As Christmas nears, we find ways to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. This handprint nativity craft is aimed to do just that. You’ll find handprint Santas, footprint reindeer and fingerprint Christmas trees. These are all fun, but if we can’t bring it back to the real reason we celebrate – the coming of a promised Messiah – than we have missed the mark.
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I mentioned that Jesus was the Messiah that had been prophesied about hundreds of years before his coming. Here is a link including 44 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, including his lineage, birthplace, life purpose and his death. The sacrificial system established in God’s people, the Jews, would be forever complete through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the reason we celebrate.
10 Days of Christ Focused Christmas Activities Inspired by Books Blog Hop
This season I’m taking part in a really fun blog hop with some other Christian bloggers. This 10 days of Christ focused Christmas Activities Inspired by Books Blog hop starts today! We have all sorts of fun activities, recipes and family fun that are inspired by a Children’s Christmas book that share the real meaning of Christmas! Make sure to follow along on Facebook, you can take a look at the schedule over at Inspired by Familia blog. Here are our fabulous bloggers: Inspired by Family, Meaningful Mama, Teaching Mama, Beautiful Messy Motherhood, Happy Home Fairy, Simple home Blessings, The Chaos and the Clutter, Creative Family Fun, True Aim Education and Sunshine Whispers!
The Crippled Lamb
My book choice for this blog hop was The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado. This is a book we have had in our collection for quite some time. This is a story about a lamb who is crippled and his friend Abigail, who keeps encouraging him that God has big plans for his life. This lamb often feels lonely and is rejected by the other lambs. He comes to discover, that he does have purpose by being one who gets to meet and warm the newborn king, Jesus. I read this book with my kids before we set out to do our craft.
I took some liberty in the craft. While the main two animals discussed in the story are the lamb and the cow, I added another lamb and a donkey. You can remove one of the lambs to just represent only the lamb in the story if desired. The donkey is kind of needed to make the craft look right.
Materials Needed to Make Handprint Nativity Craft
Craft Paint
Dark Blue Paper
Paint Brushes
My Free Animal Printable
Colored Pencils or Crayons
Glue Stick
Scissors
Star Foam Stickers
White Colored Pencil
How to Make Handprint Nativity Craft
Paint children’s fingers. You will want a flesh colored upper part of the finger and can choose colors for the clothes of Joseph, Mary and a shepherd. Jesus’ body will be white. The entire pinkie will be white for the angel.
Kids can paint a ground on the bottom and a stable around the handprint people.
Using paint on a finger, add white wings to the angel.
Once dry, draw little faces on the heads of the people using a Sharpie.
Using the white colored pencil, add a halo over the angel’s head.
Using the paint, add head coverings on the people. I intended to have my kids paint in a shepherd staff as well to identify the shepherd, but I forgot.
Add a sticker or painted star to the roof of the stable.
Print out my free nativity animal printable.
Have kids color the animals.
Once colored, cut around the animals.
Using a glue stick, glue them in the order pictured. The purpose of the animals is to tie in the story while also making sure that nativity characters don’t look like they are floating around in the stable.
I hope you and your loved ones enjoy this handprint nativity craft. I also hope you will follow along to find 10 great bloggers, 10 great books, and 10 great activities inspired by the birth of Jesus.
December 5th
Day 1 Inspired by Family-The Legend of the Christmas Cookie book & Easy Reindeer Cookies
December 6th
Day 2 Teaching Mama The Legend of the Candy Cane book & Easy & Cute Candy Cane ornament
December 7th
Day 3 Beautiful Messy Motherhood
Day 4 Meaningful Mama – The Crippled Lamb & Handprint Nativity Craft
December 8th
Day 5 Happy Home Fairy
Day 6 Simple home Blessings
December 9th
Day 7 The Chaos and the Clutter
Day 8 Creative Family Fun
December 10th
Day 9 True Aim Education
Day 10 Sunshine Whispers
Merry Christmas, Everyone!
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