Christian Christmas Crafts
For Kids
Easy Nativity Activities & Printables

These easy, low-prep, low-cost activities will help build essential skills while focusing on the birth of Jesus.

As an occupational therapist, I've intentionally left out specific age recommendations. Every child develops at their own pace, and my goal is to help you find the 'just-right challenge'—an activity that is engaging but not frustrating.

You are the expert on your child, so I encourage you to choose the crafts that best match their current skills and interests.

• Scripture Connection: Create single angels to represent the Angel of the Lord who visited Zechariah, Mary and Joseph, or create a whole choir of angels as described in Luke 2: 13-14
• Pro Tip: Plain white angels are super effective, so if your child is not “into” coloring and crafty things, this is actually a very satisfying Christmas nativity craft.

• Scripture Connection: A circle has no beginning or end, and reminds us of God’s eternal nature. Creating an eternity ring helps to remind us of this. Psalm 90:2 “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God”.
• Pro Tip: Adult help will be needed in order to put the loops together. All instructions are in the tutorial.

• Get 17 different scissor cutting paper crafts, all with photographed instructions and a variety of templates - over 40 templates in all!
  
  
• Build a scene of Bethlehem, make a paper lantern, create layered shapes to use on gift cards and gift tags, and much more.

 Preschoolers can thread the beads, and an adult/older sibling can twist the angel shape.

• Scripture Connection: This could represent the Angel Gabriel, who visits Mary in Luke 1: 26.
  
  
• View my Bead Angel tutorial here!

Simple Christmas Bead Stars

Fill a Chenille stick with pony beads and shape it into a star!

Here’s how:

1. Once the chenille stick is almost full of beads, bend a zigzag pattern into the stick.
2. Each upward or downward section can contain 3 pony beads, so create a little space between each three beads to give you space to bend it.
3. Start with a downward section then 4 identical up-down sections, ending with an upward section.
4. Remove any extra beads and attach the two ends
5. Add ribbon and you have a star decoration for your tree or a Christmas card!

• Scripture Connection: This star can represent the star that guided the wise men to baby Jesus (Matthew 1:2-12)

• My free Christmas Paper Crafts page has instructions on how to turn a simple nativity picture into a lovely nativity collage using popsicle sticks and torn paper.
  
  
• Pro Tip: Cut strips of paper in various colors for your child to tear into small squares.

• Your child can also decorate nativity pictures with crumpled paper balls – crepe paper works best, but you can also use tissue paper.
  
  
• If you like these, then my printable activity pack will give you a variety of different nativity scenes and pictures!

• a flower-shaped paper craft punch^#Ad (the cutout should be about 5/8inch)
• some white paper/scrap paper
• a black sharpie or crayon
• a colored paper to stick the sheep onto

1) Have your child punch out lots of white flowers with the paper punch.

Pro Tip: To strengthen hand muscles, I recommend using the thumb on the lever, with the other fingers underneath. This is tiring, so give breaks when needed. 

2)  Draw a light oval on the background paper.

3) Glue the flowers inside the oval – overlapping flowers add depth to the sheep. Punch and add more flowers if needed.

4) Cut a small white oval for the head and use a black sharpie to draw an ear, an eye and 4 legs, as shown.

Older siblings can help with this!

5) If you have a star shaped paper punch, or star stickers, you could add stars to your background, as well as colored flowers!

• Baby Jesus and Manger: Create the manger with an oval pinch pot, and roll a ball and a sausage to create baby Jesus.
  
  
• Mary, Joseph, shepherds: Make a pinch pot body base, topped with a ball for a head. Roll some dough and cut out ovals to create head gear and cloaks.

• Angels: Use a pinch pot for the body and a ball for the head. To make the wings, flatten a small piece of dough and attach it to the back. Roll a tiny, thin "worm" of dough and shape it into a halo.

I used white fondant for simplicity, and added cocoa (cacao) powder to create the brown fondant. But you can purchase pre-colored fondant^#Ad for convenience!

• Rolling out cookie dough is good for bilateral coordination.
• Use nativity themed cookie cutters#^Ad to recreate the story. 
• Squeezing the icing bag  to decorate the cookies is a great hand strengthening exercise!

Word searches are a great way to help kids work on figure-ground perception and visual discrimination skills, and these Bible-based nativity-themed word searches can help build those skills.

The word search topics include Isaiah 9:6, the angel's message to Joseph, to Mary and to the shepherds, the birth of Jesus, the visit of the Magi, Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Simeon's Song, among others.

Creating memories together is one of the best things you can do with your kids at Christmas. And doing crafts together is a special way to connect! I hope these Christian Christmas crafts for kids bring joy and sweet memories as you build your child’s skills and focus on the miracle of Jesus’ birth!"

For even more skill-building fun, be sure to check out my complete Nativity-based printable packs - perfect for home, class and Sunday School!

Thanks for visiting!