Craft

Lost Coin Craft for Kids

A free lost coin craft for kids in three levels. Light the candle, sweep the house and lift the broom to find the lost piece of silver (Luke 15:8–9). 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: Luke 15:8–10
Bible story: The Lost Coin

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in light brown, brown, gray, purple and yellow, plus any colors for drawing the woman
Scissors and a glue stick
The printed friends panel (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

Color the card: the floor light brown, the shelf and the door brown, and all ten pieces of silver gray (nine on the shelf and one on the floor). Leave the wall white.
Color the pieces: the edge of the woman piece purple, the candle's flame yellow and its dish brown (leave the candle white), the broom's handle brown and its straw yellow.
In the window of the woman piece, draw the woman looking for her lost piece of silver, with long hair and a long dress (Luke 15:8).
Cut out the card, the woman piece, the candle, the broom and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
Glue the woman and the candle on their dotted shapes on the floor.
Glue the broom on its dotted shape, with glue only on the dotted part of the handle, so the straw end lifts up. It covers the lost piece of silver.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the card. Read it together.
Tell it: count the pieces of silver on the shelf. Nine! One is lost (Luke 15:8). She lit a candle and swept the house: lift the broom. There it is! "Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost" (15:9).

This lost coin craft turns one printed page into the woman's house from Jesus' parable. She had ten pieces of silver and lost one, so she would "light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it" (Luke 15:8). Kids draw the woman, add her candle and a broom, count nine pieces of silver on the shelf, and lift the broom to find the tenth: "Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost" (15:9). The memory verse, Luke 15:10, 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 tell the parable with their hands: they count nine, light the candle, and lift the broom to find the lost piece of silver (Luke 15:8–9).
It teaches the big idea: every person matters to God. She didn't stop at nine, and there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth (15:10).
It follows the people rule: no one is drawn on the template; kids draw the woman with long hair and a long dress, and Jesus is not drawn.
It carries the verse home: Luke 15:10 (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. Kids color, draw the woman, glue the pieces on their dotted shapes and lift the broom. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut out the pieces and glue them.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also draw her friends and neighbours on a fold-out panel from page 3 and glue it to the side of the house (Luke 15:9).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who came to hear Jesus and who murmured (Luke 15:1–2), how many pieces of silver the woman had and lost (15:8), what she did to find it (15:8), what she said to her friends and neighbours (15:9) and when there is joy in the presence of the angels of God (15:10). Then read Luke 15:10 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces ahead of time and help each child glue the broom by its handle only, so the straw end still lifts. Cardstock keeps the broom and the panel sturdy. If you act out the story, use a flashlight for the candle, never a real flame.

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple lost coin craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's pieces ahead of time. Preschoolers color the card, draw the woman, and glue the woman, the candle and the broom on their dotted shapes, with your help on the broom. Then they count nine pieces of silver and lift the broom to find the tenth. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this lost coin 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?

Luke 15:10 (KJV), "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." It is the memory verse for the whole lost coin 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 draw the woman's friends and neighbours in the window of a fold-out panel from page 3 and glue it to the side of the house, because she "calleth her friends and her neighbours together" to rejoice (Luke 15:9).