Popsicle Stick Nativity Craft

When my oldest child was in kindergarten, they made these darling nativities to give to their mothers for Christmas.  It has been one of my favorite treasures ever since...and he is seventeen now!  I don't know if his teacher came up with this on her own, or if she saw the idea in a magazine or something. 

You will need 8 popsicle sticks, glue, a black sharpie, and a small piece of fabric or cloth.

 Step One:  Glue six of the full size popsicle sticks together at the ends to form the stable.  Just a dab of glue at the end is plenty. 

Step Two:  Break two sticks in half.  That will yield four half-size pieces.  Use three of the pieces to form the manger.  Glue the cross bar to the side pieces.  It will look like an upside down capital letter A.  Now glue the manger to the stable, centering it at the bottom.

Step Three:  Take your remaining half popsicle stick and break it in half again.  This will be your baby Jesus.  Wrap him in a piece of fabric and glue the fabric in place.

Step Four:  Draw some simple eyes onto your baby with the sharpie.

Step Five:  Glue the baby to the cross bar of the manger.

Step Six:  Allow the whole project to dry completely.


Be sure to write your child's name and the date on the back.  This will be a keeper for sure!  You may even want to frame it to protect it.

I recently shared this on fingerprints on the fridge

Nativity Popsicle Stick Puppets

Mary and Joseph needed to go to Bethlehem to pay taxes.  When they arrived it was dark and late and there was no room for them in the inn.

That night the little baby Jesus was born.  Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.

Far out in the fields the shepherds were tending their sheep.  An angel told the shepherds that Jesus had been born.

The shepherds found Mary and Joseph and the babe and they knelt down and worshiped Him.

Far away in the East, the wise men saw a new star.  They knew that it meant that the baby Jesus had been born.  So they followed the star.  They brought gifts for the baby and knelt down and worshiped Him also.

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Normally for preschool, we put on a Christmas pageant with costumes and props.  This year we decided to do a puppet show instead.  We've been practicing for a while now with some felt hand puppets.  I thought it might be fun to use some different puppets for school tomorrow.  You know, to mix things up a bit.  So, I came up with these simple popsicle stick puppets.

I had my daughter make her own set.  She had fun gluing and drawing the faces on the sticks. (I love the eyelashes!  And I think baby Jesus has a pacifier-haha)  We used some velcro to attach the baby to Mary. 

Would you like to make some too?  Click here to purchase the file.