Gideon Craft for Kids
An easy Gideon craft for kids in three levels, a paper pitcher with a lamp that slides up to shine and a trumpet, with a free printable template and steps.
Preschool–Grade 5
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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
- Judges 7:16–22
- Bible story
- Gideon
What you need
- The printed pitcher, lamp and trumpet template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
- 1 sheet of dark blue construction paper per child (9 by 12 inches)
- Crayons or markers in brown, light brown, yellow and orange
- Scissors and a glue stick
- The printed rolled trumpet page (page 3), one per child (harder level)
Steps
- Color the pitcher brown. Color the flame yellow and orange, and the lamp's holder and handle light brown. Color the trumpet light brown.
- Cut out the pitcher, the lamp, the trumpet and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Cut around the little dip at the top of the pitcher too. Help younger children with the cutting.
- Turn the pitcher over. Put glue along its left side, right side and bottom edge only. Leave the top open. Hold the dark blue paper the wide way and press the pitcher on the left half, near the bottom.
- Slide the lamp into the top of the pitcher, handle first, and push it all the way down. The lamp is hidden inside the pitcher.
- Glue the trumpet on the right half of the paper.
- Glue the verse strip on the back and read it together.
- Act it out. Say "The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon!" and push the lamp up from the dip at the top, so the light shines out of the pitcher.
This Gideon craft turns one printed page into the night scene from Judges 7: a brown pitcher with a lamp hidden inside and a trumpet, because Gideon "put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers" (Judges 7:16). Kids color the pieces, glue the pitcher on dark blue paper so it makes a pocket, and slide the lamp up to make the light shine out, with the memory verse on the back. It costs under 50 cents a child, takes about 20 minutes and comes in three levels, from preschool to 5th grade.
What it looks like finished: easy and medium (first photo) and harder (second photo).
Why this craft works
- Cheap and simple: one printed page, one sheet of construction paper and crayons.
- It tells the story the way the Bible does: the lamps were hidden inside the pitchers (Judges 7:16), and the men held the lamps in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands (7:20). Kids push the lamp up and shout, "The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon!"
- It carries the verse home: the template includes Zechariah 4:6 (KJV) on a strip to glue on the back.
Three ways to make it
- Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and glue the pitcher in place. Kids color, slide the lamp in and glue on the trumpet. No scissors.
- Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces, glue the pitcher on its sides and bottom, slide the lamp in and glue the trumpet on the right.
- Harder (grades 3–5): instead of the flat trumpet, kids roll a trumpet from page 3 into a cone they can hold in their right hand, like Gideon's men (Judges 7:20). Then they say the verse from memory.
Questions to ask
While kids work, ask what was inside the empty pitchers (Judges 7:16), which hand held the lamp and which held the trumpet (7:20), and how many men God kept (7:7). God made the army small so Israel couldn't say, "Mine own hand hath saved me" (7:2). The victory came "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6).
Tips for the classroom
Print page 2 on cardstock if you can. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and glue the pitchers on ahead of time, so all they do is color, slide and glue. Remind kids to glue only the sides and bottom of the pitcher, so the lamp can slide in from the top.
Teaching the story first? Use the free Gideon Sunday school lesson and the Gideon word search.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a simple Gideon craft for preschoolers?
Cut out each child's pieces ahead of time and glue the pitcher on the dark blue paper along its sides and bottom, leaving the top open. Preschoolers color, slide the lamp into the pitcher and glue on the trumpet. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.
How much does this Gideon craft cost?
Under 50 cents a child: one printed page (cardstock is best), one sheet of construction paper and crayons you already have. The template is free to print.
What Bible verse goes with a Gideon craft?
Zechariah 4:6 (KJV), "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back.
How can older kids make this Gideon craft harder?
Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Instead of the flat trumpet, kids roll a trumpet from page 3 into a cone they can hold. Then they hold the lamp in the left hand and the trumpet in the right, the way Gideon's men did (Judges 7:20), and say Zechariah 4:6 from memory.
