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Ready to get artistic and fully engage the kids this Christmas Season? We’ve provided a free printable manger scene craft that the kids will definitely love creating.
Looking for a meaningful, hands-on Christmas craft that keeps little hands busy while teaching the story of the Nativity? Look no further! After all, Jesus is the reason for the season!
This fork-painted baby Jesus in the Manger craft is an absolute winner. It combines a unique, sensory painting technique with simple cutting and pasting.
Making it perfect for preschoolers, Sunday school classes, or a cozy holiday afternoon at home crafting and watching the snow fall.
Instead of traditional paint brushes, kids use a simple plastic fork to create the textured, radiant straw of the manger.
It’s low-cost, low-prep, and produces the cutest piece of holiday art you’ll want to display on the fridge all season long!
Why You’ll Love This Manger Scene Craft
Sensory and fine Motor Fun:
Fork painting offers an enjoyable tactile experience, while cutting and pasting the swaddled baby Jesus builds essential fine motor skills.
Budget-Friendly:
You likely already have most of these supplies in your kitchen and craft stash.
Faith-Focused:
This manger scene craft also provides a natural segway to talk about the real meaning of Christmas-the birth of Jesus-in an approachable, kid-friendly way.
Mess-Managed:
Using a fork keeps the paint contained, providing an engaging activity with quicker clean up.
Unsure about how printables work, this “what are printables” blog post can help!
Materials Need for Manger Scene Craft
- Manger scene printable template (grab yours at the bottom of this post)
- White cardstock paper
- Plastic fork
- Yellow washable paint (or colors that would represent straw recommended for this project)
- Kid-friendly Scissors
- Glue or gluesticks
- Coloring materials such as crayons or markers
Easy Printable Manger Scene Instructions
Print out the manger scene printable template.
Set Up Your Paint Station
Pour a generous pool of yellow paint onto a paper plate. If you want to add any extra depth and shine to your hay, you could squirt a little bit of gold or brown paint right next to the yellow.
Pro-Tip: Place a sheet of newspaper or a table cover underneath your child’s paper. Fork painting can get delightfully enthusiastic!
Paint the Hay with a Fork
Have your child dip the back of the plastic fork tines into the yellow paint. Press the fork flat filling the manger area and working their way around it. Encourage them to layer the strokes in a semi-circle or bowl-shape to form the manger’s bed of hay.
Color Template Images
While the fork painting dries, set it aside, give your child the Baby Jesus template. Let them color his swaddling clothes, face, and hair using either crayons, colored pencils, or markers. Be sure to color the scripture banner as well, if they choose to do so.
Cut out Baby Jesus and the Banner
Using child-safe scissors, have them cut around the outline of Baby Jesus and the banner.
Place Jesus in the Manger
Once the fork paint is tacky or completely dry, apply glue to the back of the Baby Jesus cutout. Gently press him right into the middle of the painted yellow straw bed. Repeat the process with the scripture banner, placing anywhere on the manger scene craft.
Extra Touches and Final Thoughts
While the yellow fork paint is still wet, sprinkle a tiny bit of glitter over the hay to give it a magical, heavenly glow. Also, when crafting with my children, I’m sure to always keep wet wipes nearby.
During the process of crafting, remind children that God sent Baby Jesus as a gift of love to the whole world, which is why we celebrate Christmas today!
This fork-painted manger scene craft is more than just a cute art project-it’s a memorable experience that brings the heart of the Christmas story right to your kitchen table.
It truly makes our day to see your kids having fun and learning about the faith! Our kids have so much fun making them as well! Thank you for supporting our blog and helping children grow through creative play!
Give this easy fork painting technique a try this week, and watch your kids light up as a simple plastic fork transforms into a glowing bed of Christmas straw!
Click the button below to download our free printable!
Please note: All of our downloadable printables and designs are copyright of DIYCoupleBlog. They are free and intended solely for your personal use (at home or in your classroom) Alteration, redistribution, or commercial resale of these files are strictly prohibited. Thank you for respecting the time and effort put into creating these resources!
There’s more to love, be sure to check out my other Faith related printables down below or search the blog for more kids’ crafts!