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Matthew the Tax Collector Craft for Kids

A Matthew the tax collector craft for kids in three levels. Pull the footprints out of the booth: he arose, and followed him (Matthew 9:9). Free template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Matthew the Tax Collector 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
Matthew 9:9–13
Bible story
Jesus Calls Matthew

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in light blue, yellow, green, light brown, red and brown
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed harder page (page 3), one per child, plus crayons for the drawing (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the card: the sky light blue, the sun yellow, the hills and fields green and the road light brown.Color the card: the sky light blue, the sun yellow, the hills and fields green and the road light brown.
  2. Color the booth: the awning red, and the two poles, the table and the stool brown.
  3. Color the footprint strip light brown and the six footprints brown.
  4. Cut out the card, the booth, the footprint strip and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
  5. Put glue only on the booth's left, top and bottom edges, outside the dotted lines. Press it on the card where it says "the booth goes here." Leave the right side open.
  6. Slide the footprint strip into the open side of the booth along the road, the end without the tab first, until only the pull tab sticks out.
  7. Glue the verse strip on the back of the card. Read it together.
  8. Tell it: Matthew sat at the receipt of custom (Matthew 9:9). Jesus passed by and said, "Follow me." Pull the tab, and the footprints come out of the booth and down the road: "And he arose, and followed him" (9:9). The stool is empty!Tell it: Matthew sat at the receipt of custom (Matthew 9:9). Jesus passed by and said, "Follow me." Pull the tab, and the footprints come out of the booth and down the road: "And he arose, and followed him" (9:9). The stool is empty!

This Matthew the tax collector craft turns one printed page into a card that tells Matthew 9:9 with a pull tab. Matthew sat "at the receipt of custom," the place where taxes were paid, and Jesus said, "Follow me." Kids pull a strip of footprints out of the booth and down the road, leaving the stool empty: "And he arose, and followed him." It goes with Matthew 9:13, "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

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 story: push the footprints into the booth, say "Follow me," and pull them out down the road (Matthew 9:9).
  • It shows without drawing anyone: the empty stool and the footprints show that Matthew got up and followed. No person is printed, and Jesus is never drawn.
  • It carries the verse home: Matthew 9:13 (KJV), the memory verse for the whole Jesus Calls Matthew 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 glue the booth on. Kids color, slide the strip in and pull the footprints out. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces, glue the booth and slide in the footprint strip.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids add a house at the end of the road with a door that opens, and draw the people who came and sat down to eat with Jesus (Matthew 9:10).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask where Matthew was sitting (Matthew 9:9), what Jesus said to him (9:9), what Matthew did (9:9), who sat down to eat with Jesus (9:10), who needs a physician (9:12) and who Jesus came to call (9:13). Then read Matthew 9:13 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and glue the booths on ahead of time, so all they do is color, slide and pull. Keep the glue on the edges of the booth so the strip slides freely. Cardstock makes the strip last longest.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Jesus Calls Matthew lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Matthew the tax collector craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's card, booth, footprint strip and verse strip ahead of time, and glue the booth on for them along its left, top and bottom edges. Preschoolers color the pieces, slide the footprint strip in and pull it out again. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Matthew 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?

Matthew 9:13 (KJV), "But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." It is the memory verse for the whole Jesus Calls Matthew 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 the house from page 3 at the end of the road, with a door that opens. Inside the doorway they draw the people who came and sat down to eat with Jesus (Matthew 9:10).

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