Looking for a printable Nativity craft kids will remember? Your family will love this printable Nativity scene with a template!
Kids benefit so much from crafts that help them create tangible resources to process abstract concepts and stories from far-away time periods.
Your children will love this fun, printable Nativity craft. They can attach craft sticks to each figure to create Bible puppets, or they can make each figure into an ornament by gluing a loop of ribbon on the back.
Want more animals and shepherds for your printable Nativity scene? Grab this free 45-puppet craft pack!
Printable Nativity Craft
Before you begin your craft, read the story of the wise men in Matthew 2:1-12:
As a family, discuss:
- Why did the wise men look for Jesus?
- Who did they believe Jesus would be?
- How did they treat Jesus?
- Does the Bible tell us how many wise men there were, where they were from, or what their names were?
- What are the important things for us to know about the visit of the wise men?
The wise men were very wise indeed, yet they worshipped Jesus when he was just a child, and they brought him valuable gifts. We know who Jesus is and what he has done for us. How should we treat him?
Printable Nativity Scene
Check out this fun video of the Nativity craft!
Grab your Nativity Printable
Head on over to the Thinking Kids Press store to grab your step-by-step instructions (also shown below), and your printable Nativity scene template.
Tips for Making Bible Crafts with Kids
Doing art projects with kids can be a challenge. For that reason, many parents forgo this valuable time altogether. As an art major and a parent who has done frequent art projects with my four children, I have a few suggestions for you.
- Cover your space. Use painting drop cloths and plastic to keep your furniture and flooring protected.
- Cover your kids. Grab a couple of your old T-shirts and throw them over your kids, buy them painting aprons, or designate clothes specifically for crafting.
- Do the prep work in advance. Do as much prep work for a project as you can before you get the kids involved. Not everything on the page needs to be their work. It’s OK to help.
- Schedule several short sessions for one project. Children need several days to be able to create larger projects. Art is time-consuming and requires energy.
- Encourage your kids. Children are likely to be frustrated by the disconnect in the artwork they envision and the art they actually create. Remind your kids that they improve every time they create, and tell them how much you love their work (even if you don’t know what it is!). Also, stick figures are fabulous.
- Operate the hot glue gun and X-ACTO knife. Hot glue burns are terrible and X-ACTO knives are razor sharp. Until your kids are old enough to cook, I’d advise you do the hot gluing and razor cutting. For this project, you may want to pre-cut the Nativity Scene.
Supplies Needed to Make Your Printable Nativity Craft
You’ll need a few supplies to make your project. You may have a few of these items already. If not, these are all fairly inexpensive and will serve you well for multiple projects.
- Colored Cardstock
- Glue Stick
- Pencil
- Permanent Marker
- Scissors
- Your Printable Templates
Make Your Printable Nativity Scene
Here are the steps for your printable Nativity scene:
1) Print and cut out your printable Nativity scene template.
2) Create your Nativity scene with the star, Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.
Trace your templates onto cardstock in the colors of your child’s choice for each piece and cut out the pieces.
For the Mary figure, glue the head in the middle of her headdress.
Glue Joseph’s beard to his face.
Glue the baby’s head to one end of the swaddling clothes.
Next, glue Mary’s head to the front of her dress as shown.
Glue the scarf for Joseph to the back of the body, then glue his head on the front as shown.
Glue the baby Jesus figure to Mary. Glue Joseph’s staff to his body. Use a permanent marker to create simple happy faces.
3) Create your Nativity scene wise men.
Glue a beard to each face, then glue each head to a body. Glue a gift to the middle of each body and glue a crown on each head.
Use a permanent marker to draw a simple face on each wise man.
4) Create your Nativity scene animals.
Using your templates, cut out each piece for your cow and sheep. Assemble them as shown and use permanent markers to add details and faces.
Want more Bible puppets for your Nativity scene? You’ll find 45 of them here!
5) Finish your Nativity scene.
Glue the star to the top of the plate.
Allow kids to display their Nativity scene to remind them of the true story of Christmas. They can add craft sticks to each figure to create Bible puppets, or glue ribbon loops to each figure to make ornaments!
Your 12-month Bible verse calendar has themed devotions focusing on:
- The Bible
- Love
- The Church
- Resurrection
- Jesus
- Prayer
- The Holy Spirit
- The Fruit of the Spirit
- Salvation
- Our Father
- Thanksgiving
- Advent
Want a sample calendar? Grab your free Christmas Advent calendar here.
Books Make Great Gifts!
Teach the kids about the Bible and Christian history…
…with fun books they’ll love reading!
Introduce your children to engaging stories written in an engaging narrative they’ll want to read. As they learn more about God’s Word and gain real-life heroes, they will learn to apply Scripture to their own lives. And, give yourself the gift of a book that will help your kids learn and love the Bible.
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