Use this free craft from DIG IN’s The Life of Jesus to remind kids that God does the impossible.

Supplies

• 3 ounce paper cups
• “Flying Cups” handout (1 copy for every 3 kids) (download here)
• construction paper
• pencils
• scissors
• markers
• standard metal paper clips (1 per child)

Easy Prep

• Make a sample craft to show kids.

Tips

• Depending on the weight of your cup, you may find that regular paper works better than construction paper. You may also need to use a jumbo paper clip or two standard-sized paper clips instead of just one. The cup works when the weight is balanced, so experiment with paper type and clip size to find what works best with your cups.
• For best results, adjust the propeller as needed so it sits straight up before dropping the cup.

Drop Cups

Give each child a paper cup.

Say: I think it’s possible to drop this cup from above your head so that it lands upside down every time. Do you think it’s possible? Give it a try!

Have kids drop their cups. If a cup does happen to land upside down instead of on its side, challenge kids to repeat that five times in a row. No one should be able to do it.

Take out your sample craft and drop it from above your head. It will twirl down and land so the cup is upside down every time.

Make Wings

Say: In today’s Bible story, we’re learning that God does the impossible. And he sent an angel to tell Mary about the impossible thing he was going to do.

          Let’s make a craft that will allow our cups to land upside down every time to remind us that God does the impossible.

Have kids each cut out a shape from the “Flying Cups” handout, and have them trace the shape onto construction paper, including the markings for folding and cutting.

Next, have kids cut out the shape from the construction paper, making sure they cut the center line exactly where it was on the template.

Finally, have kids fold the “wings” where the solid line was on the template, folding the wings in opposite directions.

If they’d like to, kids can also add fun patterns to their wings.

Make Them Fall

Have kids carefully cut a slit in the bottom of their cups and stick the narrower part of the wings through the slit. Kids will need to reach inside the cup and attach a paper clip to the bottom of the construction paper.

Allow time for kids to decorate their cups. Then let kids try dropping them from above their heads. The cups will fall gracefully and will always land upside down.

Talk About It

Ask: • Before your cup had wings, how did you feel when you were trying to drop it so it would land upside down?

          • How does your craft remind you that God does the impossible?

Say: God does the impossible. He sent his Son to be born as a baby human! When things feel impossible in our lives, we can remember that with God, all things are possible.

Have kids take their crafts home and show their friends and families the flying cups by first taking out the wings and challenging them to do the impossible before showing them the trick.

Looking for more ideas? Try our online demo and download four weeks of free lessons from The Life of Jesus, The Bible in One Year and DIG IN‘s newest program, Digging Into Discipleship!