Craft

Philip and the Ethiopian Craft for Kids

An easy Philip and the Ethiopian craft for kids in three levels, a desert road card with a turning chariot wheel and water (Acts 8). Free printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

📌 Save to Pinterest

Download

⬇ 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: Acts 8:26–40
Bible story: Philip and the Ethiopian

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in light blue, yellow, brown, red and blue, plus any colors for drawing the people
1 brass paper fastener (brad) for each child
Scissors, a glue stick and a sharp pencil (to poke the brad holes)
The printed water flap page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

Color the card: the sky light blue, the desert ground yellow, the road brown, the chariot red and the water blue. Leave the three ovals white.
Draw: in the oval in the chariot, draw the man of Ethiopia sitting and reading (Acts 8:28). In the two ovals in the water, draw Philip and the man standing in the water (8:38).
Color the wheel brown. Leave the scroll white, and color its two rolled ends brown.
Cut out the card, the wheel, the scroll and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Glue the scroll in the dotted box on the chariot, in front of the man, as if he is holding it.
A grown-up pokes a hole with a sharp pencil through the dot in the middle of the wheel and the dot on the chariot. Push the brad through the wheel and the card from the front, and open its legs flat on the back.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the card, on the right side, away from the brad. Read it together.
Tell it: turn the wheel as the chariot goes along the desert road. Philip ran to the chariot and preached unto him Jesus (8:30, 8:35). At the water, stop the wheel: "See, here is water" (8:36). Point to the water: they went down both into the water, and Philip baptized him (8:38).

This Philip and the Ethiopian craft turns one printed page into the desert road to Gaza. Kids draw the man of Ethiopia in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah from a little paper scroll (Acts 8:28). They turn the chariot's wheel along the road until they reach the water: "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (8:36). Then they draw Philip and the man in the water, because "they went down both into the water" (8:38). 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, one brad, glue, crayons and scissors.
Kids tell the story as they turn the wheel: the chariot rolls along the desert road, Philip preaches Jesus, and the wheel stops at the water (Acts 8:35–38).
It shows baptism the Bible way: both men go down into the water and come up out of it (8:38–39). Older kids add a water flap that goes down over them and lifts up.
It points to Jesus: Philip "began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus" (8:35).
It carries the verse home: Acts 8:35 (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 in the brad. Kids color, draw the people and turn the wheel. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut and glue the pieces; a grown-up pokes the brad holes.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add a blue water flap from page 3 that folds down over Philip and the man and lifts up again (Acts 8:38–39).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who sent Philip to the desert road (Acts 8:26), what the man was reading (8:28), what Philip asked him (8:30), who Philip told him about (8:35), what the man said at the water (8:36) and how he went on his way (8:39). Then read Acts 8:35 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces ahead of time and push in the brads yourself after they color. Cardstock keeps the wheel turning smoothly. Acts 8 does not say what pulled the chariot, so the craft shows only the chariot and its wheel.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Philip and the Ethiopian lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Philip and the Ethiopian craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's card, wheel, scroll and verse strip ahead of time. Preschoolers color the pieces and draw the people in the ovals. You glue the scroll, poke the holes and push in the brad, and they turn the chariot wheel and stop at the water. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Philip and the Ethiopian craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, one brass paper fastener (brad), 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 8:35 (KJV), "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus." 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 add a blue water flap from page 3 that folds down over Philip and the man, because "they went down both into the water" (Acts 8:38), and lifts up when "they were come up out of the water" (8:39).