Craft

New Heaven and New Earth Craft for Kids

An easy new heaven and new earth craft for kids in three levels. A paper city with twelve pearl gates, a gold street and the river of life. Free template.

Preschool–Grade 5

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⬇ Craft template + instructions (PDF) · 5 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: Revelation 21–22; John 14:1–3
Bible story: Heaven and the New Creation

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in light blue, yellow, green, brown and light green
Scissors, a glue stick and clear tape
The printed foundations page (page 3), one per child, and crayons in 12 different colors (harder level)

Steps

Color the floor: the river down the middle light blue, the street on both sides of it yellow for gold, the two tree tops green and the trunks brown. Color both wall parts light green, and leave the twelve pearl gates white.
Cut out the floor, the two wall parts and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the floor and read it together.
Fold each wall part on its two dotted lines, with the gates on the outside.
Glue the tab of each wall part behind the left end of the other part, so the two parts make one square wall with three gates on each side.
Set the square wall on the floor, around its edges, with the river running from one wall to the other. Tape each inside corner to the floor with a small piece of clear tape.
Count the gates together: three on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west, twelve in all (Revelation 21:13). Read John 14:2–3.

This new heaven and new earth craft turns one printed page into a small square paper city, a picture of the holy city, new Jerusalem, that John saw "coming down from God out of heaven" (Revelation 21:2). Kids color the river of water of life, "clear as crystal" (22:1), the street of gold and the tree of life on either side of the river (22:2), then fold up a wall with twelve pearl gates, three on each side (21:13, 21:21). The memory verse, John 14:2, is glued under the floor. 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, a glue stick and a little tape.
It stands up: the wall folds into a real square, because the city "lieth foursquare" (Revelation 21:16).
It counts with the Bible: three gates on each side, twelve in all (21:13), and at the harder level twelve foundations (21:14).
It says only what the Bible says: a river, a gold street, the tree of life, pearl gates and a jasper wall. No clouds and harps, no angels drawn, and no sun or moon, because "the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (21:23).
It carries the verse home: John 14:2 (KJV), "I go to prepare a place for you," is glued under the floor.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and glue the wall into a square. Kids color the river, the street, the trees and the wall. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut, fold and glue the wall, then tape it onto the floor.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also color the twelve foundations from page 3, in the order of the stones in Revelation 21:19–20, and glue them along the bottom of the wall.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask what Jesus said He would prepare (John 14:2), what He promised after that (14:3), how many gates there are on each side (Revelation 21:13), what the gates and the street were made of (21:21), why the city needs no sun (21:23) and what God will wipe away (21:4). Then read John 14:2 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and glue the wall into a square ahead of time, so all they do is color and set it on the floor. Cardstock helps the wall stand. The craft leaves out the angels at the gates (Revelation 21:12) and the throne (22:1), because we never draw God, angels or people; the questions tell kids what the Bible says about them.

Teaching it first? Use the free heaven lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple heaven craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's floor, wall parts and verse strip ahead of time, and glue the two wall parts into a square. Preschoolers color the river, the gold street, the trees and the wall, and you tape the wall onto the floor. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this new heaven and new earth craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, a little glue and tape, 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 14:2 (KJV), "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue under the floor of the city.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also color the twelve foundations from page 3 in twelve different colors, in the order of the stones in Revelation 21:19–20, and glue them along the bottom of the wall, three under each side, because "the wall of the city had twelve foundations" (21:14).