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I Am the Vine You Are the Branches Craft for Kids

An easy I am the vine you are the branches craft for kids in three levels. Paper branches tuck into the vine and bear much fruit (John 15:5). Free template.

Preschool–Grade 5

I Am the Vine You Are the Branches 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 15:1–8
Bible story
I Am the Vine

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in brown, green and purple
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed fourth branch page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the card: the vine brown, its two leaves and the ground green. Leave the rest white.Color the card: the vine brown, its two leaves and the ground green. Leave the rest white.
  2. Color the three branches brown and their leaves green. Color the six grape clusters purple.
  3. Cut out the card, the three branches, the six grape clusters and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
  4. Cut the short dashed slits in the vine: fold the card gently across each slit and snip it. The bottom slit is only for the harder level.
  5. Glue the top of one grape cluster on each dotted spot on the branches, so the grapes hang down below the branch. Each branch gets two.
  6. Tuck the dotted end of each branch into a slit in the vine, so the branch abides in the vine: the two branches that point left go in the first and third slits from the top, and the one that points right goes in the second slit.
  7. Glue the verse strip on the back of the card. Read it together.
  8. Tell it: pull a branch out of its slit. Can it grow fruit by itself (John 15:4)? Tuck it back in the vine: "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit" (15:5).Tell it: pull a branch out of its slit. Can it grow fruit by itself (John 15:4)? Tuck it back in the vine: "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit" (15:5).

This I am the vine you are the branches craft turns one printed page into the picture Jesus gave His disciples: "I am the vine, ye are the branches" (John 15:5). Kids color a vine, glue purple grape clusters on paper branches and tuck each branch into a slit in the vine. Pull a branch out, and it can't bear fruit "of itself" (15:4). Tuck it back in, and it abides in the vine: "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit" (15:5). The memory verse, John 15:5, goes on the back.

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 verse with their hands: a branch pulled out of the vine can't bear fruit of itself (John 15:4); tucked back in, it abides and bears much fruit (15:5).
  • It shows the purged branch: the harder level cuts off a bare twig, and that branch bears more fruit (15:2).
  • It stays gentle: no fire or withered branch, no husbandman drawn, and Jesus is not drawn.
  • It carries the verse home: John 15:5 (KJV), the memory verse for the whole set, is glued on the back of the card.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and snip the slits. Kids color, glue on the grapes with help and tuck the branches into the vine. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces, snip the slits, glue the grapes and tuck in three branches.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add a fourth branch from page 3: they purge it by cutting off a bare twig and give it three grape clusters (John 15:2).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who the vine is (John 15:5), who the branches are (15:5), whether a branch can bear fruit of itself (15:4), what abide means (15:4), what we can do without Jesus (15:5) and when the Father is glorified (15:8). Then read John 15:5 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and snip the slits ahead of time, so all they do is color, glue and tuck. Cardstock keeps the branches stiff enough to tuck in and pull out many times. Let kids pull a branch out and ask, "Can it grow fruit by itself?"

Teaching the lesson first? Use the free I Am the Vine lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple I am the vine craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's pieces and snip the slits in the vine ahead of time. Preschoolers color the vine, the branches and the grapes, glue the grapes on with help, and tuck each branch into the vine. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this I am the vine 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 15:5 (KJV), "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." It is the memory verse for the whole I Am the Vine 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 add a fourth branch from page 3. First they purge it by cutting off a bare twig, then it gets three grape clusters instead of two, because a fruitful branch is purged "that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:2).

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