Craft

Crossing the Red Sea Craft for Kids

An easy parting Red Sea craft for kids in three levels, preschool to 5th grade, with free printable dry ground and water flap templates, supply list and steps.

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: Exodus 14–15
Bible story: Crossing the Red Sea

What you need

The printed dry ground and water flaps template, one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons in blue, light brown, dark brown and gray
Scissors and a glue stick
The printed pillar of cloud and fire page, one per child (harder level)
Crayons in red, orange and yellow (harder level)

Steps

Color the dry ground piece light brown. Color the pebbles gray and the footprints dark brown.
In the oval window, draw God's people walking through the sea on dry ground.
Color both sides of the two water flaps blue. On the plain back side, draw wavy lines like the ones on the front.
Cut out the dry ground piece, the two water flaps and the memory verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Fold each flap on its solid line and unfold it. Glue each flap's tab on a gray strip of the dry ground piece, so the two flaps close over the middle like doors.
Glue the memory verse strip on the back. Close the sea, then open it wide and read the verse together.

This Crossing the Red Sea craft lets kids part the sea themselves. Two blue water flaps close over a dry ground path, then open wide like walls of water, and kids draw God's people walking through in the middle. It costs under 50 cents a child, takes about 20 minutes and comes with a free printable template and memory verse strip. It 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 and a glue stick.
It retells the story: kids close the sea, then open it, just as God divided the waters and His people walked through on dry ground with a wall of water on each side (Exodus 14:21–22).
It carries the verse home: the template includes Exodus 14:14 (KJV) on a strip to glue on the back.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces ahead of time. Kids color the dry ground and the water flaps, draw God's people in the window and glue on the flaps with your help. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out and glue the dry ground and water flaps, draw God's people in the window and glue the verse strip on the back.
Harder (grades 3–5): after the medium steps, kids make a two-sided pillar from page 3, cloud on one side and fire on the other, and glue it behind the top edge. The cloud shows on the front, and the fire is on the back, because God led His people by day and by night (Exodus 13:21). Then they say the verse from memory.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask what Moses told the scared people (Exodus 14:13), how God opened the sea (14:21) and what the people walked on (14:22). God fought for His people, and He is with us when we are afraid (14:14).

Tips for the classroom

Print the template on cardstock so the flaps open and close many times. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces ahead of time, so all they do is color, draw and glue. For the harder level, print the pillar page too.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Crossing the Red Sea Sunday school lesson and the Crossing the Red Sea word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Red Sea craft for preschoolers?

Cut out the dry ground piece and the two water flaps ahead of time. Preschoolers color the ground brown and the flaps blue, draw God's people in the window, and glue the flaps on with your help. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Red Sea craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page (cardstock is best), a little glue and crayons you already have. The template is free to print.

What Bible verse goes with a Red Sea craft?

Exodus 14:14 (KJV), "The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." It is printed on the verse strip in the template.

How can older kids make this Red Sea craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. After making the dry ground and the water flaps, kids color, cut out and fold a two-sided pillar from page 3, cloud on one side and fire on the other, and glue it behind the top edge. God led His people with a pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21).