Craft

God Calls Samuel Craft for Kids

An easy God calls Samuel craft for kids in three levels. Samuel's card slides up out of a paper blanket each time the LORD calls. Free printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

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⬇ Craft template + instructions (PDF) · 6 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: 1 Samuel 3:1–10; 1 Samuel 3:10
Bible story: God Calls Samuel

What you need

The printed sleeping mat, blanket, Samuel card and lamp template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
1 sheet of dark blue construction paper per child (9 by 12 inches), for the night
Crayons or markers in brown, light blue, yellow and orange, plus any colors for the drawing in the window
Scissors and a glue stick
The printed Eli's place piece (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

Color the sleeping mat brown and leave the pillow white. Color the blanket light blue and leave the folded top band white. Color the lamp of God yellow, its flame orange and yellow, and its stand brown.
In the oval window at the top of the Samuel card, draw Samuel lying down with his head on the pillow.
Cut out the sleeping mat, the blanket, the Samuel card, the lamp and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Turn the blanket over. Put glue only along its two sides and its bottom edge. Turn it back over and press it on the bottom of the mat, with its top edge on the dotted line, so it makes a pocket.
Glue the mat on the right half of the dark blue paper (the long way). Glue the lamp of God on the left of the mat, flame at the top.
Slide the Samuel card into the blanket pocket, window first at the top, so only the window shows above the blanket.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the dark blue paper. Read it together, "Speak; for thy servant heareth" (1 Samuel 3:10).
Tell the story. Each time the LORD calls, "Samuel!", pull Samuel up out of the blanket and say, "Here am I" (1 Samuel 3:4–8), then push him back down. The fourth time, pull him up and say, "Speak; for thy servant heareth" (3:10).

This God calls Samuel craft turns one printed page into the temple at night, where the boy Samuel lay down to sleep while the lamp of God was still burning (1 Samuel 3:3). Kids draw Samuel in a little window card and tuck him into a paper blanket pocket on his sleeping mat. Each time the LORD calls, "Samuel!", they pull Samuel up to say "Here am I," and the fourth time he answers, "Speak; for thy servant heareth" (1 Samuel 3:10), the memory verse printed 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, a sheet of dark blue construction paper, crayons, scissors and a glue stick.
Kids tell the story with it: Samuel slides up out of the blanket for each call, so kids count the four calls and retell 1 Samuel 3 at home.
It keeps the Bible's details: the lamp of God still burning in the temple (1 Samuel 3:3), three times to Eli (3:4–8), and the fourth call, "Samuel, Samuel" (3:10). The memory verse, 1 Samuel 3:10 (KJV), is on the back.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut the pieces and glue the blanket pocket ahead of time. Kids color, draw Samuel and glue the mat and lamp on the paper. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw Samuel, cut out the pieces, glue the blanket pocket and slide Samuel in.
Harder (grades 3–5): kids add Eli's place from page 3 on the left and draw Eli lying down in his place (1 Samuel 3:2), so they can run Samuel to Eli three times. Then they say the memory verse from memory.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask what was still burning when Samuel lay down (1 Samuel 3:3) and who Samuel ran to (3:5). Pull Samuel up and count the calls together, then ask what Eli told Samuel to say (3:9) and what Samuel answered the fourth time (3:10). Turn the paper over and read 1 Samuel 3:10 together.

Tips for the classroom

Print page 2 on cardstock if you can, so the Samuel card slides well. Glue only the sides and bottom of the blanket, or the pocket won't open. For preschoolers, do all the cutting and glue the pockets ahead of time, so all they do is color, draw and glue.

Teaching the story first? Use the free God calls Samuel Sunday school lesson and the God calls Samuel word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple God calls Samuel craft for preschoolers?

Before class, cut out each child's pieces and glue the blanket pocket onto the mat. Preschoolers color the mat, the blanket and the lamp, draw Samuel in the window and glue the mat and lamp on dark blue paper with a glue stick. Then they pull Samuel up each time you call his name. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How many times did God call Samuel?

Four times. The LORD called three times and each time Samuel ran to Eli (1 Samuel 3:4–8). The fourth time the LORD called, "Samuel, Samuel," and Samuel answered, "Speak; for thy servant heareth" (3:10). Kids count the calls as they pull Samuel up out of the blanket.

What Bible verse goes with a God calls Samuel craft?

1 Samuel 3:10 (KJV), "And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." It is printed on a verse strip that kids glue on the back of the paper.

How can older kids make this God calls Samuel craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids add Eli's place from page 3, drawing Eli lying down in his place (1 Samuel 3:2), and glue it on the left so the lamp of God stands between Eli and Samuel. Then they retell the story with both and say the memory verse from memory. Each child costs under 50 cents for the easy and medium levels.