Kids will love this easy toilet paper roll Christmas craft! With printable templates, it’s a snap to make a toilet paper roll Nativity scene.
Christmas is a wonderful time to talk about the incarnation of Jesus.
Incarnation is when God became man. Jesus was fully God. But, as a part of God’s great plan for salvation, he was born human–fully God and fully man.
That’s so Jesus could pay the debt of our sin. He died on the cross in the place of those who believe on him and confess him with their mouths, repenting (turning away) from their sin.
Amazing!
Crafts are a great way for kids to be able to make an abstract concept concrete, so as you create your toilet paper roll Nativity scene, you can remind your kids that Jesus was incarnated–and you can talk about why!
Toilet Paper Roll Nativity Scene
Read Luke 2:1-7 with your kids.
Before making your craft, discuss:
- Why did Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem? (Luke 2:2-5)
- Why do you think the Bible gives us information about who the Caesar and governor were? Did this really happen? (To set the story in history. Yes, it did really happen!)
- Where did Mary give birth? Why? What clues do you find about Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:6-7?
- Was Jesus’ birth the kind of event you would expect of the King of the Universe, or was it humble?
Take time to talk to your kids about the incarnation of Jesus as you create your toilet paper roll Nativity scene.
Toilet Paper Roll Nativity Craft
Check out this fun video of the toilet paper roll craft!
Grab your Toilet Paper Roll Nativity Scene Craft
Head on over to the Thinking Kids Press store to grab your step-by-step instructions (also shown below), and your Nativity scene templates.
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 Toilet Paper Roll Nativity Scene
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.
- Toilet Paper Rolls (2)
- Colored Cardstock
- Permanent Marker
- Glue Stick
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Templates
Make Your Toilet Paper Roll Nativity Scene
Here are the steps for your toilet paper roll craft:
1) Print and cut out your template pieces.
Print the template pages from step-by-step instructions and cut out the pieces.
2) Cut out the cardstock pieces for your toilet paper roll craft.
Trace the template pieces on cardstock in the colors of your choice. Cut out your pieces.
3) Cover each toilet paper roll Nativity person.
Glue the thin strips onto the front of each figure as shown.
4) Decorate your toilet paper roll Nativity scene figures.
Glue the hair to Mary’s head. Then, glue her face to the scarf.
Glue the baby’s head onto the little swaddled oval.
Using a permanent marker, draw the eyes, mouth and nose of the baby Jesus and Mary figures. Glue Mary’s head to her body.
Create your Joseph figure in the same manner so it looks as shown.
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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