Are you and your kids looking for a creative and interactive Christian craft to ring in the Christmas season? Why not make some easy and festive Paper Nativity Puppets? They are so cute and fun!
Here on Kids Craft Room we’re delighted to offer you these playful Nativity paper puppets and they are super easy to make with our FREE printable templates. And best of all is that there are 10 fantastic Christmas story characters to make and play with!
There’s a black and white version of each nativity character for your little guys to colour. Kids can have loads of fun making a whole set of jolly Christmas puppets to play with! Before you know it, you’ll be able to enjoy creating your own printable nativity complete puppet show, to act out the amazing story of Baby Jesus’ birth.
Each puppet from the traditional Christmas story is super easy to make. They’re a mix of a hand puppet and a finger puppet and have wide mouths that open and close.
You pop your thumbs and fingers into paper loops at the back to make them come to life and chat to each other. It’s so fun, the entire family will love re-enacting their favourite nativity scene together!
Whether you’re planning some crafting fun at home, for a Christmas party, Sunday School or bible class, these little nativity puppets are perfect for any occasion!
If you’re a teacher looking for cultural activities for your Christmas program, this nativity Christmas activity bundle is a great Christmas craft for kids to explore the true meaning of Christmas with maximum fun!
Creative Variations and Ideas
The printable nativity finger puppets set includes, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Angel, Donkey, Shepherd, Sheep, and the Three Kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Everything you need to act out the whole nativity story!
All of the Christmas nativity puppet templates are black and white for kids to decorate in any way they choose. It’s great fun to colour them in and bring them to life.
You can choose your favourite colouring materials such as pens, pencils, wax crayons or paints.
Don’t be afraid to add to add your own creative embellishments too if you fancy. How about a bit of pretty tinsel on the Angel’s dress or some bio-glitter on the Donkey’s hooves? They’re your nativity puppets to decorate however you please!
If you’re making these puppets with very young children you might prefer to glue the mouths closed and attach some popsicle sticks to make simple nativity stick puppets instead.
Encouraging Imagination and Role Play
This is such a fun religious Christmas puppet craft and a great way to entertain the kids (and fun-loving grown-ups too!). Kids can have a blast using these adorable nativity puppets to enjoy some imaginative play and act out their own fun nativity play story!
Join us on a merry Christmas crafting adventure to make your own set of adorable paper nativity puppets. Grab your colouring pencils, scissors and glue – let’s get making some puppet friends for the holiday season!
How To Make Nativity Printable Christmas Puppets
Craft supplies you’ll need to create your Christmas Paper Nativity Puppets:
- Printable Nativity Puppet Templates (Get yours at the bottom of this post.)
- White Cardstock Paper
- Coloring Supplies – Pens, Pencils, Crayons etc.
- Glue Stick
- Scissors
- Optional Extras – bio glitter, tinsel or other embellishments to further decorate your nativity puppets.
Step 1: Pop on some Christmas music and lets get crafting!
The first thing to do is to download the Nativity Puppet templates (they come in a simple pdf format) and print them. For best results I recommend using card stock as it makes the puppets a bit sturdier for little hands, but regular paper does work too!
Step 2: Colour Your Nativity Characters
Now comes the fun part! Kids can use their favourite colouring supplies to bring the nativity puppets to life, in any colours and design they want.
You can choose traditional colours like we have to decorate the baby Jesus and wise man in the photos above or go wild with rainbow colours!
If you want to, you can even add other embellishments to your nativity paper dolls too. You could glue on glitter, tinsel etc.
There are 10 different nativity characters to colour, so have fun decorating one, two or them all!
Step 3: Cut Out the Nativity Puppet Pieces
Once your nativity characters are coloured in, it’s time to cut out each piece. (Younger children may need some help with this step.) You can either carefully cut around all of the body part details or leave a white border to make cutting simpler for younger children.
Step 4: Assemble Your Nativity Puppet
Fold along the three marked lines of the puppet’s mouth, bringing its upper and lower jaw together to hide the teeth inside. Next fold along the dotted lines of the rectangular strips and glue them onto the back of the puppet, one on the top of the mouth and one underneath to make a simple loop.
You can see a photographed step by step here with our Addams Family Puppets. The process is just the same. (You might also like our Elf Paper Puppets which work on the same design.)
Step 5: Play With Your Christmas Finger Puppets!
Now, your Christmas nativity puppets can be enjoyed! Bring them to life by putting your thumb into the bottom loop and a finger into the top loop. Next, move your thumb and finger up and down to make the puppet’s mouth open and close.
With these free printable nativity puppets, kids can have hours of fun creating Christmas stories and re-enacting the story of the birth of baby Jesus.
How Do I get the Free Nativity Paper Puppet Printable Templates?
It’s really easy to get your cute performance puppets for Christmas. Just fill in the form below with your email address to sign up to our newsletter. Then, as a thank you, I’ll send the fun set of bible story puppets straight to your inbox. It’s that simple! (You can of course unsubscribe at any time.)
You and your kids can print the digital product straight away on your home printer. You’ll be able to get straight on with some Christmas story telling puppet fun in next to no time!
These nativity finger puppets are the perfect way for your family to get in the holiday spirit! Download your free nativity puppet colouring pages today!
Do You Have Any Other Nativity Crafts For Kids?
Yes I do! I’ve got lots more fun religious crafts and Christmas crafts for you to enjoy. Here are some readers favourite bible activities:
- Nativity Finger Puppets are super simple for little hands. just pop one onto each finger!
- Nativity Coloring Baubles are a great way to decorate the Christmas tree, perfect for a Christian school display.
- Baby Jesus Christmas Cards – these are super cute and a big hit with toddlers.
- Nativity Hats come in colour and black and white. They’re great for Christmas parties.
- Last year we made this gorgeous Printable Nativity Scene Activity. It has a lovely stable desert scene in full colour and black and white. (It’s been a big hit with everyone and is a great resource from 1st grade right up to middle school or even high school! It really is timeless.)
- Nativity Colouring Advent Calendar – What better way to count down to the big day?
- How about some Nativity Christmas Cards? These are adorably cute and are really easy to make with the free printable template. It’s a lovely religious Christmas craft for kids of all ages.
More fun Christmas crafts for kids:
Enjoy faith-filled fun with our Free Paper Nativity Puppets! Download 10 characters for an interactive Christian craft. Create lasting memories today
Unleash creativity with our Free Paper Nativity Puppets! Download 10 charming characters for a festive crafting experience. Dive into the holiday spirit now
Here’s a fun Christmas craft – Free Printable Paper Nativity Puppets! Kids will love the 10 characters in this fun interactive color and play christian craft.
Free Paper Nativity Puppets: Make learning fun with 10 characters in this interactive Christian craft for kids. Download now and ignite their creativity