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Ruth and Naomi Craft for Kids

An easy Ruth and Naomi craft for kids in three levels, a road card where two sets of footprints walk from Moab to Bethlehem. Free printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Ruth and Naomi 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
Ruth 1–4
Bible story
Ruth and Naomi

What you need

  • The printed road card, footprint strip and verse card template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • Crayons or markers in brown, tan and yellow
  • Scissors and a glue stick
  • The printed field of Boaz page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. On the road card, color the hills, the road and the footprints that turn back brown, the city of Bethlehem tan, and the barley yellow. Color the footprint strip tan and its footprints brown.On the road card, color the hills, the road and the footprints that turn back brown, the city of Bethlehem tan, and the barley yellow. Color the footprint strip tan and its footprints brown.
  2. Cut out the road card, the footprint strip and the verse card on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
  3. Cut out the window on the road. A grown-up pinches the middle of the window and snips a small slit to start the cut.
  4. Turn the road card face down. Turn the verse card face down too, put glue on the back of its top band and bottom band only, and press it across the back of the road card so it covers the window. The verse faces out.
  5. Slide the footprint strip into the gap between the road card and the verse card, footprints toward the window. Turn the card over, and the two travelers' footprints show through the window.
  6. Tell the story with the card. Start the footprints at the left, in Moab. The footprints that turn back are Orpah's, who went back to her people (Ruth 1:14–15). Ruth said, "whither thou goest, I will go" (1:16). Slide the strip so the footprints walk along the road to Bethlehem, "So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem" (1:19), at the beginning of barley harvest (1:22). Turn the card over and read the verse together.Tell the story with the card. Start the footprints at the left, in Moab. The footprints that turn back are Orpah's, who went back to her people (Ruth 1:14–15). Ruth said, "whither thou goest, I will go" (1:16). Slide the strip so the footprints walk along the road to Bethlehem, "So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem" (1:19), at the beginning of barley harvest (1:22). Turn the card over and read the verse together.

This Ruth and Naomi craft turns one printed page into a road card from Moab to Bethlehem. Kids slide a strip so two pairs of footprints walk the road together, because Ruth told Naomi, "whither thou goest, I will go" (Ruth 1:16), and "they two went until they came to Beth-lehem" (1:19). A small pair of footprints turns back for Orpah (1:14–15), and barley grows by Bethlehem for the barley harvest (1:22). The memory verse goes 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, crayons, scissors and a glue stick.
  • Kids move the story: sliding the footprints from Moab to Bethlehem acts out Ruth's promise to go wherever Naomi went.
  • It keeps the Bible's details: two travelers, "they two" (Ruth 1:19), Orpah turning back (1:14–15), and barley at the beginning of barley harvest (1:22). For older kids, the field of Boaz with the handfuls of purpose (2:16). No people are drawn, only footprints. The verse card on the back has Ruth 1:16 (KJV).

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and the window and glue the verse card on. Kids color, slide the strip in and walk the footprints to Bethlehem. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, cut out the pieces, glue the verse card on the back and slide the strip in.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): kids add the stand-up field of Boaz from page 3 at the Bethlehem end of the road. Then they say the memory verse from memory.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask whose footprints turn back (Ruth 1:14–15) and what Ruth said to Naomi (1:16). Then walk the footprints to Bethlehem and ask what harvest was starting (1:22) and what Boaz told his young men to let fall for Ruth (2:16).

Tips for the classroom

Print page 2 on cardstock if you can, so the strip slides well. Glue only the top and bottom bands of the verse card. For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and the window and glue the verse card on ahead of time, so all they do is color, slide and tell the story.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Ruth and Naomi lesson for kids and the Ruth and Naomi word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Ruth and Naomi craft for preschoolers?

Before class, cut out each child's road card, window, footprint strip and verse card, and glue the verse card on the back of each road card. Preschoolers color the hills, Bethlehem, the barley and the strip, then slide the strip in and walk the footprints to Bethlehem. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Ruth and Naomi 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 Ruth and Naomi craft?

Ruth 1:16 (KJV), "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go." The whole verse is printed on the verse card that kids glue on the back.

How can older kids make this Ruth craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also color and cut out the field of Boaz from page 3, with its sheaves and the handfuls of barley let fall on purpose (Ruth 2:16), fold its tab back and stand it at the Bethlehem end of the road. Then they say Ruth 1:16 from memory.

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