Craft

Sermon on the Mount Craft for Kids

An easy Sermon on the Mount craft for kids in three levels, a city set on a hill with a candle in the window, birds and lilies (Matthew 5–7). Free template.

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: Matthew 5–7
Bible story: The Sermon on the Mount

What you need

The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
Crayons or markers in light blue, green, tan, brown, yellow, orange and purple (plus red and blue for the harder level)
Scissors and a glue stick
The printed teaching strip page (page 3), one per child (harder level)
Pencils and Bibles (harder level)

Steps

Color the card: the sky light blue, the hill green, the house tan, the door brown and the inside of the window light yellow.
Color the pieces: the city's buildings tan, its windows yellow, its gate brown and the sky around it light blue; the candlestick yellow, the candle white and the flame orange; the lilies purple with green stems and leaves; the birds brown.
Cut out the card, the city, the candlestick, the four lilies, the three birds and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
Glue each piece on its dotted spot on the card: the city on top of the hill, the candlestick in the house window, a bird on each bird spot in the sky and a lily on each lily spot on the hill.
Glue the verse strip on the back of the card.
Tell the story: Jesus went up into a mountain, sat down and taught (Matthew 5:1–2). Point to the city: it is set on an hill and cannot be hid (5:14). Point to the candle: it gives light to all in the house (5:15). Point to the birds and lilies: God feeds them and clothes them, so don't worry (6:26–30). Turn the card over and read the verse together.

This Sermon on the Mount craft turns one printed page into pictures from Jesus' teaching on the mountain. When Jesus saw the multitudes, He went up into a mountain, sat down and taught (Matthew 5:1–2). Kids glue a city on top of a hill, because "a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid" (5:14), a candle on a candlestick in a house window (5:15), and the birds and lilies God takes care of (6:26–28). The memory verse is 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 glue.
Every piece is a teaching: the city and the candle say "let your light so shine" (Matthew 5:14–16), and the birds and lilies say God takes care of us, so don't worry (6:26–30).
It follows the Bible closely: a city set on an hill (5:14), a candle on a candlestick that gives light to all in the house (5:15), the fowls of the air (6:26) and the lilies of the field (6:28).
No one is drawn: the card shows places and things only. Jesus is not pictured.
It carries the verse home: Matthew 5:16 (KJV), "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven," is glued on the back of the card.

Three ways to make it

Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces. Kids color them and glue each one on its dotted spot. No scissors.
Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color and cut out the pieces and glue them on the hillside card.
Harder (grades 3–5): the craft in the second photo. Kids also make a teaching strip from page 3 that hangs below the card, with salt (Matthew 5:13), love your enemies (5:44), the golden rule (7:12) and seek ye first (6:33). They look up each verse and write its missing word.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask where Jesus went when He saw the multitudes and what He did (Matthew 5:1), what cannot be hid (5:14), where people put a candle (5:15), who feeds the birds (6:26) and what we should seek first (6:33). Then read Matthew 5:16 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces ahead of time and put each child's set in an envelope, so all they do is color and glue. Cardstock makes the card sturdy.

Teaching the story first? Use the free Sermon on the Mount Sunday school lesson and the Sermon on the Mount word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Sermon on the Mount craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's pieces ahead of time. Preschoolers color the card and the pieces, then glue each piece on its dotted spot: the city on the hill, the candle in the window, the birds in the sky and the lilies on the hill. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Sermon on the Mount craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, a little glue and crayons you already have. The template is free to print. The harder level adds a second page.

What Bible verse goes with this Sermon on the Mount craft?

Matthew 5:16 (KJV), "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." It is printed on the verse strip glued on the back of the card. The pictures show Matthew 5:14–15 (the city and the candle) and 6:26–28 (the birds and the lilies).

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids also make a teaching strip from page 3 that hangs below the card, with four pictures: salt (Matthew 5:13), a heart for love your enemies (5:44), arrows for the golden rule (7:12) and a crown for seek ye first the kingdom of God (6:33). They look up each verse, write its missing word and glue it on the back of its picture.