–46
Bible story
The Garden of Gethsemane

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in dark blue, yellow, green, brown and gray, plus any colors for the robes
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed garden card (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color all three panels the same way: the sky dark blue, the moon yellow, the olive leaves green, the tree trunks and the ground brown, and the rock gray. Color the three sleeping disciples' robes any colors you like and their hair brown or black.Color all three panels the same way: the sky dark blue, the moon yellow, the olive leaves green, the tree trunks and the ground brown, and the rock gray. Color the three sleeping disciples' robes any colors you like and their hair brown or black.
  2. Cut out the long three-panel strip and the verse card on the dashed lines.Cut out the long three-panel strip and the verse card on the dashed lines.
  3. Fold the strip on the two dotted lines, back and forth like a fan, so the panel with one dot is on top.
  4. Glue the verse card on the back of the panel with three dots.
  5. Tell it panel by panel. One dot: Jesus went a little further and prayed the first time (Matthew 26:39). Two dots: He went away and prayed the second time (26:42). Three dots: He prayed the third time, "saying the same words" (26:44). Each time the disciples were asleep (26:40, 26:43).
  6. Turn it over and read the verse card together: "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40). "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation" (26:41).Turn it over and read the verse card together: "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:40). "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation" (26:41).

This Garden of Gethsemane craft turns one printed page into a three-prayers fold. On the night before the cross, Jesus went into the garden to pray. Three times He went away and prayed, and three times He came back and found His disciples asleep (Matthew 26:39–44). He asked, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" (26:40). Kids color three night pictures of the garden, fold them like a fan and count the prayers by the dots: one, two, three. 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.
  • It follows the story: one panel for each time Jesus went away and prayed (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44), with the disciples asleep each time (26:40, 43).
  • Kids tell it back: they open the fold panel by panel and count the dots as they retell the three prayers.
  • Jesus is never drawn: the empty rock shows the place where He prayed, and the story tells what He did.
  • It carries the verse home: Matthew 26:40–41 (KJV) is on the verse card on the back.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out and fold the strip. Kids color and count the dots. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out and fold the strip and glue on the verse card.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also make a night garden card from page 3 and glue the fold on it so it opens like a book, for the garden on the mount of Olives where Jesus prayed (Matthew 26:30–36; John 18:1).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask where Jesus went to pray (Matthew 26:36), who went a little further with Him (26:37), what He prayed the first time (26:39), what the disciples were doing (26:40), what He prayed the second time (26:42) and how many times He prayed (26:44). Then read Matthew 26:41 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out and fold the strips ahead of time, so all they do is color and count the dots. Cardstock keeps the panels stiff. Have kids hold up one, two, then three fingers as you tell each prayer.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Garden of Gethsemane lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Garden of Gethsemane craft for preschoolers?

Cut out and fold each child's three-panel strip ahead of time and glue the verse card on the back. Preschoolers color the moon, the olive trees and the three sleeping disciples. Then count the dots together, one, two, three, for the three times Jesus went away and prayed (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44). About 15 minutes, no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Garden of Gethsemane craft cost?

Under 25 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?

Matthew 26:40–41 (KJV). Jesus found the disciples asleep and said, "What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Part of it is printed on the verse card that kids glue on the back of the fold.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also color and cut out the garden card from page 3, a night sky with a full moon and two olive trees, and glue the first panel on it so the fold opens like a book. Jesus prayed at night in a garden on the mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30–36; John 18:1).

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