Craft Ideas for the Bible Story of Joseph

Joseph's story comes from the Book of Genesis in the bible, chapters 37 through 50. Joseph, the son of Jacob, lives with his eleven brothers in Canaan. Joseph goes from being the favorite son to being sold as a slave and jailed for years. Blessed with the ability to interpret dreams, Joseph counsels Pharaoh and saves Egypt from famine. Joseph's story is also one of forgiveness as he forgives his brothers and welcomes them to Egypt. There are many crafts children can enjoy creating that remind them of the lessons to be learned from Joseph's story.

Joseph's father gave him a special coat since he was his favorite son. Joseph's coat of many colors can be created in many ways. Using a coffee filter, children can mark with washable markers. Spray the coffee filter with water and allow the colors to run and blend together. Dry thoroughly, then cut into a coat shape and glue onto a printed Joseph paper doll template. You can use the same template of Joseph but cut out the area where the coat would be, leaving a paper outline. Place Joseph on clear contact paper, sticky side up, and fill in the area of the coat with colorful pieces of torn tissue paper. Cover the finished product with another piece of contact paper, placing sticky sides together. Press to seal the edges and trim around Joseph's outline. Hang in a window for a stained glass look. Make a third type of coat by piecing parts of a Bible verse from Joseph's story onto his coat outline.

Joseph was sent to jail while he was a slave. He was innocent but was paying the price for another person's lies. Make a craft of Joseph in jail by coloring a picture of Joseph. Using black chenille stems, available at craft supply stores, glue in straight lines over Joseph's picture to represent the bars of the jail. You can also cut thin strips of black construction paper for the bars if chenille stems can't be found.

Joseph warned Pharaoh of a famine and encouraged him to store grain. Pharaoh listened and Joseph saved Egypt from starvation. You can illustrate the story by making a barn and grain to store. Give each child a clean, empty pint-sized milk carton. Cover the carton with construction paper and glue in place. Draw windows and doors on the paper. With an adult's help, cut barn doors so they can fold open. Children can color and cut out bales of grain or bushel baskets to place inside the barn. Glue real grains onto small pieces of paper to make it more realistic. Make a different type of barn by using two pieces of construction paper. Cut both papers into a barn shape. Draw windows and doors on one piece only. Cut the barn doors so they fold open. Carefully glue the two pieces together, making sure not to glue the barn doors closed. Children can glue grain pieces or pictures of grain bales into the open area of the barn.