Craft

Golden Calf Craft for Kids: Two Tables of Stone

An easy golden calf craft for kids in three levels, where Moses' two tables of stone slide down a paper mount to the camp on yarn. Free printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Golden Calf Craft for Kids: Two Tables of Stone

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⬇ Craft template + instructions (PDF) · 6 pages

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: Exodus 32:1–20; Exodus 20:3
Bible story: The Golden Calf

What you need

The printed mountain and tables template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in brown, tan, dark brown and gray
Scissors, a glue stick and clear tape
1 piece of drinking straw about 1 inch long per child
18 inches of white yarn per child
A hole punch (or the teacher pokes the holes with a sharp pencil)
The printed rock window and stand (page 3), one per child, plus any colors for the drawing in the window (harder level)

Steps

Color the mountain brown. Color the four tents at the bottom tan and their doors dark brown. Color the two tables of stone gray, and leave the lines on them for God's writing.
Cut out the mountain, the two tables and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Punch a hole in each of the two small circles on the mountain, one near the top and one above the tents.
Tape the piece of straw straight up and down on the back of the tables, in the middle.
Tape one end of the yarn on the back of the mountain near the top hole. Push the yarn through the top hole to the front, thread it through the straw, and push it through the bottom hole to the back. Pull it snug and tape the end on the back.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the mountain. Read it together, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).
Start with the tables at the top of the mountain. Tell the story as you slide them down the yarn to the camp, the way Moses came down from the mount with the two tables in his hand (Exodus 32:15).

This golden calf craft turns one printed page into the mount where God gave Moses the two tables of stone, with the camp of tents at the bottom. Kids color the mountain and the tables, thread a piece of yarn from the top of the mountain down to the camp, and slide the tables down, the way Moses came down from the mount with the tables in his hand (Exodus 32:15). There is no calf to make: kids never make or display an idol. God's command, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3), is printed 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, a bit of straw and yarn, tape and a glue stick.
Kids tell the story with it: the tables slide from the top of the mount down to the camp, so kids can retell Exodus 32 at home.
It keeps the Bible's details: two tables of stone, written on both sides with the writing of God (Exodus 32:15–16), and the camp below the mount. The memory verse, Exodus 20:3 (KJV), is on the back.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut, punch and thread ahead of time. Kids color the mountain, tents and tables and slide the tables down. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces, tape on the straw, thread the yarn and glue the verse strip on the back.
Harder (grades 3–5): kids add a rock with a window from page 3 and draw Moses praying for the people (Exodus 32:11–14), then glue a stand on the back so the mountain stands up. Then they say the memory verse from memory.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask why the people asked Aaron to make them gods (Exodus 32:1) and what was written on the tables (32:15–16). Then slide the tables down to the camp and ask what Moses saw there and what he did with the tables (32:19). Turn the mountain over and read Exodus 20:3 together.

Tips for the classroom

Print page 2 on cardstock if you can, so the mountain stays stiff and the tables slide well. Cut the straws and yarn before class. For preschoolers, do all the cutting, punching and threading ahead of time, so all they do is color and slide.

Teaching the story first? Use the free golden calf lesson for kids and the golden calf word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple golden calf craft for preschoolers?

Before class, cut out each child's mountain, tables and verse strip, punch the two holes, tape the straw on the back of the tables and thread the yarn. Preschoolers color the mountain brown, the tents tan and the tables gray, then slide the tables down the mountain while you tell the story. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

Why is there no golden calf in this craft?

Kids never make or display an idol. The craft shows what God gave instead: the two tables of stone, written on both sides with the writing of God (Exodus 32:15–16), coming down the mount to the camp. The memory verse on the back says it plainly: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).

What Bible verse goes with a golden calf craft?

Exodus 20:3 (KJV), "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." It is printed on a verse strip that kids glue on the back of the mountain.

How can older kids make this golden calf craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids add a rock with a window from page 3, where they draw Moses praying for the people (Exodus 32:11–14), and glue a stand on the back so the mountain stands up. Then they say Exodus 20:3 from memory. Each child costs under 50 cents for the easy and medium levels.