There was nothing lower than an Israelite who was feeding the pigs, except perhaps one who would contemplate stealing the pigs’ food as they were starving. This moment is a picture of the younger son being utterly humbled. This papercraft looks complex, but it’s straightforward to pull off and gives a great final effect.
To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout, scissors, a craft knife, a hole punch, and four split pins (brads) per craft.
Cut all four pieces.
There is an easy cut white border on the pigs. This craft does not require precise cutting as long as the mechanism is not severed.
Make holes in the white circles, a hole punch is ideal for this – if you have younger groups, this can be done in advance.
There are 2 white rectangles that need to be removed to give the craft stability – again, you can do this in advance for younger groups.
Now it is ready to assemble:
Start by attaching the two pig pieces, to the background, using split pins.
Thread the long handled piece through the slits, so the handle is on the front at the right of the craft
Attach the 2 remaining split pins to connect the pigs.
Your craft is complete. Hold one handle in each hand and move the lower handle left and right to make the pigs eat.
Download your FREE TEMPLATE using the relevant link in this box. Help keep the free items on this site free by donating. This site supports my family as we live by God's great economy.
There are so many factors of the prodigal son; the wilfulness of youth, the mistakes we all see coming, the journey, the pigs and ‘unfair’ cry of the brother, the acceptance of the father with his loving forgiveness and joyful welcome home. There are so many games that could tie into these themes, but here are just a few that should suit various ages and group setups.
This game is ideally played with small balls, like those you’d find in a ball pit. Pigs naturally root for their food using their snouts (noses) and having kids do this to find hidden objects would imitate that action. Split the teams into 2 and have one from each team root for at object at a time. If you want to incorporate a message in this game, I’d recommend laminating words to build a sentence.
A journey home
All Ages
Any size group
Requires setup time
Quiet game
Can be seated
Click on the picture for a link to this simple board game. It’s a simple game that quite literally illustrates the journey of the Prodigal.
Munching out / Humans eat last
Under 7’s
Big group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
A silly game suitable for groups able to eat. Designate a ‘human’ (or 2 for large groups) who has to feed the pigs (other members of the team). Each human must fetch a single half biscuit from a plate and give it to a pig until all the pigs are fed, pigs with no food can squeal! Only if all the pigs are silent can the human take a bite of the biscuit. The record for eating a full digestive biscuit is 27.38 seconds, so the pigs can squeal again quickly!
Obstacle course
All Ages
Small group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
The Prodigal son must have returned with many stories of his adventurous travels. Travel your kids though an obstacle course using whatever you have on hand. Which obstacles are the hardest? Which prevents you from returning to the start?
Unfair
Ages 7+
Any size group
No Setup time
Noisy game
Can be seated
This is a demonstration game, so it works best when you either pull a few volunteers up or work in small teams of 5. Have your 5 volunteers stand up and each will be assigned a task, one at a time. Complete each task before moving onto the next. These are the 5 suggested tasks, though you could modify them for your space and group. Award every volunteer equally. Ask the kids if you think this is a fair reward? Link to the older brother.
Have the first person run ten laps of the room.
The second person should do 20 jumping jacks.
The third person sings a nursery rhyme.
The fourth person claps three time.
The fifth person simply needs to smile.
Lost Son
Under 7’s
Small group
Requires setup time
Noisy game
Space needed
print a picture of the prodigal or use a small doll and hide it in your room. Have the children search for it. Once they find it, ask them how they wish to celebrate. Use the picture or doll and build a small party for it.
This printable Prodigal son game is deliberately open. Its pathway is surrounded with images that allude to the party of the story. The only set rule is that when you land on a horse, then you can gallop forward 3 spaces. Dependent on the group, you could add in extra rules – land on a picture and have to explain what it could mean, roll a specific number to roll twice…etc. It has 42 squares and so 1 die is recommended, but you could use 2 dice for a shorter game.
Download your FREE TEMPLATE using the relevant link in this box. Help keep the free items on this site free by donating. This site supports my family as we live by God's great economy.
This Prodigal son craft is a classic and simple enough for any age. The scene of the father running to meet his son is a beautiful reminder of God’s love for us.
To make this craft, you will need the 1-page template printout, scissors, a craft knife, and some paper glue. For younger groups, pre-cut the slit along the pathway so you don’t need to have a craft knife in the room.
Cut out the three pieces – there are easy cut lines on the characters!
If you’ve not done so already, create the slit along the pathway.
Curl the Prodigal Son slightly forward (so his fathers arms can reach round him) and stick his feet down to one end of the pathway.
Slide the father piece through the slit.
Move the father along the road to greet his Prodigal Son.
Download your FREE TEMPLATE using the relevant link in this box. Help keep the free items on this site free by donating. This site supports my family as we live by God's great economy.
For each passage, there is a collectable card alongside high-quality character images and a colouring page. All other graphics are extra’s!
Click on the images below to see a larger version. Save the images by right click + ‘save image as’ (computers) OR long press + ‘save image’ (mobile).
These images are NOT copyright free.
These resources are provided for personal/classroom use only. Use can use them for teaching, games, publicity, decorations, big screen presentations, flannel graphs, stickers, or any other non-commercial activity in your church, school, home, or organised group. You may not use them in products you are going to sell (both printed and digital). Nor may you upload the original images online, on websites, social media or in YouTube videos. Any questions, please reach out to me using the contact page link at the end of the page.
