8 Faith-Filled Gideon Crafts To Teach That God Is Always With Us

Every little one knows the feeling of being too small for something. Too little to reach the shelf, too little to stay up late, too little to be much help. And sometimes they carry that same feeling on the inside, wondering if they’re brave enough or big enough for what’s in front of them.

That’s what makes Gideon such a good story to tell them. He felt like the least and the smallest, and God met him right there and called him a mighty man of valor. Not because of what Gideon could do, but because God was with him.

So when you’re teaching this story, a craft gives little hands something to do while that truth sinks in. Whether you’re a Sunday school teacher, a homeschool mama, a grandparent, or a parent at the kitchen table, these eight ideas are simple to set up and gentle enough for the youngest crafters.

And every one of them comes back to the same steady promise. God is with us.

“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” — Judges 6:12

8 faith-filled gideon crafts for kids

Here are eight simple crafts to make together, walking through the story in order, from the day God called Gideon all the way to the night the battle was won. So pick one for a single lesson, or work through several as you tell the story over a few days.

1. God calls Gideon craft

This first craft sets the whole story in motion, the moment an angel found Gideon and told him the Lord was with him. It’s a simple paper scene the little ones can color and build.

1. Start with a sheet of cardstock for the background and color in a hiding spot, like the winepress where Gideon was threshing wheat.
2. Color and cut out a paper Gideon figure, then glue him onto the scene.
3. Color and cut out an angel figure, and add a little gold foil or yellow paper for a glow around him.
4. Glue the angel across from Gideon so they face each other.
5. If there’s room at the bottom, have the little ones trace the words “The Lord is with you.”

This craft opens the door to the whole story, showing that God chose someone who felt like the least. It pairs nicely with our simple bible verse crafts if you’d like the little ones to keep those words close.

2. Gideon and the fleece craft

Before Gideon would go to battle, he asked God for a sign and laid a wool fleece out on the ground overnight. This craft shows him wringing the dew from the wool, with the water running down into a bowl.

1. Start with a sheet of paper and color Gideon kneeling down, with a warm sunrise sky behind him and a stone floor below.
2. Cut a little bowl shape from gold or yellow paper and glue it just under where his hands will be.
3. Tuck a small puff of cotton into his hands for the wet wool fleece.
4. Add a few blue paper dew drops running from the fleece down into the bowl.
5. Let it dry flat before you set it out.

Little ones love that this one has a soft fleece to squeeze out over the bowl. It gives you a gentle way to talk about how Gideon asked God to steady his faith, and how patiently God answered him, not once but twice.

3. Gideon’s army of 300 craft

God told Gideon he had too many soldiers, and trimmed the army all the way down to just three hundred. This craft turns a few paper soldiers into a little standing army the children can line up and play with.

1. Draw or trace a few simple soldier figures on paper, each in a tunic with a headband or cap.
2. Color the soldiers in, then cut each one out.
3. Glue a craft stick to the back of each soldier so it stands up like a puppet.
4. Line the soldiers up in a row, or tape their arms together so they stand shoulder to shoulder.
5. Give them little paper swords, trumpets, or torches to hold if you like.

This one shows how God did a big thing with a small number, so no one could miss that the victory came from Him. If you’re gathering brave Bible stories for a lesson, our armor of god crafts make a strong companion for another day.

4. Gideon torch craft

Each of Gideon’s three hundred men carried a torch into the night. A paper torch with bright tissue flames is a simple, safe way to hold one of your own.

1. Start with a cardboard tube or a rolled tube of brown paper for the handle.
2. Cut flame shapes from red, orange, and yellow tissue paper.
3. Layer the flames together and tuck the bottoms down inside the top of the tube.
4. Add a dab of glue inside the rim to hold the flames in place.
5. Fluff the tissue out so the flame stands up tall and full.

Little ones can hold their torch up high just like the soldiers did. It’s a bright, cheerful craft that makes the story feel real in their hands.

5. Cracked jar with hidden torch

Here’s the clever part of the story. The soldiers hid their torches inside clay jars, then smashed the jars so the light burst out all at once. This craft keeps that surprise tucked inside.

1. Start with a paper cup or a folded paper jar shape for the clay pot.
2. Color it a clay brown, and if you like, draw a few crack lines down the sides.
3. Make a small torch from a rolled paper strip topped with tissue-paper flames.
4. Set the little torch down inside the jar so it’s hidden from view.
5. When it’s time, let the little one open or “break” the jar to reveal the light inside.

Where the torch craft is the flame held up high, this one is all about the hidden light bursting out. It gives you a wonderful picture to talk about, how the light was there all along, waiting for the right moment to shine.

6. Gideon trumpet craft

Along with their torches, the three hundred men each carried a trumpet to blow. A paper horn the little ones can actually toot brings that night to life.

1. Start with a sheet of cardstock and roll it into a cone, wide at one end and narrow at the other.
2. Tape along the seam so the cone holds its shape.
3. Trim the wide end so it sits flat and even.
4. Decorate the trumpet with crayons, or wrap it in gold paper for a shiny horn.
5. Give the narrow end a gentle toot to hear it sound.

Children love that this craft makes real noise, so you may want to save the tooting for the end. It leads right into the next craft, where the trumpets and torches come together.

7. Gideon defeats the Midianites craft

This is the night it all happened, when the torches blazed, the trumpets blew, and God won the battle without a single sword swung by Gideon’s men. A nighttime scene captures the wonder of it.

1. Start with a sheet of dark blue or black paper for the night sky.
2. Tear or cut small hill shapes from brown paper and glue them along the bottom.
3. Add rows of little torch flames from orange and yellow paper across the hills.
4. Glue on a few tiny paper trumpets or jars among the flames.
5. Sprinkle a handful of star stickers or white dots across the sky.

It’s a striking craft that shows how God surrounded the enemy with light and sound. This is one of the great rescue stories of the Bible, and it sits beside others your little ones may know, like our jonah and the whale crafts and our cain and abel crafts.

8. Gideon story wheel

Once you’ve told the whole story, a spinning wheel is a lovely way to review it. Each turn lands on a different part for the little one to remember and tell back.

1. Start with one large paper circle and divide it into wedges, like slices of a pie.
2. Color a piece of the story into each wedge, going in order: God calling Gideon, the fleece, the army of 300, the torches and jars, and the victory.
3. Cut a small arrow from cardstock.
4. Push a paper fastener through the arrow and the center of the circle so the arrow spins freely.
5. Give it a gentle spin and let the little one tell the part of the story it lands on.

This one works well after you’ve read the story once through, turning the whole thing into a little game. It helps the pieces settle into place while their hands stay busy.

the story behind these crafts

In Gideon’s day, the people of Israel were hiding from the Midianites, who kept sweeping in and taking their harvest. So when the angel of the Lord found Gideon threshing wheat in secret and called him a mighty man of valor, Gideon could hardly believe it. He felt like the smallest one in the weakest family, and he asked God for signs with a wool fleece before he would go.

But God was patient, and God was with him. He trimmed Gideon’s army down to just three hundred men so the victory could only be His. Then, with nothing but torches, trumpets, and clay jars, He sent the enemy running in the night. It’s a story about God using the small and the unsure, and it stands among the other deliverers of that time, like the ones in our samson crafts for sunday school and our sweet ruth and naomi crafts.

simple supplies to keep on hand

Most of these crafts lean on the same handful of things, so you won’t need much. Cardstock and plain paper do the heavy lifting, along with crayons or markers, safety scissors, and a good glue stick. Red, orange, and yellow tissue paper covers all the torch flames, and a bag of cotton balls or a bit of real wool takes care of the fleece.

From there, it’s little extras you likely already have. A cardboard tube or two for the torches, paper cups for the jars, a paper fastener for the story wheel, and a dab of paint for the fingerprint army. Gold paper is a nice touch on the trumpet and the angel, though crayons work just as well.

Most of it is probably already sitting in your craft drawer, and anything missing is easy to swap for something similar. The story matters far more than getting the supply list exactly right.

tips for crafting with little ones

Do a bit of prep before you gather the children. Roll the torch tubes ahead of time, cut the trickier shapes for the youngest hands, and set the supplies out where everyone can reach them. A little setup keeps the craft calm instead of hurried.

Then let the story lead. Tell it slowly as their hands work, and pause on the night the jars were broken, since that’s where the whole thing turns. If a child wants to color Gideon’s cloak purple or give the army a hundred extra soldiers, let them. The point isn’t a perfect craft. It’s the truth sinking in while they work, and the memory of making it with you.

And if the noise of the trumpets gets lively, lean into it. This is a story with light and sound and a great rescue, so a bit of joyful racket fits it well.

let this story settle in as they craft

So pick the one that fits your supplies and the ages around your table. You don’t need to do all eight. Just one good idea and a little glue is plenty for the truth to find its way in.

Let the little ones make something with their hands while you tell them how God found Gideon feeling small and afraid, and how He was with him every step to the victory. That bit of truth tends to stay with them far longer than the craft itself, and years from now they may not remember the tissue-paper flames, but they’ll remember that God is with them too.

And one more thing before you go. If you and your little ones make any of these, I’d love to see how they turned out. Leave a photo in the comments when you get a chance, or send one our way, and yours might be featured right here on the site to encourage other families teaching this story at home. There’s no pressure at all. Just a friendly little invitation to share if you’d like.

So glad you’re here.

Warmly,
Betty

frequently asked questions

what age are gideon crafts best for?

Most of these work well for ages three through ten. The fleece craft, the fingerprint army, and the torch are lovely for toddlers and preschoolers with a little help, while the trumpet cone, the hidden-torch jar, and the story wheel suit older children who can handle cutting and assembling on their own.

what is the main lesson of the gideon story?

The heart of it is that God is with us and uses even the small and unsure. Gideon felt like the least, and God won a great victory through him with just three hundred men, so everyone would know the rescue came from God and not from human strength.

which bible verse goes with these crafts?

Judges 6:12 fits beautifully, where the angel calls Gideon a mighty man of valor and tells him the Lord is with him. Judges 7:20, the cry of “the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon,” works well for the torch and trumpet crafts too.

how do i make the torch flames without a flame?

The flames are just layered red, orange, and yellow tissue paper tucked into the top of a tube. For a little extra glow, you can add a strip of yellow cellophane, but no real fire is ever needed. The tissue does all the work.

how long do these crafts take?

Most come together in fifteen to twenty-five minutes, depending on the age of the child and how much coloring they want to do. The fleece craft and the torch are the quickest, while the story wheel and the night scene take a little longer with the extra cutting and assembling.