wide closeup of charming felt figures, stable, manger and more all displayed on a felt background in a large white frame

Make a Fun Kids Felt Nativity Set – Free Printables

Create a child-friendly felt nativity set that grows with your family. Free printable patterns for an interactive Christmas tradition!

Were you like me growing up?

We had a beautiful nativity set filled with all the standard cast — shepherds, wise men and angels along with cows, a donkey, sheep and camels.

I loved that set. It was displayed across the top of the upright piano in the living room. A room you only went into for your daily piano practice.

I didn’t much like piano practice, but I loved that nativity set. The very set we weren’t allowed to touch!

I think that’s why, for years, I’ve been dreaming of making a creche and figures specifically for children. I wanted to write a book recounting this miracle. A book that would evolve as the children grew with new details and new supporting characters adding more richness each succeeding year.

The 2025 Expansion Set can be found right here.

A delightful felt art piece portrays a kids nativity set with Mary cradling baby Jesus, Joseph by her side, and a manger with hay and a sheep. Each figure is intricately crafted from colored felt and thoughtfully arranged on a framed felt background.

Becoming a new Grandma propelled my decision to take on this long-dreamt-about project . . . finally!

Are you also looking for a meaningful Christmas craft that brings the nativity story to life for your little ones?

This easy DIY felt nativity set tutorial will help you create an interactive story board that little ones can use to retell the Christmas story again and again.

Perfect for families, Sunday schools, or as a special holiday gift, this durable felt nativity scene will become a cherished part of your Christmas season.

More Holiday Ideas for Our Young Kiddos

You’re in luck! I have joined three of my favorite bloggers who are also grandmas. We are each sharing a kid-friendly activity for the holidays. These three companion posts are all listed at the bottom of this post, and each is a real treat!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Why Make a Felt Nativity?
Choose Your Creche Crafting Adventure
Let’s Get Started! What You’ll Need:
Step-by-Step Instructions
Free Printable Templates
Tips for Success
Variations and Ideas
Growing Your Nativity: The Long Game
Conversation Starters (Because Kids Say the Darndest Things)

The links in this post may include affiliate links, which means if you purchase anything using these links, you pay no extra, but I may receive a small commission that helps keep this blog running. I truly appreciate you using affiliate links whenever possible. Please know that I will never recommend a product I do not believe in!

Why Make a Felt Nativity?

Interactive way to teach the Christmas story (And Jesus was the master of teaching by stories!)
Durable, child-safe alternative to breakable sets (Can I get an Amen?)
Grows with your family year after year (like the height chart on the door frame, but more Biblical)
Versatile display and storage options
Perfect for travel and visits to relatives (Isn’t that the goal, to have Jesus with us everywhere?)
Creates meaningful holiday traditions

Pick Your Display Style
(Because One Size Does NOT Fit All!

This charming kids nativity set features felt figures of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in a manger, two sheep, and another person. They are artfully arranged on a marble surface with a large blank paper backdrop, creating a delightful display for young hearts.

The Classic Route, W/ or W/O a Board-

Think of it as your kids’ Biblical play mat:

Flat felt background (simple but effective)
W/O a board, rolls up for storage (way better than that giant inflatable Santa does)
Perfect for floor play (and easy to vacuum around!)

The Pinterest-Worthy Frame Display-

For when you want it to look grown-up but stay kid-friendly:

Hangs on the wall (safe from the family dog!)
Enshrines the kids’ creche as the masterpiece it is (you know, like hanging the fingerpainting on the fridge)
Kid-height accessible (no more lifting little ones for a better look)
Doubles as actual charming Christmas decor (look at you, being all efficient!)

Note, I used a 20 X 28 frame from IKEA that I had on hand. The sky and hills are attached to the frame backing with spray Gorilla Glue.

Great Alternative I’m Converting To-

What can I say? Sometimes you just have to get into a project (neck deep this time) before the best solution presents itself:

Still presents as a masterpiece
Requires no floor space
Still doubles as charming Christmas decor
Any height you choose
Any size you choose. Mine will be larger — just saying.
Portable — easy to lay on the kitchen table, or take to Grandma’s
Rolls up for easy storage

My backdrop of night sky and hills is going to be displayed as a large banner hung with two dowels. This way it still presents as “artwork” that hangs on the wall, but I can achieve a larger surface.

This new tapestry style backdrop is now live and can be seen here along with three new cast members.

The Road Trip Ready Version-

Because sometimes you need Jesus to be portable:

Tri-fold board that stands up (like a science fair project, but holier)
Folds flat for travel (unlike that Christmas tree you tried to strap to your car roof)
Perfect for visits to Grandma’s (and she’ll be so impressed!)

Interested when the blog post for the new banner style background along with new figure patterns? Subscribe and you won’t miss a thing:

Thanks bunches! Now back to out Creche Crafting:

Choose Your Creche Crafting Adventure

Beginner Mode: Keep It Simple-

For when you just can’t with the Pinterest perfection:

Basic shapes glued together
Minimal details
Still totally adorable
Done in one nap time (hopefully!) Okay, a couple of nap times

Level Up: Add Some Pizzazz–

When you’re feeling crafty:

Hand-stitched details
Fun textures
More detailed figures
The Mary and Joseph you wish you’d made first time around

Pro Mode: Go All Out–

For the crafting overachievers (we see you!):

All the fancy stitches
Multiple outfit layers
Intricate details
Warning: may cause crafting envy

A paper cutout scene reminiscent of a kids nativity set features a shepherd in a red and gray robe holding a staff, standing on rolling hills made of different colored paper. Two white, fluffy sheep are nearby against a stark black background.

Let’s Get Started! What You’ll Need:

The backbone of your chosen background
Large piece of felt for the background (I went with charcoal sky and hills of sand)
Spray Glue, if you are adding sky, hills etc for backdrop and don’t want to stitch them in place
Assorted colored felt pieces for figures and scenery (I used what I had in my stash, but here is a great general purpose assortment or these richer colors)
Heat n’ Bond (the one I use and trust) or similar fusible fabric adhesive
The hook part of velcro, optional (well, not really, you want this)
Sharp fabric scissors, actually small embroidery scissors are best, these are mine
Freezer paper, this is what I use
Pattern templates offered as a Free Printable to all my subscribers (provided below)
Basic crafting supplies (needle and thread, markers, snippet of yarn, a scrap of iron-on interfacing (you know, those kinds of things)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1) Creating Your Story Board Background-

felt background that includes rolling hills in front of a dark night sky is framed and leaning above a number of felt figures

First, we’ll create the basic scene where your nativity story will unfold. This becomes your children’s stage for creative storytelling.

Lay out your large background felt piece or pieces
Create a simple stable structure, optional
Add background elements like stars and hills, maybe the outskirts of Betlehem in the distance

I used a 20 X 28 Ikea frame that I had on hand. Removed the plexi and spray glued the large sweeping hills below the dark felt sky.

I chose to keep the stable loose so the story can change with the whims of the kiddos, but my felt is soft felt, not stiff. A young child would probably struggle with placing it, so I bonded two layers together for an easier to handle stable.

PRO TIP: For long wispy elements (stable, staffs, etc,) consider bonding two layers together.

Step 2) Making the Nativity Figures-

Each character in our nativity scene is designed to be child-friendly and easy to handle.

Making the figures is the most involved (and satisfying) part. But once you have the steps down, they go pretty quickly, so please don’t be intimidated. I added pictures of each step to eliminate frustration and encourage you to give it a go.

Remember this is a Choose Your Own Adventure project. Feel free to simplify the figures — or add even more detail if that’s how you roll.

General Instructions

Start by finding the Felt Nativity set in my Free (to subscribers) Resource Library. In the library find the Felt Nativity Set and click the link that will take you to a Google Drive folder that contains the twelve pages. Double click each page you want and then proceed

close-up of woman's hands hold paper on top of an upside down clear baking dish with a phone flashlight underneath creating a light table for tracing

Download the printable patterns
Print
Trace all the elements onto the paper side (NOT the glossy side) of freezer paper

PRO TIP: Use an inverted clear baking dish over a cell phone flashlight as a light table

pieces of freezer paper with all the elements of the wiseman on them have been cut apart and applied with a hot iron to different colors of scraps of felt

Cut the elements apart and iron on to your choice of felt colors

closeup of woman's hands using embroidery scissors to cut the pattern of each element that was transferred ro freezer paper and adhered to the felt

Cut out
Remove the freezer paper
Layout which layers overlap each other and where

the backside of the wiseman felt figure shows the layering of elements and a piece of iron-on interfacing being used to hold two pieces together

If two elements meet as a butt edge (rather than overlapping), use a piece of iron-on interfacing to hold them together.

Don’t worry, it will be reinforced in the future steps.

Here, interfacing is holding the cloak collar to the robe.

Note the layers of the head.

For the small details like beards, mustaches, hands, cuffs, I find it easiest to use a needle and thread to tack them in place.

The backside of the finished front of the wiseman shows how the hands and cuffs are hand-tacked in place

In this example, the dome of the crown is held with interfacing to the top of the head.

Then the gold band is held attached to the crown with a bit of hand stitching.

I laid the sides of the red cloak in place to determine the placement of the cuffs and hands. Then I tacked them in place where I knew the stitches would not show.

PRO TIP: Cut the threads longer than usual. They’ll be caught in between with the adhesive helping to prevent kiddos pulling at them.

close of a felt wise man with all his detailing and layering done

Once the hands and cuffs were tacked in place, I applied the cloak front with Heat ‘n Bond adhesive.

Then when all the details of the head were finished, It was applied with Heat ‘n Bond, overlapping the cloak and collar.

NOTE: Any details you might want to add such as decorative stitching, ribbon or beads, need to be added before any adhesive between layers.

The finished wiseman front is laying on a rough cut of Heat-n-Bond adhesive paper

Now that the detailing is done and the wiseman is assembled, we need to add his backing.

Rough cut a piece of your chosen adhesive sheet to fit your figure.

the finished front off the wiseman is now iron onto the heat-n-bond

Iron the adhesive piece to the backside of the front of your figure. Be sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Mine specified a dry iron at silk setting for 2 seconds.

closeup of woman's hands holding the wise man while using embroidery scissors to trim off any excess Heat n Bond paper around there edge of the figure

Trim off the excess adhesive paper.

closeup of woman's fingers puling the paper backing off Heat n Bond adhesive that has been applied to the back of the wiseman felt figure

Remove the paper backing.

Now the rough cut felt backing off the wiseman is applied with the heat-n-Bond adhesive and is waiting to have it trimmed

Rough cut a backing out of your chosen color of felt.

PRO TIP: Add a piece of hook side of velcro to the back.

Single layer elements hold fine.

But the figures with multiple layers and detailing could use the extra support to hang on the felt background.

The finished wiseman plus another and a reclining camel are seen on a felt hill with felt cypress trees behind

Press the backing in place.

Trim any excess and to cleanup the edges.

And this wise man is ready to follow a star!

NOTE: It’s hard to notice in “real life”, but based on the photos, I will go back and trim up the light blue peeking out behind the red cloak. It’s a super easy fix!

Key Characters Include:

Baby Jesus in the manger
Mary and Joseph
The Three Wise Men
Shepherds
Angels
Animals (sheep, donkey, camel)

Step 3) Adding Special Details-

Make your nativity set beautiful and engaging with these special touches:

The Star of Bethlehem (with template)
Cypress trees and greenery
Little details like gifts from the wise men and shepherds’ staff
Simple animal features

Free Printable Templates

Go to my Free (to all subscribers) Resource Library. Scroll to find the Felt Nativity Set. Click and it will take you to a Google Folder that contains all the patterns. Pick and download all the ones you want.

Stable template
Character patterns
Animal shapes
Star and decoration templates

Tips for Success

Use contrasting felt colors for visual appeal
Make pieces large enough for small hands
Add some details separately for more imaginative play (staff, the gifts, the eastern star, etc)
Consider adding simple embellishments for texture
Store pieces flat
Only introduce the little elements, such at the Magi’s gifts, when your kiddos are old enough

Closeup of art piece resembling a kids nativity set features a figure in blue lovingly holding a baby, while another in dark attire stands nearby. At the center is a manger filled with straw, flanked by a small sheep. The scene unfolds against a serene two-tone background.

Variations and Ideas

Create a larger outdoor nativity scene using these patterns
Add Velcro backing to heavier, more layered figures for better grip
Make multiple sets for Sunday school classes
Design a travel-sized version
Do you have a bit older grand who would love to learn some simple embroidery? The robes and cloaks would be a great canvas for running stitches and daisy chains or maybe adding some beads.