How to Make Nativity Finger Puppets
Christianity teaches that Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph while the couple was traveling to the homeland of Joseph's forefathers for a census. In this Christmas story there were no rooms for Mary and Joseph to stay in once they arrived in Jerusalem. An inn keeper offered them shelter in his barn, where his livestock lived. From this story comes the nativity scene. Typically, the animals featured in the nativity are oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels and goats.
Things You'll Need
- 1 sheet dark brown felt
- 1 sheet light brown felt
- 1 sheet white felt
- 1 sheet pink felt
- 1 sheet gray felt
- 1 sheet blue felt
- 1 sheet yellow felt
- 1 sheet beige or tan felt
- Yarn
- Scissors
- Craft glue
- Black permanent marker
- Small bead eyes or buttons for eyes
- Cotton balls
Instructions
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Animals
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1
Cut out two 5/8-by-3 inch felt rectangles for each finger puppet you are making. Use dark brown felt for the ox, light brown felt for the camel and white felt for the sheep. The gray felt is for the goat and the pink felt is for the pig. Glue each pair of rectangles together with craft glue.
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2
Cut 1-inch circles out of the pink felt scraps to use as noses for the ox and pig puppets. Cut out two 2-inch circles from the pink felt to use as ears for the pig. Cut two 2-inch circles from the white felt for each sheep's ears. Cut two 2-inch circles from the light brown felt for camel's ears and two 2-inch circles from the dark brown felt for the ox's ears. Cut two 2-inch circles from the gray felt for the goat's ears.
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3
Fold each set of ears in half to form a crease. Open the ears again and glue one ear to each side of the puppet, at the top where the animal's head will be. Use craft glue and attach the ears to the front rectangle.
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4
Glue one pair of small buttons or bead eyes to each puppet. Glue pig and ox noses to the appropriate puppets.
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5
Draw noses on the remaining animals. For a camel nose, start just under the eyes and draw down in a straight line on each side to form the bridge. Curve out slightly at the bottom to create a "bulb" shape on each side. Use a black marker to make the nostrils. Draw a small, right-side-up semi-circle for the sheep's nose. Draw a rounded muzzle for the donkey and goat.
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6
Glue one white cotton ball to the top of the sheep's head to create the look of fluffy wool.
People
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7
Cut out two 5/8-by-3 inch felt rectangles for each finger puppet. Use blue for Mary, brown for Joseph and white for the baby Jesus. Glue the two rectangles together to make the body of the puppet.
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8
Cut out one beige or tan 1-inch circle as a face for each puppet. Cut out one pair of 1/2-inch circles for each hand. Glue the face and the hands onto each felt puppet.
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9
Draw eyes, noses and mouths onto the faces using a black permanent marker.
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10
Glue 1-inch pieces of yarn to the top of Mary's head for hair. Glue 1/2-inch pieces of yarn to Joseph's head for hair. Use a marker to lightly mark hair on the baby Jesus' head.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Use your puppets to act out the scene of the Nativity.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit big ox image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
