Oral narration is a great way for kids to remember, process, and think critically about what they’ve learned while retelling a story in their own words. Stick puppets make it just that much more fun!
This set of stick puppets will allow your kids to easily create Joseph and his coat of many colors, and the cows from the Pharaoh’s dream.
You can add these to the free, printable templates that create 42 Bible stick puppets! Grab that stick puppet craft set in the Thinking Kids Press store, as a part of the FREE Bible Study Tool Kit. And, that set of puppets includes sun, moon, and star stick puppets that you can use to reenact Joseph’s dream from Genesis 37:9-11!
Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors
In the Bible, the story of Joseph stretches from Genesis chapter 37 through 50. It’s a wonderful story of God’s sovereign care for his people.
The story of Joseph and the coat of many colors is found in Genesis 37. Read it before beginning your craft. Your children can use the puppets they create from the FREE Bible Study Tool Kit to tell the story of Jacob, his brothers, and the Ishmaelite traders.
Read Genesis chapter 41 for the story of Pharaoh’s dreams (including the one with the fat and skinny cows!).
Talk about:
- How did Jacob help set Joseph’s brothers against him?
- How did Joseph, perhaps, act unwisely after he dreamed?
- Who gave the dreams to Joseph, and–later–to Pharaoh?
- How did God use the dreams he gave Pharaoh to set Joseph in a position of power?
Of course, you will want to study the entire story of Joseph with your kids. They can use all their Bible stick puppets to retell the story of how God cared for his people!
Joseph and the Coat of Colors Craft
Check out this fun video of the Joseph’s coat of colors craft!
Bible Stick Puppet Supplies
You’ll need a few supplies to make your Joseph and the coat of many colors craft:
- Cardstock — Colored and White
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pencil
- Felt Pieces
- Permanent Marker
- Needle and Thread
- Printable Template with Instructions
Creating Your Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors Craft
1) Print and cut out the template pieces.
Print the templates from the step-by-step instructions onto white cardstock and cut out the pieces. Then, trace the template pieces onto colored cardstock in and cut out the pieces.
2) Create your Joseph puppet.
Cut a slit along the hair, using the yellow line on the template as a guide.
Glue the hat on top of the hair. Glue the pants to Joseph’s body.
Glue Joseph’s shoes to his feet. Slide the puppet’s head through the slit in the hair and glue the back of the head to the hair.
Use a permanent marker to give Joseph a face.
3) Create the coat of many colors.
Cut out felt pieces in different colors, with a solid color for the base, as shown.
Thread an embroidery needle and stitch the patches onto the coat base, beginning with the sleeves.
You can use a running stitch, flat blanket stitch, or just stitch over and under.
Stitch the pieces onto the coat base, one-by-one.
When you have finished stitching the patches onto the coat, knot the thread on the back of the coat and cut the excess thread off.
Glue the coat of many colors onto your Joseph puppet.
4) Create your cow puppets.
Trace the cow templates onto colored cardstock, as shown.
For the fat cow, glue the inner ears onto the ears. Glue the muzzle to the bottom side of the head.
Use a pencil to draw the spots and the face.
Use a permanent marker to draw the cow’s face, fill in the spots, and color the end of the tail.
Glue the horns behind the top of the head, and glue the tail to the back of the cow’s body.
Glue the head onto the body to complete your fat cow puppet.
For the skinny cow, glue the inner ears, muzzle, and horns to the head, as shown. Glue the tail behind the body and use a permanent marker to fill in the tip of the tail.
Glue the skinny cow’s head to the body. Use a permanent marker to draw the face.
Use a permanent marker to draw the face. Use a permanent marker to color hooves on both cows.
5) Retell the story of Joseph using your Bible stick puppets!
Glue a craft stick behind each puppet to complete it.
Your children can learn to think deeply about the stories in God’s Word as they construct their stick puppets, and then narrate the stories they’ve learned.
Bible Resources for Your Kids
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Puzzle-Based Independent Bible Study for Kids!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2, ESV
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- Observe: They pay attention to what they’re reading.
- Interpret: They figure out what the Bible means in that section.
- Apply: They decide how the truth of God’s Word impacts their life today.
There are a great many truths in life to be found—some interesting, some boring, and some that really matter. You can be the kind of investigator who spends time puzzling out important truth so that you can know all the knowable knowledge that God has given us. That’s right. God, the Creator of the Universe, gave you a great big letter from him to explore and study so that you can discover the truths that really matter to your life!”
Bible Investigators: Creation, (The Good Book Company, 2024), page 7
The Bible Investigators: Creation Bible study for kids, written by Danika Cooley and published by The Good Book Company, is 272-pages of learning, puzzles, and fun activities designed to help your kids become amazing independent Bible investigators–observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word as they learn what the Bible teaches on a particular subject.
Bible Puzzles for Kids
Middle grade kids, aged 8-12, love puzzles. After all, their brains are just built for figuring things out and memorizing facts. Puzzles are a wonderful way to help kids develop logic skills and retain important information. And, the book is written in a fun, conversational tone your children are sure to love!
What types of puzzles and activities will you find in Bible Investigators?
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- Word Searches
- Crosswords
- Rebus Puzzles
- Dot-to-Dots
- Logic Puzzles
- Missing Letter Puzzles
- Cryptograms
- Word Sudoku
- Mazes
- How-to-Draw Pages
- Matching Pairs
- Word Scrambles
- Journal Pages
Every child is sure to find activities they’ll love!
Elementary-aged kids need hands-on middle grade resources that engage them and equip them to process important truths.
Bible Investigators is the perfect resource to teach your kids about an important biblical doctrine, while helping them apply God’s Word to their lives today.
Books Make Great Gifts!
Teach the kids about the Bible and Christian history…
…with fun books they’ll love reading!
Introduce your children to engaging stories written in an engaging narrative they’ll want to read. As they learn more about God’s Word and gain real-life heroes, they will learn to apply Scripture to their own lives. And, give yourself the gift of a book that will help your kids learn and love the Bible.
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