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Paul and Silas in Prison Craft for Kids

A free Paul and Silas in prison craft for kids: a paper plate prison that rocks in the great earthquake (Acts 16:26). Three levels, printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Paul and Silas in Prison 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
Acts 16:16–40
Bible story
Paul and Silas in Prison

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • 1 white paper plate per child (9-inch, the plain uncoated kind)
  • Gray, yellow and brown crayons or markers, plus crayons for drawing Paul and Silas
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed prison doors (page 3), one per child, plus a brown crayon (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the prison wall gray, the music notes yellow and the stocks brown. Leave the two windows and the verse strip white.
  2. In the left window, draw Paul. In the right window, draw Silas: two men with short hair, singing praises to God (Acts 16:25).
  3. Cut out the prison wall and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
  4. Fold the paper plate in half, top side in, and press the fold flat.
  5. Glue the prison wall on one outside half of the plate, with its straight edge along the fold. Turn the plate over and glue the verse strip on the other half (the back), with its long edge along the fold.
  6. Stand the plate on its curved edge, fold at the top, opened a little so it stands.
  7. Read the verse strip together.
  8. Tell it: "At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God" (Acts 16:25): sing a song together. "And suddenly there was a great earthquake" (16:26): tap the top of the plate so the prison rocks back and forth!

This Paul and Silas in prison craft for kids turns one printed page and a paper plate into a prison that rocks like the great earthquake (Acts 16:26). Kids color the stone wall, draw Paul and Silas in the windows with their feet fast in the stocks (16:24), sing together, and then tap the plate so the whole prison shakes. The memory verse 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, a paper plate, crayons, scissors and a glue stick.
  • Kids act out the story: they sing like Paul and Silas at midnight (Acts 16:25), then tap the plate and the prison rocks in the great earthquake (16:26).
  • Gentle, not scary: no beating and no sword, just two men singing praises to God and a prison that shakes.
  • The harder level opens the doors: "all the doors were opened" (16:26), and Paul and Silas are still there: "we are all here" (16:28).
  • It carries the verse home: Acts 16:25 (KJV) is glued on the back of the plate.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces, fold the plates and glue on the verse strips. Kids color, draw Paul and Silas and tap the prison. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut, fold the plate and glue on the pieces.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add the prison doors from page 3 over the windows and open them after the earthquake.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask where the jailer put Paul and Silas (Acts 16:24), what they did at midnight (16:25), what the earthquake did (16:26), what Paul cried to the jailer (16:28) and what the jailer and his family did that same night (16:33). Then read Acts 16:25 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces, fold the plates and glue on the verse strips ahead of time, so all they do is color, draw, glue and tap. Use plain uncoated paper plates so the glue sticks. Sing a song everyone knows while kids color: "the prisoners heard them."

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Paul and Silas craft for preschoolers?

Before class, cut out each child's prison wall and verse strip, fold the paper plates in half and glue the verse strips on the backs. Preschoolers color the wall, the notes and the stocks and draw Paul and Silas in the windows. Help them glue the wall on the front, then let them tap the plate to make the earthquake.

How much does this Paul and Silas craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, one paper plate, 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?

Acts 16:25 (KJV), "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the plate.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also make the prison doors from page 3 and glue them over the windows by their side tabs. They rock the prison for the earthquake and then open both doors, because "all the doors were opened" (Acts 16:26), and Paul and Silas are still there: "we are all here" (16:28).

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