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Psalm 23 Craft for Kids: A Shepherd's Staff

An easy Psalm 23 craft for kids in three levels, a paper shepherd's staff with six picture circles, one for each verse. Free printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Psalm 23 Craft for Kids: A Shepherd's Staff
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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
Psalm 23; Psalm 100:3; John 10:11
Bible story
The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23)

What you need

  • The printed staff, six picture circles and verse strip (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in brown, green, blue, tan, gray, yellow, orange, red, pink and black
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed rod and sheep (page 3), one per child (harder level)
  • A hole punch and a 10-inch piece of yarn per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the staff brown. Color the six circles. Circle 1, the sheep in the grass, the sheep's face and legs black, its wool white and the grass green. Circle 2, the grass green and the still water blue. Circle 3, the path tan, the grass green and the sun yellow. Circle 4, the two hills gray and the rod and staff brown. Circle 5, the table brown, the cup yellow, the spilling drops blue and the oil jar orange. Circle 6, the house tan, the roof red, the door brown and the heart pink.Color the staff brown. Color the six circles. Circle 1, the sheep in the grass, the sheep's face and legs black, its wool white and the grass green. Circle 2, the grass green and the still water blue. Circle 3, the path tan, the grass green and the sun yellow. Circle 4, the two hills gray and the rod and staff brown. Circle 5, the table brown, the cup yellow, the spilling drops blue and the oil jar orange. Circle 6, the house tan, the roof red, the door brown and the heart pink.
  2. Cut out the staff, the six circles and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
  3. Glue the circles down the staff in order, number 1 at the top just under the hook. Glue circle 1 so it sticks out on the right side of the staff, circle 2 on the left, circle 3 on the right, and keep going, right and left, down to circle 6.
  4. Turn the staff over and glue the verse strip down the back. Read it together, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1).
  5. Read Psalm 23 together. Point to each circle, from the top down, as you read its verse.Read Psalm 23 together. Point to each circle, from the top down, as you read its verse.

This Psalm 23 craft for kids turns one printed page into a shepherd's staff that tells the whole psalm. Kids color six picture circles, one for each verse, from "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1) to "I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever" (23:6), and glue them down a paper staff in order, with the memory verse on the back. Then they point to each picture as they say the psalm. 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 and a glue stick.
  • Kids learn the whole psalm with it: the six pictures go in the same order as the six verses, so the staff becomes a reminder kids can read from top to bottom.
  • It keeps the Bible's words: green pastures and still waters (Psalm 23:2), the paths of righteousness (23:3), the rod and the staff (23:4), the table, the oil and the cup that runneth over (23:5), and the house of the LORD (23:6). The memory verse, Psalm 23:1 (KJV), is on the back.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut the pieces ahead of time. Kids color the staff and the pictures and glue the circles on with your help. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the staff, the circles and the verse strip, and glue the circles on in order.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): kids add the shepherd's rod from page 3 behind the staff (Psalm 23:4) and hang a paper sheep with their name on the back from the hook on yarn: "we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3). Then they say Psalm 23 from memory.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who our shepherd is (Psalm 23:1) and what "I shall not want" means. Point to each circle and ask about its verse: where the shepherd leads (23:2), why David was not afraid (23:4), what "my cup runneth over" means (23:5) and what follows us all our days (23:6). Ask who said, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11), then turn the staff over and read Psalm 23:1 together.

Tips for the classroom

Print page 2 on cardstock if you can, so the staff stays stiff. Explain "the valley of the shadow of death" gently as a very dark, scary place where God is still with us. For preschoolers, do all the cutting ahead of time, so all they do is color, glue and point.

Teaching the psalm first? Use the free Lord Is My Shepherd lesson for kids and the Psalm 23 word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Psalm 23 craft for preschoolers?

Before class, cut out each child's staff and six circles. Preschoolers color the staff brown and color the pictures, then glue the circles down the staff with your help, number 1 at the top. You glue the verse strip on the back. Read Psalm 23 and let them point to each picture. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

What do the six pictures on the staff mean?

One picture for each verse of Psalm 23: a sheep in the grass (I shall not want, 23:1), green pastures and still waters (23:2), a path (the paths of righteousness, 23:3), a dark valley with a rod and staff (23:4), a table with oil and a cup that runneth over (23:5), and the house of the LORD with a heart for goodness and mercy (23:6).

What Bible verse goes with a Psalm 23 craft?

Psalm 23:1 (KJV), "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." It is printed on a verse strip that kids glue down the back of the staff. I shall not want means "I will have everything I need."

How can older kids make this Psalm 23 craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also cut out the shepherd's rod from page 3 and glue it behind the staff, and hang a paper sheep from the hook on yarn, with their own name on the back: "we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3). Then they say Psalm 23 from memory. Easy and medium cost under 50 cents a child.

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