Jesus Walks on Water Craft for Kids
An easy Jesus walks on water craft for kids in three levels, a night sea card where Peter on a craft stick walks on the waves and sinks. Free template.
Preschool–Grade 5
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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
- Matthew 14:22–33
- Bible story
- Jesus Walks on Water
What you need
- The printed sea card, wave band, Peter's window and verse card template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
- One craft stick per child
- Crayons or markers in dark blue, light blue and brown, plus any colors for drawing Peter
- Scissors and a glue stick
- The printed ship page (page 3), one per child (harder level)
Steps
- Color the sky on the sea card dark blue all around the ship. The wind lines will show through. Color the ship's hull and mast brown and leave the sail white. Color the wave band light blue.
- In Peter's window, draw Peter standing up, with short hair and a robe.
- Cut out the sea card, the wave band, Peter's window and the verse card on the dashed lines. Help younger children with the cutting.
- Glue the top of the craft stick on the back of Peter's window, so Peter stands on the stick.
- Turn the wave band over and put glue on its two ends only. Press it across the bottom of the sea card, with the bottom edges lined up. Keep glue off the middle, so the stick can slide behind the waves.
- Turn the sea card over and glue the verse card on the back. Read it together.
- Slide the craft stick down behind the wave band from the top, so its end comes out at the bottom. Push Peter up, and he walks on the water (Matthew 14:29). Pull him down, and he is beginning to sink (14:30). Push him up again, because Jesus caught him (14:31).
This Jesus walks on water craft turns one printed page and a craft stick into a night sea where Peter walks on the waves. Kids draw Peter in his window, color the dark sky, the ship and the waves, and slide Peter up to walk on the water and down to begin to sink, the way Matthew tells it: Peter cried, "Lord, save me," and immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him (Matthew 14:29–31). 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.
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 craft stick, crayons and a glue stick.
- Kids act out the story: Peter walks on the water (Matthew 14:29), begins to sink when he sees the wind boisterous (14:30), and comes back up because Jesus caught him (14:31).
- It keeps the Bible's details: a dark night sky for the fourth watch of the night (14:25), wind lines for the contrary wind and waves for a ship "tossed with waves" (14:24). Peter is the child's own drawing, and the craft does not draw Jesus. The verse card on the back has Matthew 14:27 (KJV).
Three ways to make it
- Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out and put together the pieces. Kids color, draw Peter and slide him up and down. No scissors.
- Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw Peter, cut out the pieces, glue Peter on a craft stick and the wave band on the card, and glue the verse card on the back.
- Harder (grades 3–5): kids add a paper ship from page 3 that makes a pocket, so Peter comes down out of the ship and goes back in when the wind ceased (Matthew 14:29–32). Then they say the memory verse from memory.
Questions to ask
While kids work, ask which way the wind was blowing (Matthew 14:24), when Jesus came walking on the sea (14:25) and what the disciples thought they saw (14:26). Then slide Peter down and ask why he began to sink: "when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid" (14:30). He cried, "Lord, save me," and Jesus caught him immediately (14:31).
Tips for the classroom
Print page 2 on cardstock if you can, so Peter's stick slides smoothly behind the waves. Glue the wave band only at its two ends; glue in the middle stops the stick.
Teaching the story first? Use the free Jesus walks on water lesson for kids and the Jesus walks on water word search.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a simple Jesus walks on water craft for preschoolers?
Cut out each child's sea card, wave band, Peter's window and verse card ahead of time, glue each window on a craft stick and glue each wave band on its card (on the two ends only). Preschoolers color the sky and the waves and draw Peter, or you draw a simple face for them. Then they slide Peter up and down. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.
How much does this Jesus walks on water craft cost?
Under 50 cents a child: one printed page (cardstock is best), one craft stick, and crayons and a glue stick you already have. The template is free to print.
What Bible verse goes with a Jesus walks on water craft?
Matthew 14:27 (KJV), "But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." It is printed on the verse card that kids glue on the back.
How can older kids make this Jesus walks on water craft harder?
Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids add a paper ship from page 3, glued over the printed ship on its two hull ends only, so it makes a pocket. Peter starts in the ship, comes down out of the ship onto the water, begins to sink, is caught and goes back into the ship, where the wind ceased (Matthew 14:29–32). Then they say Matthew 14:27 from memory.
