Kids Sunday School Christmas Crafts: Stand up Nativity Shepherd, angels and wise men

set to color or already mostly colored
sets
(Yes, the angel looks the same from the Annunciation craft, but is a different size)

These people and angels go with our SMALL AND LARGE basic nativity.

Whether you call them wise men or kings, they are the bearer of special gifts for the baby Jesus. After the excitement of Christmas Day had passed, tradition has it that the wise men arrived on the 12th night (January 6). For they were quite a distance when they saw the (natal) star in the east signifying the birth of Jesus when they began their journey.

For our large, standing "make the manger scene" paper people are about 3 inches tall when finished.

All that is needed is to guide the children to cut carefully and to fold or re-fold on all dashed lines.

About the 3 kings and gifts

What were the gifts of the wise men? Gold, frankincense and myrrh. What are these things?

Gold is a precious metal.Who has seen any gold? Does anybody you know have any gold earrings or necklace or ring?

What is frankincense and what is it used for?
Frankincense is sap from special trees (for older kids: Sap is sometimes called tree blood). It can be dried or hardened and burned, or pounded into powder and put into an oil. The smell of frankincense is said to make us think about (represent) life. Some Judaic, Christian, and Islamic faiths have used frankincense mixed with oils to anoint newborn babies. Some traditions say eating frankincense is healthy! It was very costly and is still available today.
What is myrrh and what is it used for?
Myrrh comes from trees too. It is from the sap too. It has been so valuable at times in ancient history that it was equal to its weight in gold. It can be a scented oil, something like a perfume. It may still be used in some churches and burned as an incense- a sacred (holy) smell. It was also put on wounds to help heal them and for other medical uses.

Who were the wise men?
Who were the 3 kings?
Though not in the Bible, historians say the 3 wise men were Melchior (Mel-key-or), Caspar (Almost like the friendly ghost) and Belthazar (belth-ha-zar). It is said Melchior brought the gold, Caspar chose the frankincense, so Belthazar brought the ____________ (let them answer).

When is the twelfth night?
January 6.

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More Teacher info
Choose from
1 the colored set
2 uncolored set

Read the instructions before class so you can guide the kids.If you want to see construction photos, go to our basic 3D stand up nativity instruction page.