A Fruit of the Spirit tree craft gives children a visual way to learn Galatians 5:22-23 and remember that the Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit in the lives of believers. Children can paint a tree or vine, add nine labeled fruits, and use the finished craft to review love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
The Fruit of the Spirit are qualities that God grows in our hearts as we deepen our relationship with Him. When we spend time with God, the Fruit of the Spirit grows in us. This can be done when we sing worship songs, pray, read the Bible, and attend church.
What Is the Fruit of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (NIV). I learned the word “patience” instead of “forbearance”, and depending on which translation of the Bible you use, it will say “patience”.
Basically, Spiritual fruits are produced by the Holy Spirit when we commit ourselves to Him. Not being able to see the Holy Ghost and comprehend it easily can be a struggle for young children. However, with this fun and creative visual bible craft, you’ll be ensured a more engaging way to educate your child on the spiritual gifts he gives us when we are in the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit transforms us to be more like Jesus. The Fruit of the Spirit are things that Jesus exhibited while here on Earth.
| Fruit of the Spirit | Kid-friendly meaning |
|---|---|
| Love | Caring about someone, helping them, and keeping them safe. |
| Joy | Gladness knowing that God is in control of all the details. He is always with us! |
| Peace | Living together with other people in harmony. |
| Patience | Waiting calmly and keeping going when things are hard. |
| Kindness | Being thoughtful and putting the needs of others first, even when they are not being kind to you. |
| Goodness | Showing others kindness, generosity, and love for the right reason. |
| Faithfulness | Being trustworthy and standing up for what is right, even when it is hard. |
| Gentleness | Being calm and tender in what you say and do. It is making sure that what you say and do does not hurt others or yourself. |
| Self-Control | Listening and doing what God wants you to do, rather than doing what you want to do. |
Handprint Fruit of the Spirit Tree
This is one of my favorite Fruits of the Spirit Bible crafts because it is a great visual representation and application of the Fruits of the Spirit. As you complete this project with your students, teach them that God intended their “Hands” for love, peace, kindness, goodness etc…. that as they respond to situations in life they can pick a fruit or two to respond with.
Supplies
- Fruit of the Spirit Template
- Brown cardstock
- Green cardstock
- Markers
- Scissors
- Glue stick
Instructions
- First, print out the Fruit of the Spirit templates. Use the colored version or use markers to color all the fruits. If you’d like more durability, you can print the fruits and the template on cardstock paper.
- Cut them all out.
- First trace the child’s hand and arm on brown cardstock. Cut it out.
- Take the tree template and cut it out. Trace it on green paper and cut it out again.
- Then glue the hand to the green paper so it looks like the arm is the tree trunk and the hand and fingers are its branches.
- Finally glue the Fruits of the Spirit to the tree.
The Fruits of the Spirit Bible Craft Tree is complete! Your Sunday School students will have this beautiful keepsake to take home and share the fruits with their family and friends. Remind them to “pick” a few fruits for the day!
Painted Fruit of the Spirit Tree or Vine
Kids can learn about the Fruit of the Spirit in a fun, hands-on way using this craft. It will create a poster your family can refer to over and over.
Supplies
- Paint
- Paintbrushes
- Poster or Foam Board
- Printable Fruit of the Spirit Labels
- White Glue
- Scissors
Instructions
- Paint a tree with nine branches. A 12″ x 18″ foam sheet can be used as a base. You can use poster board, but the packs of foam sheets tend to be less expensive.
- Have your child paint a tree or vine with nine branches on it.
- Let your child paint leaves on their vine. They can paint a lot of them, or just a few. It’s up to your child.
- Decide whether you would like to use the ESV or KJV labels.
- If your child is physically adept, they may want to cut out the labels themselves.
- If your child is young, or you are working with a classroom full of children, you may want to cut out your labels in advance.
- Use white glue on the back of the labels and a piece of paper to smear it.
- Don’t forget to use paper as a blotter under your labels so you don’t get glue on the table.
- Glue each of your fruit of the Spirit labels to a branch of the vine.
- Glue the John 15:5 Bible verse label to the bottom of your vine.
Our kids also need to understand that apart from Christ, they will not bear fruit. In John 15:5, ESV, Jesus says: I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Our craft builds on those two verses. It looks like we’re making a Fruit of the Spirit tree, but it’s actually a vine. Grapevines grow quite thick at the base and stand upright with branches reaching outward.
You’ll want to explain to your children that the branches are meant to represent followers of Jesus, while the base represents the Vine, Jesus. Each believer will grow all of the fruit of the Spirit-we don’t pick and choose one over the other. For our craft, though, we’ll glue one fruit to each branch.
Paper Bag Fruit of the Spirit Tree
My friends at church had a great idea to use the sheet in a fun craft once their kids finished the activity by creating a Fruit of the Spirit tree using a brown lunch bag. They made the paper bag tree and then glued the sheet to the tree. What a neat visual for kids to look at home!
Instructions
- Use a brown lunch bag to make a paper bag tree.
- Glue the Fruit of the Spirit activity sheet to the tree.
- Display the finished tree at home as a visual reminder.
Pass out this activity sheet after the Bible lesson and ask kids to color the fruit of the Spirit they identify on the tree. This activity doubles as a coloring sheet too.
Printable Fruit Tree Activity Sheet
Help young children identify character traits that reflect the character of God through this free printable Fruit of the Spirit activity sheet.
Understanding God’s Word can be overwhelming for young children. Making learning the Bible fun to read and learn, with simple activities, helps kids of all ages develop a love for the Bible.
Pass out this activity sheet after the Bible lesson and ask kids to color the fruit of the Spirit they identify on the tree. I’ve included two print options. A one-page activity sheet that’s great for use at home or in smaller class groups and a smaller-sized version holding two activities in a page.
The tracing pages include the memory verse from Galatians 5:22,23.
Fruit of the Spirit Spinner Tree Craft
This Bible verse wheel printable is a hands-on way to review the Fruit of the Spirit. All you need is scissors, a hole punch, and a paper fastener to make it work!
Supplies
- Two printed pages
- Coloring supplies
- Scissors
- A hole punch
- A paper fastener
- Cardstock or thick paper
Assembly Instructions
- Color both pages. Cardstock or thick paper is best.
- Cut out the big circle on the top page.
- Cut out the triangle window on the top page so the wheel can show through.
- Cut out the big circle spinner wheel page.
- Stack the wheel behind the cover page and line up the center dots.
- Punch a hole through the center.
- Insert the brad fastener and spread the prongs on the back.
- Spin the wheel and watch a Fruit of the Spirit land in the window.
Each slice of the spinner pairs a fruit of the Spirit with an adorable fruit doodle: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self control.
Discussion Prompts
- What does this look like at home today?
- What does this look like with friends?
- What is one choice I can make in the next hour to be more like this characteristic?
Paper Plate Fruit of the Spirit Basket
A paper plate basket lets children create and collect paper fruits labeled with the Fruit of the Spirit. The basket can be used as a visual memory tool after the craft is finished.
Supplies
- Paper Plates
- Water Color Paints, Crayons, or Colored Pencils
- Paint Brushes
- Low Temperature Glue Gun with Glue Sticks
- Sharp Scissors
Instructions
- Before class print out the black and white fruit shapes and cut them out.
- Cut a paper plate in half making one side convex and the other concave. Use the concave side for the front of the paper plate basket.
- Cut another paper plate in half leaving a handle around the edge.
- Glue the two sides together with a low temperature glue gun.
- In class have your children color the fruit shapes and write a Fruit of the Spirit on the back of each fruit and place the fruit in the basket.
- Tell them they can use the fruit to help them memorize the Fruit of the Spirit.
Spiritual Fruit Stamping
A fruit painting uses actual fruit for stamps. A fruit basket uses fruit cut-outs to represent the fruit of the Spirit elements.
Supplies
- Paper plates
- Crayons or markers
- Paints
- Fruits of various kind, such as apples, strawberries, and grapes
- Construction paper or cardstock
- Stickers or decorative items
Instructions
- Decorate the paper with verses, captions, and other desired details.
- Cut fruits in half as necessary.
- Decide which will be best for fruit stamping.
- Place paint in a plate or bowl.
- Dip fruits into the paint.
- Stamp onto paper and label according to fruit variety.
- Hang, if desired, to remember the fruit of the Spirit.
Folding Craft Stick Memory Craft
Craft sticks are taped together so that when the craft sticks are pushed together from the top and bottom of the row they fan fold up into a compact stack of sticks for storage. This craft is great to use as a memorization tool. Children can test themselves by unfolding one section at a time to reveal the next Fruit of the Spirit.
Supplies
- Woodsies Mini Jumbo Craft Sticks -4.5" 50/Pkg
- 3M Scotch Masking Tape, 1-Inch
- Permanent Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencils
Use good quality craft sticks that lay flat. The 5/8" work perfect with the one-inch tape.
Other brands will work, but this tape works great! It is the exact color of the craft sticks.
Permanent Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencils can be used. The washable markers don't work well because they smear.
How to Make the Folding Craft Stick Canvas
- Cut the one-inch masking into 4-inch pieces.
- Place two sticks together, side by side, and tape them together covering both the sticks with the tape.
- Turn the two sticks over so that they are diagonal to you.
- Place another craft stick next to and below the two sticks that you taped together. Use another piece of tape to tape the bottom two sticks together.
- Turn all three sticks over diagonally and place another stick at the bottom of the row and tape the last two sticks together.
- Keep going until you have a whole row of sticks.
- You can also cover the first and last stick in the row by placing tape over the stick and then folding it back over the stick.
It is easier to write on the tape than the craft stick. The ink soaks into the sticks and blurs.
Children can use permanent markers, pens, or colored pencils to write the Bible verse on the sticks and then decorate them.
If a child messes up while working on his canvas, you can pull off the tape where he messed up and replace it with new tape.
Fruit of the Spirit Banner
Children color the pictures to review the Fruit of the Spirit. Add a ribbon to the top of the picture to make it a banner to be hung on a wall.
Each fruit represents a different fruit of the spirit and makes it easier for children to remember them. For example, the apple is heart-shaped so it reminds them of love. Cheery cherries remind them of joy, and kiwi and kindness start with the same letter.
Fruit of the Spirit Tree With Realistic Fruit
There are many ways to make a tree or fruit display using paper, cardstock, paint, or printed shapes. Cut out pictures from magazines or old books of fruits or vegetables and glue them onto a poster board to make a collage.
Paint pictures of fruits or vegetables with watercolors or acrylics. Create a mobile with pictures of fruits or vegetables dangling from strings.
Make salt dough sculptures of fruits or vegetables in the shapes of the fruit of the spirit you’re studying, such as making an apple sculpture out of salt dough and then painting it red.
Ways to Use the Tree Craft in Teaching
Incorporating stories, visuals, crafts, and activities is a great way to engage students while they learn about the Fruit of the Spirit. This is true for both preschoolers and bigger kids.
Find specific Bible stories to pair with each of the Fruit. For example, pair the story of the Good Samaritan with love. Pair the story of Paul and Silas in jail (Acts 16:16-36) with joy. From there, choose activities and crafts that match the specific Bible story.
Memory Verse Actions
If you use actions to represent each fruit, the visual helps kids remember the fruit easily. Here are a few actions we thought up during our class this week:
- Love (make a heart shape with your fingers)
- Joy (draw an imaginary smile on your face using your fingers)
- Peace (the peace sign)
- Patience (put out your palm to signify stop)
- Kindness (put both hands on your heart)
- Goodness (motion serving with both hands)
- Faith (clap and clasp both hands together)
- Gentleness (or Meekness) (stroke your hand gently as if to pet a kitten)
- Self Control (clench both fists as if to show strength)
Fruit-Passing Review Game
Have the children sit in a circle or around a table. Explain that the game will begin by passing a piece of fruit to the person on the left while saying what that fruit represents from the lesson.
That child immediately passes it to the next person on their left, again explaining what it represents. Once they’ve got the hang of it, add the twist-now fruit will also be passed to the right at the same time!
Soon, fruit will be moving in both directions around the circle. Encourage the children to keep the fruit moving until it has traveled all the way around.
They’ll have to think fast, speak clearly, and work together to keep the fruit from piling up. This lively game keeps everyone engaged while reinforcing the lesson in a fun, memorable way!
Flashcard Memory Game
You could use the flashcards in this printable pack to help younger kids remember the fruit by placing all nine fruit on a table and removing two cards when they’re not looking. Ask them to look at the remaining cards and see which cards are missing.
Fruit Charades
You could even play charades with older kids in Sunday School classrooms. Have them act out the fruit flash card picked and have the group guess which character trait is being acted out.
Fruit of the Spirit Spinner Game
Use the spinner to play a game where kids rotate the wheel and have to act out or give an example of the fruit it lands on, like showing “Joy” or “Kindness.”
Fruit Basket Challenge
I printed off some fruit pictures and printed a Fruit of the Spirit on each one of the fruit. I then found a basket picture in a clipart program of mine and attached a small magnet to the back of it and to each of the fruit pieces and stuck it on my refrigerator.
As my children exemplified a certain fruit during the day, I told them they could go to the refrigerator and place that fruit in their basket. They each had their name printed on their basket.
The goal was to see who could fill up their basket during the day. It worked very well!
Suggested Lesson Sequence
Fruit of the Spirit lessons can be taught as a nine-week series, with one characteristic introduced each week.
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 1 - Love
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 2 - Joy
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 3 - Peace
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 4 - Patience
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 5 - Gentleness
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 6 - Goodness and Kindness
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 7 - Faithfulness
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 8 - Meekness
- Fruit of the Spirit Lesson 9 - Self-control/Temperance
Each lesson can include a Bible story, the memory verse, a tree or fruit craft, a coloring page, a game, and a discussion about applying the characteristic at home and with friends.
Song and Video Reinforcement
As a child (and yes, adult, too), music has always helped me remember Bible verses. My kids reminded me of this fun Fruit of the Spirit Kids song we would sing in church when they were younger. This is a great way to help kids remember the nine fruit of the Spirit.
"Fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-23) SONGS | Sing the Bible Vol. 4 | Slugs & Bugs
These age-appropriate YouTube videos are a great way to supplement your lessons on the Fruit of the Spirit. As always, I suggest watching them in their entirety before playing them for your class. Keep an eye out for tricky YouTube ads.
- Uncle Charlie Ministries - Fruit of the Spirit Song - A fun, fast-paced song to teach students the Fruit of the Spirit.
- Crossroad Kids’ Club God’s Story: Fruit of the Spirit - This short video gives a good overview of the Fruit of the Spirit and explains the importance of thinking, talking, and acting like Jesus.
- Crossroad Kids’ Club also has videos for each Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
- Douglas Talks are fabulous videos that define and give examples of each Fruit of the Spirit.
Additional Printable Activities
Fruit of the Spirit printable posters, coloring sheets, Bible verse cards, bulletin board displays, memory charts, and activity pages can supplement the tree craft.
The poster fills an 8 1/2" by 11" paper and is available in both KJV and NIV.
These printable coloring sheets and posters are available in both KJV and NIV. Each includes the sweet image of a Kawaii fruit for your child to color and a Bible verse that corresponds to that fruit.
This printable pack also includes flash cards.
Our complete Fruit of the Spirit units include Bible stories, printable crafts, coloring pages, and a take-home page so parents and caregivers can be welcomed into the teaching. This Fruit of the Spirit unit for Bigger Kids includes the same features but also includes the crafts and activities that are appropriate for older children, and journal writing pages.
Fruit of the Spirit Craft Captions
- “Orange” you glad you have the Fruit of the Spirit?
- The Fruit of the Spirit is not a snack!
- The Fruit of the Spirit is… Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control!
- God loves you BUNCHES!
Galatians 6:9-10 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (NIV).