This is more than a nativity craft for kids it’s also a lesson in shapes. My son did a similar cut and paste craft in preschool a few years ago and have always thought it would make a cute suncatcher. Well I think it does. I kept this bare bones with simple shapes that my daughter can identify and explore how when shapes work together they can make figures. We have been practicing our parts for our Church pageant and have just set up our nativity , so nativity scenes are very current around here. I was surprised that I didn’t have to help her at all. The addition of glitter didn’t just thrill my daughter they really added a celestial quality to the air in the manger.
Gather your materials. You will need some construction paper in brown ( full sheet), blue, green, yellow and white. The last four colors only use a little so if you have a scrap paper bin I would dig through it and see if you have the colors you want. You will also need contact paper, glitter and scissors. A circle paper punch is optional.
Start by making your manger. You will need to fold your brown paper in half lengthwise and cut from the inside corner to the middle of the outside. Next cut the middle out so you have a frame. Peel the backing off of the contact paper and pop the manger frame on so the sticky side of the contact paper if facing up.
Now cut out your shapes. You will need an oval and circle for baby Jesus, a triangle and circle each for Mary and Joseph, and a triangle and rectangle for the cradle. Oh and the star!
Start popping them on. As your child does this label the shapes for them. I asked her ” What shape is Mary’s head?” ” What shapes make up the cradle?” I don’t do this a ton because I want her to be enjoying the activity but here and there working it into the conversation. Kids don’t need to be quizzed like this to be learning about the shapes they are using. Just by using them they are learning so much.
Once all the pieces are on ( oh and I forgot to mention we used a little tape on baby Jesus’s head because my daughter wanted to place it on top of the oval body). It’s time to add glitter. Think she was happy to hear that?
Place a 2nd piece on top and sandwich the nativity scene. Press hard to keep all the glitter in and trim.
Books
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Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown will sound very familiar to you if you are a fan of her book The Big Red Barn, which both my son and I am. I like this book but my son kept saying “That’s not right” thinking that this was the other book. They are that similar. In this book, though there is something that the other doesn’t have, most notably Baby Jesus. It’s a calm and gentle book about the birth of Jesus in a way only Margaret Wise Brown could accomplish. I would like to read it next year to my son when he can appreciate that it’s not supposed to be exactly the same as the Big Red Barn. Great book for toddlers and preschoolers alike!
Cock-A-Doodle Christmas by Will Hillenbrand is a really unique Christmas story. A little rooster is at the center of this book, he is so little that his cock-a-doodle doesn’t wake anyone up. He is very sad about his inability until that night he finds himself in the manger with Baby Jesus and finds his voice. It’s a simple book, with profound meanings. This is a great book for a Christan family or to read at Sunday school.
Who Is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate is a sweet look at the animals in the manger preparing for Baby Jesus’ arrival. The animals aren’t sure who is coming but at the insistence of the mouse, they clean and prepare the manger until finally a very pregnant Mary on a donkey with Joseph by her side. The next page is probably my favorite image of the Baby Jesus image in any children’s book. Mary’s hair is down, feet bare and Joseph is protective by, the animals are watching and alert. Illustrator Ashley Wolff does a perfect job with this simple but fantastic book!
Felicity says
Thanks! We did this this morning, although we used glue and card because we have run out of sticky back plastic and my 2 year really enjoyed being able to do it independently.
Allison McDonald says
Oh I am so happy it was a hit!
Claire says
This is awesome! I will definitely be doing this craft with my son. He’s almost six and obviously knows all his shapes, but it will still be a really fun activity for him.
Crystal says
Thanks for sharing! My son is in Kindergarten and LOVES doing crafts, so this will be perfect for him!
StephJ says
I love this idea. I don’t have the loose glitter, but I do have glitter glue. Do you think that would still work?
Allison McDonald says
Yes it would. It won’t be as glittery and you will need to make sure to seal the edges because the glitter glue makes it harder for the contact paper to stick together. we made a Turkey with glitter glue : https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/11/easy-turkey-craft-for-toddlers.html and it’s lasted for years.
Christina says
Thank you for sharing this craft idea!!! I had a great time making the craft with my toddler this morning! He was able to put all the shapes on himself and it turned out really well!
Andrea says
This is so cute! I think I’m going to try this with tissue paper shapes to give it more of a stained glass effect. But I love yours, too! (And the glitter is definitely a great finisher.)
Josie says
I love this idea! I’m going to do it tomorrow with my son. Thanks for sharing.
Jen says
We made this craft last night with the 2 year old class I teach at church! I hung my sons up on the sliding glass door with a suction cup hook! Thanks for the great easy idea 🙂
Jan says
GREAT idea. So doable for younger crafters and educational in several ways. Can’t wait to share this with the Childrens Ministry at my church.
lisa says
how did you get it to stick on the window? thank you
Allison McDonald says
I used tape.
Maria Price says
This is so cute! I’m going to do this with my Sunday School class for our Christmas party this Sunday. Thank you for sharing. Merry Christmas!
Tara says
So cute! Where can I get these mini glitter shakers? I’m not having luck on amazon.
Anna says
This would be perfect for my little ones. Thanks for sharing!
startupmatcher.com says
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful article. Thank you for supplying this information.