Handmade nativity scene: easy master-classes for beginners and children (99 photos)

Everyone's favorite bright and sparkling Christmas holidays are approaching the brightest and most anticipated event of winter - the celebration of Christmas.

The entire Christian world joyfully celebrates the birth of the Child, glorifying the event in a variety of ways. As a rule, in many homes these days under the Christmas trees there are handmade Christmas crib handicrafts of children and adults.

The history, symbolism, and tradition of the nativity scene

For many years the scene has been a familiar one, the silence of the night, the bright stars in the sky, the cave in which Mary and the newborn Jesus are placed in the manger.

The tradition of reproducing the scene of Christmas in the form of crafts from different materials appeared in European countries quite a long time ago. Recently it has also become popular in Russia. Christianity is in many countries around the world, and the tradition of making nativity scenes also varies greatly.

The French make everything in brown with hand-painted; the Italians and Germans make actors out of wood, cover them with varnish and sprinkle incense or floral oil; the English make figurines edible, and the Mexicans create porcelain inlaid beauty.

There are no strict limits on when a nativity scene can be installed. It is usually made right after New Year's Eve, in preparation for Christmas. It is possible to create a craft at the end of November, at the same time with the beginning of Christmas Lent. The construction stands until Epiphany, after which it is dismantled.

The number of actors can be different, as there are no certain rules for making a composition. Mandatory characters include:

• the newborn Jesus;
• Virgin Mary;
• St. Joseph.

There are also additional characters: the Magi, an angel, a flock of sheep with shepherds, an ox with a donkey.

Different types of nativity scenes and materials

There are no strict canons for making a nativity scene. This is especially true of the materials, so you can make a handcraft out of anything you have on hand, such as paper, wood, clay, fabric, and much more.

Vertep-card

The easiest and easiest way for children to make a Nativity Scroll is with a beautiful greeting card. It can be simply drawn or made into a three-dimensional card. For this you will need:

• thick paper;
• cut out figures of the main characters of the performance;
• glue, paint or colored pencils;
• decorative elements.

The process of making a postcard:

• A sheet of paper should be folded in half to make it look like a large card that can be placed under the Christmas tree. Paint the background under a dark cave and paint the figures. If there is no possibility to cut them out from somewhere, you can draw them yourself.
• Then the finished characters of the performance should be glued to the background. To make the image appear three-dimensional, the figures should be set on a double-sided adhesive tape on a foam base, a piece of foam rubber or a strip of dense paper bent in the form of a bracket.
• In the center are always Mary, Joseph and the newborn Jesus. Around them are angels, wise men, shepherds, animals, and trees.
• The cover of the card can be decorated with shiny decorative elements.

Paper or cardboard

Just like a Christmas card, you can make a panoramic image of a nativity scene out of heavy paper or cardboard. You need the same materials and tools.

The background image of the cave is unfolded in an accordion, and the figures are made in the form of paper cones and placed separately. All products are appropriately colored and decorated with decorative elements.

Vertep made of felt and fabric

The felt handicrafts always seem to be quite cute. Soft felt will look bright and voluminous on the handicraft. It is easy to make figurines - it is enough to carefully sew the parts.

Required materials and tools:

• a set of colored sheets of felt for creativity;
• A large sheet of brown felt;
• colored thread and needle;
• scissors;
• stuffing for the dolls.

Templates for cutting figures can be drawn yourself or printed out. A set of parts is thought out individually. For stitching, threads in color are used. Eyes, mouth and nose are embroidered or drawn with a fabric marker.

Similarly, animals are sewn and stuffed with filler.

A large sheet of brown material is stretched over a frame in the form of a house-cave, on the roof of which a decorative element in the form of a star and an angel figure are glued or sewn.

All the dolls should be arranged according to the storyline.

Making a wooden crèche

Making a nativity scene with your own hands out of wood is considered a more complex task. The structure itself may have a larger size and a more complex structure:

• The basis of the installation is better to choose a large box or box with a lid that opens in different directions.
• The composition is performed according to the usual principle: in the center of the cave are the main characters, and secondary characters - on the sides outside.
• Wooden cave can have a more complex structure, adopted in many temples. This means that the main box consists of two stories where the biblical story with the birth of Christ is on top, and the scenes from human life are played out below.
• In this case, the number of actors can be quite large.
• Wooden dolls are either cut out on their own from templates for a cardboard version, or purchased in a store for creativity and accordingly dressed up.
• Outfits for the characters are sewn from scraps of fabric or glued together from colored paper. Animals are taken, as a rule, from children's toys. Gifts can be molded from plasticine and added to the picture.
• The outline of the star is made from a plastic mold from a Kinder Surprise and lit with an LED light bulb.

The best material for crafts - plasticine

The most convenient and easy to use material can be the basis for any, even the most complex crafts. It is malleable, has a wide range of colors and allows you to give the products any shape.

To make the cave and character figures, you will need to prepare the following tools and materials:

• plasticine of two types: particularly hard and softer;
• a base for molding;
• wooden skewers or toothpicks;
• a piece of lace;
• a piece of gold-plated ribbon;
• pieces of wicker material;
• cake or pizza wrapping;
• A star-shaped Christmas tree.

The figurine of the newborn is made purely symbolically, as it will be wrapped in a flap of lace. But it is better to work out the visible part of the face thoroughly, having formed eyes from beads.

The manger, in which the baby will be, is molded from hard plasticine and decorated with broken skewers. Pieces of wicker material are placed inside.

The base of the installation will be a box from a pizza or cake, on which a framework of wooden slats will be formed in the form of a hut. The connecting material of all parts is hard plasticine.

The frame is decorated with straw and decorated with a star.

Sometimes a fence is formed instead of a shawl and covered with wicker material. All other figures of the picture are also made of pieces of soft plasticine of different colors.

Vertep made of clay

One of the most attractive modern materials for making crafts is polymer clay. It is very plastic, hardens quickly, does not require firing, and is available at any store for creative goods. Clay products are easy to shape, color and decorate.

You can take a small piece of heavy cardboard or thin plywood as a base for the installation. On it form a semicircular wall with a canopy in the shape of an amphitheater, imitating a cave.

Next, according to the established scheme, form puppets representing the main characters, then - the secondary characters.

Using a special tool, form faces, details of clothing and attach decorative elements. After hardening, all elements of the composition are painted with acrylic paints.

Salted Dough Variant

One of the most favorite and popular materials for children's crafts is salt dough. The process of creating a crèche made of it is interesting because it starts from scratch, with making the material itself. To mold the figures and compose the composition, the following materials will be required:

1. two cups of flour;
2. one cup of fine salt;
3. three quarters of a cup of water;
4. acrylic or gouache paints;
5. brushes and stacks;
6. glue.

At first, the dough is thoroughly kneaded. Its composition should be dense and homogeneous. The further process of molding is quite simple - figures are formed from rolled rollers and balls.

The formed dolls are dried in a warm and dry place, then painted. A traditional composition is assembled from the finished actors. The cave itself can be constructed from a shoe box and decorated with straw or twigs.

Cave Theater

The most interesting and fascinating action is the creation of a theatrical production based on a biblical story. The cave is designed as a stage where all the figures take part in the action.

The material for making puppets can be taken any way, the main thing is that they should be durable, quality painted and varnished.

Crèche theater performances are attractive not only for children, but also for adults. Together we can put together an interesting and colorful performance.

The shadow nativity scene

Another interesting option for presenting a well-known story is the shadow nativity scene. You can give the story an atmosphere of mystery and holiness with the help of spectacular lighting and dark silhouettes.

The characters of the action are cut out of dark, monochrome paper and placed in a transparent box made of a solid frame and covered with a transparent cloth or polyethylene.

Behind the figures there is LED lighting, which gives the story more mystery and looks great in the evening. The composition can consist of several boxes-parts, which show separate groups of characters.

There are a huge number of options for creating a nativity scene with your own hands. As materials for making it, you can use any improvised means. The meaning of this craft is to introduce Christian origins, history and spiritual values.

Images of homemade nativity scene