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Jehoshaphat Craft for Kids

An easy Jehoshaphat craft for kids in three levels, a paper praise harp with yarn strings for 2 Chronicles 20. Free printable template, supply list and steps.

Preschool–Grade 5

Jehoshaphat 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
2 Chronicles 20:1–30
Bible story
Jehoshaphat and the Singers

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in brown, yellow and black
  • 5 pieces of yellow yarn for each child, each about 3½ inches long (cut them before class)
  • White school glue, a glue stick and scissors
  • The printed trumpet page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the harp: the two arms and the top bar brown, the sound box at the bottom yellow, and the round hole black. Leave the middle of the harp white.Color the harp: the two arms and the top bar brown, the sound box at the bottom yellow, and the round hole black. Leave the middle of the harp white.
  2. Cut out the harp and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
  3. Squeeze a thin line of white school glue along each of the 5 dotted lines, from the peg at the top to the dot on the bridge.
  4. Press one piece of yellow yarn on each glue line to make the 5 strings. Trim any yarn that hangs past the peg or the bridge.
  5. When the glue is dry, turn the harp over. Glue the verse strip on the back, above the sound box, with the glue stick. Read it together.
  6. Play it: run a finger across the strings and sing what the singers sang: "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever" (2 Chronicles 20:21).Play it: run a finger across the strings and sing what the singers sang: "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever" (2 Chronicles 20:21).

This Jehoshaphat craft turns one printed page and a little yarn into a paper praise harp. When a great multitude came against Judah, God said, "the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15). King Jehoshaphat sent singers out before the army to sing, "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever" (20:21), and Judah came home "with psalteries and harps and trumpets" (20:28). Kids color the harp, glue on five yarn strings and "play" it while they sing. It comes in three levels, with the template and teacher notes in one free PDF.

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 little yarn, glue, crayons and scissors.
  • Kids can play it while they sing: run a finger across the strings and sing the singers' words, "Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever" (2 Chronicles 20:21).
  • It teaches praise before the answer: "when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments" (20:22).
  • It follows the Bible closely: the harps and trumpets come from 20:28, when Judah came home to Jerusalem with joy.
  • It carries the verse home: 2 Chronicles 20:15 (KJV) is glued on the back of the harp.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the harp and squeeze the glue lines. Kids color and press the yarn strings down. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out and glue the strings themselves.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add a yellow paper trumpet from page 3 behind the harp, for the "harps and trumpets" of 2 Chronicles 20:28.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who came against Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:1–2), what he did first when he was afraid (20:3), what he prayed (20:12), whose battle it was (20:15), who went out in front of the army and what they sang (20:21), and what the LORD did when they began to praise (20:22). Then read 2 Chronicles 20:15 together.

Tips for the classroom

White school glue holds yarn best; let the harps dry flat for a few minutes. For preschoolers, cut out the harps and squeeze the glue lines ahead of time. Cardstock keeps the harp stiff enough to hold up and "play."

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Jehoshaphat craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's harp and verse strip ahead of time, and cut the yarn. Preschoolers color the harp, then you put the glue lines on and they press the five yarn strings down. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Jehoshaphat craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, about 18 inches of yarn, a little glue, 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?

2 Chronicles 20:15 (KJV), where God said to Judah through Jahaziel, "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s." The whole verse is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the harp.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also add a yellow paper trumpet from page 3 behind the harp, because Judah came back to Jerusalem "with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD" (2 Chronicles 20:28).

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