Craft

Parable of the Sower Craft for Kids

A parable of the sower craft for kids in three levels, a field card with the four kinds of ground, real seeds, paper fowls and a sun. Free printable 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: Matthew 13:1–23
Bible story: The Parable of the Sower

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock works best)
Crayons or markers in light blue, tan, gray, dark green, brown, green and yellow
Scissors and a glue stick, plus white school glue for the seeds
12 dry lentils or split peas per child (3 for each kind of ground)
The printed plants page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

Color the field card: the sky light blue, the path in the first box tan, the stones gray, the thorns dark green, the good ground brown and its three plants green. Color the 2 fowls gray and the sun yellow.
Cut out the field card, the 2 fowls, the sun and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Glue the 2 fowls on the dotted fowl spots in the first box: one on the grass beside the path and one in the sky, coming down to the seeds (Matthew 13:4).
Glue the sun on the dotted sun spot in the sky above the stony places (13:6).
Put a small dot of white glue on each little dotted circle and press one lentil on it: 3 seeds in each of the four boxes, 12 in all. Let them dry flat.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the card and read it together.
Tell it: point to each box from left to right and tell what happened to the seed there (Matthew 13:4–8). Then read the words at the bottom of each box: what Jesus said each ground means (13:19–23).

This parable of the sower craft turns one printed page into a field card of the four kinds of ground from Jesus' parable (Matthew 13:3–8). Kids glue real seeds in each box, two paper fowls by the way side and a paper sun over the stony places, then read under each box what Jesus said that ground means (13:18–23). The memory verse, Luke 8:15, is on the back. It costs under 50 cents a child, takes about 20 minutes and comes in three levels, from preschool to 5th grade.

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, crayons, scissors, glue and a few dry lentils or split peas.
Kids touch the lesson: they glue the same seeds in all four boxes, so they see that the seed was the same and the ground made the difference.
It tells the story in order: by the way side with the fowls (Matthew 13:4), stony places under the sun (13:5–6), among thorns (13:7) and good ground (13:8).
Jesus explains it: the words under each box come from His own explanation of the parable (13:18–23). No person is drawn.
It carries the verse home: Luke 8:15 (KJV) is glued on the back of the card.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and put the glue dots on. Kids color, glue on the fowls and the sun, and press on the seeds. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces and glue on the fowls, the sun and the seeds.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also cut out three plants from page 3 and glue them behind the good ground, standing up for "some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold" (Matthew 13:8).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask what happened to the seed by the way side (Matthew 13:4), on stony places (13:5–6), among thorns (13:7) and on good ground (13:8), what the seed is (13:19; Luke 8:11) and what Jesus said the good ground means (Matthew 13:23). Then read Luke 8:15 together.

Tips for the classroom

Count the seeds into small cups before class, 12 per child. Cardstock holds the seeds best; let the cards dry flat before kids carry them home. For preschoolers, put the glue dots on yourself and watch that the small seeds stay on the card.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Parable of the Sower Bible lesson and the Parable of the Sower word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple parable of the sower craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's field card, fowls, sun and verse strip ahead of time. Preschoolers color the pieces, glue on the fowls and the sun, and press the seeds onto the glue dots you put on the card. Then they point to each kind of ground while you tell the story. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this parable of the sower craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, a few drops of glue, 12 dry lentils or split peas and crayons you already have. The template is free to print. The harder level adds a second page.

What Bible verse goes with this parable of the sower craft?

Luke 8:15 (KJV), "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." 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 also cut out three plants from page 3, labeled an hundredfold, sixtyfold and thirtyfold, and glue them behind the good ground so they stand up above the card, for the fruit the good ground brought forth (Matthew 13:8).