Craft

Joseph and Potiphar Craft for Kids

An easy Joseph and Potiphar craft for kids in three levels. Draw Joseph in Potiphar's house and in the prison, and open the door (Genesis 39). Free printable.

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: Genesis 39:1–23
Bible story: Joseph and Potiphar

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in light blue, tan, brown, green, gray, dark gray and black, plus any colors for drawing Joseph
Scissors and a glue stick
The printed house door and sheaves page (page 3), one per child, plus a yellow crayon (harder level)

Steps

Color the card: the sky light blue, Potiphar's house tan with a brown roof, the field green, the ground brown, the prison gray and the barred window dark gray. Leave the two doorway ovals white.
In the oval in the house doorway, draw Joseph, in charge of Potiphar's house (Genesis 39:4). In the oval in the prison doorway, draw Joseph standing tall, in charge in the prison (39:22).
Color the prison door brown and its ring black. Cut out the card, the prison door and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Bend the door's tab on the dotted line. Put glue on the tab only and press it on the dotted box beside the prison doorway, so the door covers Joseph. Open the door to find him!
Turn the card over. Glue the verse strip on the back and read it together.
Tell it: "the LORD was with Joseph" in Potiphar's house (Genesis 39:2). When Joseph was asked day by day to do wrong, he said, "how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (39:9). He was put in prison, "But the LORD was with Joseph" there too (39:21).

This Joseph and Potiphar craft turns one printed page into the two places where Joseph lived in Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, made Joseph overseer over his house, and "the LORD was with Joseph" (Genesis 39:1–4). When Joseph was asked day by day to do wrong, he said, "how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (39:9), and he was put in prison. Kids draw Joseph in Potiphar's house and in the prison, then glue a door on the prison to open, because "the LORD was with Joseph" there too (39:21). 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, glue, crayons and scissors.
Kids can tell the story with it: point to Potiphar's house, then the prison, and open the door to find Joseph.
It follows the Bible closely: Potiphar's house and field (Genesis 39:5), the prison (39:20) and "the LORD was with Joseph" in both places (39:2, 39:21) all come from the text.
It points to God: Joseph said no to sin because it was sin "against God" (39:9), and God was with him everywhere he went.
It carries the verse home: Genesis 39:9 (KJV) is glued on the back of the card.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces. Kids color, draw Joseph in the two doorways and color the door, and you help them glue the door. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut out and glue the pieces themselves.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add a door on Potiphar's house and three sheaves of grain on his field from page 3, because "the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field" (Genesis 39:5).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who bought Joseph (Genesis 39:1), who was with him (39:2), what job Potiphar gave him (39:4), what Joseph said when he was asked to do wrong (39:9), where he was put (39:20), and who was with him there (39:21). Then read Genesis 39:9 together.

Tips for the classroom

Cardstock keeps the doors sturdy for lots of opening. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces ahead of time and help with the glue. The craft shows the two places where God was with Joseph; the lesson tells the rest of the story.

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Joseph and Potiphar craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's card, prison door and verse strip ahead of time. Preschoolers color the card and the door and draw Joseph in the two doorway ovals. You help them glue the door's tab beside the prison doorway. Then they open the door and say, "God was with Joseph!" It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Joseph and Potiphar craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, 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?

Genesis 39:9 (KJV): "There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" It is printed on the verse strip that goes on the back of the card.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also add a door to Potiphar's house and glue three sheaves of grain on his field from page 3, because "the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field" (Genesis 39:5).