Wooden Block Nativity

At the heart of the Christmas season is the story of a baby’s birth. Here’s a quick and sweet project idea to help you decorate your home as you celebrate the birth of Jesus; a wooden block nativity.

Image contains the Holy Family made from wooden blocks and beads. It is intended for Pinterest.

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How to Make a Wooden Block Nativity

This little project is my all-time favorite seasonal craft because of its simplicity and the reminder it carries of the reason why we celebrate. To create your own, gather the materials below, and let’s get crafting!

Materials:

unfinished 1″square dowel cut into 4” and 5” lengths
2 – 1” wooden beads (I recommend the ones with flat bottoms)
small peg person (mine is 35 mm)
1 1/2” wooden star
acrylic/multi-surface paint (I used brown, blue, and gold)
paintbrushes
20 gauge gold wire
wire cutters
hot glue gun and glue sticks
scissors
natural colored linen or burlap
twine

Image contains a roll of gold wire, two wooden blocks, two wooden beads, a wooden star, and a wooden peg person, a roll of twine, and three bottles of acrylic paint (blue, brown, gold) on a white background.

Instructions:

Paint the wooden blocks and star as desired.

I chose brown for Joseph, blue for Mary, and gold for the star, but you can use any colors you like. Set these aside to dry.

Image contains a wooden block that has been painted brown and a shorter wooden block that is painted blue.

Wrap the small peg person in a square scrap of linen/burlap.

I placed the head just below one corner, then wrapped the side corners around the body, gluing the fabric in place. Finally, I folded the excess up in the back and glued it.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding a small peg person wrapped in a scrap of cream colored linen fabric.

Use hot glue to attach a wooden bead to the top of each block.

Cut a 4”x6” rectangle of linen/burlap and glue to Mary’s head.

I folded the cut edge under so that it didn’t show in the front. Then, I glued the fabric to the top and sides of the head as well as the sides and back of the body.

Image contains a blue wooden block with a natural wooden bead head and a neutral linen head covering draped over the bead.

Glue the Mary and Joseph blocks together along one side, then glue the baby Jesus onto the front.

Image contains brown and blue blocks with wooden bead heads that have been glued together along one side. The fabric-wrapped peg person is glued on top of the blocks.

Glue the back of the wooden star to one end of a 10” piece of wire. Curl the wire and glue it to the back of your blocks.

I wrapped the wire around a pencil to create the spirals.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding holy family made of wooden blocks and beads on a white background.

Tie a piece of twine around the family.

Now your nativity is ready to display!

Image contains a nativity family made from wood blocks and wooden beads, fabric, wire, and twine.

Crafting Tips

For a larger nativity, use a 2” square dowel and cut taller pieces until you have your desired size. You’ll also want to use 2” beads for the heads to match the width of the bodies.
Give your blocks a more rustic look by distressing them with sandpaper.
Feel free to add to your nativity by using wooden blocks and beads to create an angel, shepherds, and wise men!