Craft

Peter Escapes Prison Craft for Kids, with Rhoda at the Gate

A free Peter escapes prison craft for kids in three levels. Peter knocks at the gate, and Rhoda runs in for gladness on a yarn path (Acts 12:14). Free template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Peter Escapes Prison Craft for Kids, with Rhoda at the Gate

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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: Acts 12:1–17
Bible story: Rhoda and Peter in Prison

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in light brown, yellow, brown, green and purple, plus any colors for drawing the people
A 6-inch piece of yarn and clear tape, one per child
Scissors and a glue stick
The printed prison gate page (page 3), one per child, and a gray crayon (harder level)

Steps

Color the card: the courtyard wall on the left light brown, the house on the right yellow with a brown door, and the ground green. Leave the space above the walls, the two windows and the dotted spots white.
Color the gate door brown and the edge of the Rhoda piece purple.
Draw the pictures: Peter standing and knocking in the window inside the gate, many people praying in the window of the house (Acts 12:12), and Rhoda, with long hair and a long dress, in the window of her piece.
Cut out the card, the gate door, the Rhoda piece, the loop strip and the verse strip on the dashed lines.
Glue only the dotted strip of the gate door on the dotted spot beside the gate, so the door covers Peter and opens and shuts.
Put glue on the two dotted ends of the loop strip only, and press them across the middle of the back of the Rhoda piece, so the middle of the strip stays loose.
Tape one end of the yarn on the dotted circle by the gate. Thread the yarn through Rhoda's loop, then tape the other end on the dotted circle by the house door.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the card. Read it together.
Tell it: knock on the door (Acts 12:13). Rhoda knew Peter's voice, but she opened not the gate for gladness: slide her along the yarn to the people praying (12:14). Then open the door and find Peter (12:16).

This Peter escapes prison craft turns one printed page into the gate where Peter knocked. While Peter was kept in prison, "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him" (Acts 12:5). God brought him out, and he came to the house where many were praying and "knocked at the door of the gate" (12:12–13). Kids draw Peter behind a gate door that opens, and slide Rhoda along a yarn path, because "she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in" (12:14). The memory verse, Acts 12:5, goes on the back.

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 short piece of yarn, tape, a glue stick and crayons.
Kids tell the story with their hands: knock on the door (Acts 12:13), slide Rhoda in for gladness (12:14), then open the door and find Peter (12:16).
It shows God's answer to prayer: the harder level adds the prison, with Peter's chains on the ground and the iron gate that "opened to them of his own accord" (12:10).
It stays gentle: no angel is drawn, and Jesus is not drawn.
It carries the verse home: Acts 12:5 (KJV), the memory verse for the whole set, is glued on the back of the card.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces, glue on the door and the loop, and tape the yarn with Rhoda on it. Kids color, draw, knock and slide Rhoda in. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut out the pieces, glue the door and the loop, and tape the yarn.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also add the prison from page 3, with two iron gate doors that open and Peter's two chains (Acts 12:7, 12:10).

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who put Peter in prison (Acts 12:1–4), what the church did (12:5), what happened to Peter's chains (12:7), how the iron gate opened (12:10), what the people at Mary's house were doing (12:12), who came when Peter knocked (12:13) and why she didn't open the gate (12:14). Then read Acts 12:5 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces, glue on the door and the loop, and tape the yarn ahead of time, so all they do is color, draw, knock and slide Rhoda in. Cardstock keeps the door and the Rhoda piece sturdy. Tape the yarn a little loose so Rhoda slides easily.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Rhoda and Peter lesson and the word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Peter in prison craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's pieces ahead of time, glue the gate door on, glue the loop on Rhoda's back and tape the yarn with Rhoda on it. Preschoolers color, draw Peter, Rhoda and the people praying, then knock on the door and slide Rhoda in to tell the others. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Peter escapes prison craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, a short piece of yarn, a little tape, a glue stick 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 12:5 (KJV), "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." It is the memory verse for the whole Rhoda and Peter set, and 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 add the prison from page 3: an iron gate with two doors that open, the street beyond it, and Peter's two chains lying on the ground, because "his chains fell off from his hands" (Acts 12:7) and the iron gate "opened to them of his own accord" (Acts 12:10).