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Good Shepherd Craft for Kids

An easy Good Shepherd craft for kids in three levels, a sheepfold card with a door that opens and sheep that follow out to pasture (John 10). Free template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Good Shepherd 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
John 10:1–18
Bible story
The Good Shepherd

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in light blue, yellow, gray, green, light brown, brown and black
  • A pencil for writing names
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed harder page (page 3), one per child, plus a red crayon (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the card: the sky light blue, the sun yellow, the sheepfold wall gray, the field green and the path light brown. Leave the doorway white, and color the sheep in the doorway: head and legs black, wool white. Color the door brown.Color the card: the sky light blue, the sun yellow, the sheepfold wall gray, the field green and the path light brown. Leave the doorway white, and color the sheep in the doorway: head and legs black, wool white. Color the door brown.
  2. Color the three sheep pieces the same way: head and legs black, wool white.
  3. Cut out the card, the door, the three sheep and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
  4. Write your name on the back of one sheep. Write the names of people you love on the backs of the other two.
  5. Fold the glue tab of the door back on the dotted line. Glue the tab on the wall just left of the doorway, so the door opens and shuts over the doorway.
  6. Glue the three sheep on the path in a row, all walking away from the door toward the right.
  7. Glue the verse strip on the back of the card. Read it together.
  8. Tell it: shut the door. The shepherd comes in by the door (John 10:2). He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out (10:3). Open the door: one more sheep is coming out! He goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice (10:4).Tell it: shut the door. The shepherd comes in by the door (John 10:2). He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out (10:3). Open the door: one more sheep is coming out! He goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice (10:4).

This Good Shepherd craft turns one printed page into a sheepfold with a door that really opens and shuts. Jesus said the shepherd "calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out" (John 10:3), so kids write a name on the back of each sheep and glue the sheep on the path, following one another out to the green field. It goes with John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

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, a glue stick, crayons and scissors.
  • Kids act out the story: shut the door, call the sheep, and open it again. One more sheep is coming out, because the sheep "follow him: for they know his voice" (John 10:4).
  • Every child is known by name: a name goes on the back of each sheep, because the shepherd calls his own sheep by name (10:3). The shepherd is not drawn.
  • It carries the verse home: John 10:11 (KJV), the memory verse for the whole Good Shepherd set, is glued on the back of the card.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces, write the names and glue the door on. Kids color and glue the sheep on the path. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces, write the names, glue the door and glue the sheep.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids glue an empty cross from page 3 in the sky and cover it with a red heart flap: the good shepherd gave His life for the sheep (John 10:11), and He had power to take it again (10:18).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who comes in by the door (John 10:2), how the shepherd calls his sheep (10:3), why the sheep follow him (10:4), what the sheep do when a stranger calls (10:5), what the hireling does when the wolf comes (10:12) and what the good shepherd gives for the sheep (10:11). Then read John 10:11 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces, write the names and glue the doors on ahead of time, so all they do is color, glue and open the door. Cardstock makes the door last longest.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Good Shepherd lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Good Shepherd craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's card, door, sheep and verse strip ahead of time, and write each child's name on the back of one sheep. Preschoolers color the card and the sheep, then glue the sheep on the path. Glue the door on for them so it opens and shuts. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Good Shepherd craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, a glue stick 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?

John 10:11 (KJV), "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." It is the memory verse for the whole Good Shepherd set, and it is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the card.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids glue an empty brown cross from page 3 in the sky and cover it with a red heart flap. Lift the heart: the good shepherd gave His life for the sheep (John 10:11), and He had power to take it again (10:18).

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