I have seen the cute felt Christmas trees all over Pinterest. They hang on a wall and have felt ornaments for kids to decorate and play with. Well in our home, we focus on the nativity and the true reason behind why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus. So I decided to do my own version of a felt wall toy for my children. I thought I would share it now since many people are already looking forward to/preparing for Christmas.
I made a nativity from felt and the stable is up on the wall where the kids can reach it and there is a basket of felt characters and animals to add to the stable and play with.
The kids love it and enjoy moving them all around. Baby Jesus has been held by everyone in the scene including the angels 🙂
Quick update… templates are on a new post here. Thanks for stopping by!
Johanna
My Crazy Blessed Life! 
I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Great idea! My Mr 2 will probably love it… And even though he’s a pastors kid I’m not sure he’ll get what it’s all about yet but if it survives the year it will be a lovely tradition too.
How do you get the felt to stay on the wall?
I used flat thumb tacks under the beams of the stable. In each of the corners, but I bet there are other ways as well.
I am going to do this over the weekend. I’m thinking that I could glue a few magnets to the backside of the stable and it could be on the fridge.
Great idea! 🙂
3m scotch command strips or double sided poster board tape
Neither. I used tacks
This is such a wonderful idea. Do you have a pattern that you could share? I would love to make one of these for my children…I could figure out the stable, but the figures may stretch my creative abilities! Thank you!
I don’t have a pattern but am working on one since I have three friends paying me to make them a set 🙂
I love this idea too. But I also would need a pattern.
Thanks.
Working on one 🙂
Thank you 🙂 the free templates are now up on a new post on my home page!
Thank you 🙂 the free templates are now up on a new post on my home page!
How much are you charging to make a set? I know I’d have to pay shipping also, but I might be interested. (You can reach me at spenc279 at yahoo.com if you are interested in making a 4th set.) If it’s not too labor intensive, you could easily put this up on etsy and do well! I’d love to make my own set, but I don’t have the talent. 😦 I might give it a go anyway — It couldn’t hurt to try.
I’m also interested in a set! I’d need everything but the stable. What would you charge? Ashes1434@hotmail.com. Thanks!
I saw this on Pinterest and am making one tomorrow! Love it 🙂
I am also interested in this. How much do you charge ? Thank you
I’m not sure I will be making any more but if I do I will email you 🙂
How much would you charge for just the pattern?
I am making pattern now and will make it free for my readers once it is up 🙂
How did you attach the different peices together for example the hands and face to the body?
I used hot glue, but only a bit because if they are too heavy they don’t stay up on the felt stable.
I’m using felt glue, which is light-weight but very strong. It does take a few hours to cure completely, so it’s not for the impatient! Thanks for sharing this. My girls will love it!
Yes a pattern!!!!! 🙂 Love this!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you 🙂 the free templates are now up on a new post on my home page!
how did you glue the hair, hats, hands, etc onto the bodies? hot glue?
Yep! But not too much because it will be too heavy to stick to the felt stable 🙂
Will you be posting your pattern? I thought this absolutely adorable. It is my families turn to have together this year. The kids are 5,4,3,2, 9 months, and 3 months. From three different families, not all mine ;). I am excited for a hands on activity while telling the story.
I’m trying, I have never made a pattern for the computer before but I’m attempting it 🙂
Thank you 🙂 the free templates are now up on a new post on my home page!
yeaaa, she took my question. LOVE this idea!
How do the figures stay on the felt in the stable? Love his idea. My toddler will love it too!
*this idea. Sorry
The felt sticks to itself 🙂
This looks like a wonderful way for children to have an interactive kid-friendly nativity set. I’m looking forward to the pattern! I plan to make this for my grandson.
Thank you 🙂 the free templates are now up on a new post on my home page!
I love this! My 2 yr old will love this! He knows and understands the true meaning of Christmas and this will make it even more fun when he tells the Christmas story! Thank you!
Thank you 🙂 the free templates are now up on a new post on my home page!
love this idea. i will gift it this year. i am also going to make and sell these at a neighborhood boutique. i think the young moms that want them don’t have time to make them. i’m anticipating it to be a hit! thank you so much for sharing!
can you tell me the dimensions of your backdrop? or the height of the tallest person-figure? then i can create a proportionate pattern (drawing it out right now) Thank you, again!
The free templates are up with the dimensions on a new post on my home page 🙂
I’ll be looking for the pattern too. Sorry if you’ve already answered this question, but do you have any idea when it might be available (i.e. before Christmas? beginning of December?).
Thanks.
Hopefully by thanksgiving 🙂
The templates are up! 🙂 check them out on a new post on my home page.
Love this! saw it on pinterest. I pinned a huge piece of brown flannel to the back of our couch a few weeks ago (it faces towards our entry way) for the kids to use for flannel/felt board stuff and for us to use with our scripture story pieces on family night. This would be perfect! Thanks for sharing your great idea!
Love this idea! I’ve been looking for something like this to do with my kiddos! Thanks for sharing. I’ll start one soon and hope it turns just as cute as yours, I’m not the best artist, lol.
Thank you 🙂 the new post is up with the templates on my home page!
I also found the felt Christmas tree on Pinterest, but when I saw the version with the presents at the bottom, it gave me the idea to also do a felt nativity because we also prefer to keep Christ in CHRISTmas and down play the commercialized aspects.
I saw this via pinterest and wanted to come over and comment. 🙂 I love this idea!! I think it’s important to remember the reason we celebrate Christmas. I will definately be making this for my Children. Thanks for the inspiration.
Love this. I want to make this for my daughter. Do u happen to have the templates for cut outs?
I’m posting the templates soon! I also have a giveaway for a set from me on a new blog post today 🙂 check it out!
Thanks 🙂 I just posted the templates on a new post on my home page!
Wonderfully done!!
really cute. You did a great job.
Christ is also the center of my home. Always has been and always will be. For that I am very grateful! This nativity is a wonderful representation of the birth of our Savior. You did a great job on it! But I do think that the Christmas tree itself has quite a bit of Christ centered origins and has developed lovely symbolisms over the years. I am not discounting the nativity that you have created. It is wonderful. I think the focus for many at this time of year IS Christ. More so than any other time of year. Wether they do a tree, a nativity or both. In my home we incorporate both. So I will do a felt tree (which was my original plan since I have a little people nativity my children can play with) with a smaller felt nativity underneath. Any exposure I can give to my children of our Savior and His purpose, I’m for it! I think it gives great opportunity to us and our children to learn about and discuss our Savior, His life, purpose and how that all rolls into this wonderful holiday that we celebrate. After all, Jesus is the reason for this Season! How grateful I am for Him!
History of the Christmas tree and the Symbolism is has:
“What is the symbolism of the Christmas tree today? Well first of all, the fir tree is an evergreen–it does not die or fade away or lose its needles in the winter. In this sense it has soon come to represent the immortality of the resurrected Christ.
The lights in the Christmas tree also have a deeper meaning. Originally the lights used were candles, of course. During my childhood days in Germany my grandparents still lit dozens of candles in their Christmas tree. The candles too were meant to symbolize Christ, specifically his self-giving love and gift of life to us. As many of us know, the candle provides light and warmth as it consumes its own substance, the wax. So, too, did Jesus give of his own substance–his life–so that we might find divine light. And when we have found divine light for ourselves, we too are enabled through the power of the Holy Spirit to give of ourselves to others. After all, Christmas is the feast of love, where we share gifts with each other as Christ shared the gift of life with us.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1544250/posts
“The fact that balsam fir twigs, more than any other evergreen twigs, resemble crosses may have had much to do with the early popularity of balsam fir used as Christmas trees.”
http://www.christmas-tree.com/where.html
I don’t discount the tree at all 🙂 we too incorporate both in our home.
and thank you for the wonderful idea!
WOW!!! I love it, let me know when you have the instructions done, I want to make one for my family for Christmas!
Thank you 🙂 check out my new post I just put up with the printable templates for my readers!
Where do u buy your felt? And can u buy all those colors in small sheets?
I buy mine at hobby lobby and the colors all do come in small sheets. The sheets are only 4 for a dollar 🙂 hope that helps! Check out my newest post with the free templates!
Thank you very much!!
My grandson is only 2 months old, but I have saved the file and am looking forward to making it for him.
Today is Thanksgiving and also happens to be my birthday. So thankful I saw this on Pinterest. I have been looking for a wooden nativity set that my five year old twins can set up. This is most perfect. I can’t wait to get started!
Oh my! This exactly the kind of thing I have been looking to do for my Godson. My ideas are more grand that my creative skills so your templates are perfect. My plan is to set this up like an Advent calendar where he can open a “present” (one of the nativity items) everyday in December along with a bit of the nativity story…and maybe a little candy treat!
Thank you so much!
Love this! I am almost done, but just reading your post about minimal glue so they aren’t too heavy…I hope mine work! I used tacky glue and not sparingly….
Oh no! Hope it still works out 🙂
Stick a piece of velcro on the back of your people and they will stick to the felt just fine! 🙂
Thanks so much!
You’re welcome 🙂
How many sheets o felt did you buy? I am headed to the store in a bit… I didn’t see it on your template- sorry if I missed it!
I’m not exactly sure the exact # but I think around 20 small sheets and then the large dark brown section for the stable. It depends on the colors you decide to use with the small pieces.
For some reason, I am only seeing the dimensions for the stable, but not the people or animals…. Help? 🙂
I wrote in the post, the figures are all actual size. If you print the sheets and cut out the templates you can just lay it over felt, trace, and cut.
Okay, I see now that it says “drawn to size”, but when I downloaded it, the figures are huge, so if you wouldn’t mind giving me a dimension or two, even if you don’t have time to measure all the figures, that would be great! Thank you; I love this!
The shortest figure the wiseman is 6 3/4″ and the tallest wiseman is 9 3/4″ hope that helps? I’m not sure why it opened really huge? If you print them maybe it will be correct size.
Sorry, I meant the size of the people and animals, rather than sheet size. thanks!
Okay, I just printed on normal 81/2 x 11 sheets of paper, and I’m all set! The way mine downloaded looked like I would need to print on poster-size paper! Thanks again; I’m excited to get going on this!
Oh you darling MOMMY. I teach kindergarten at Lansing Christianschool. I’m just dying to find your precious felt nativity. Thank you with all my heart. God bless you and your family at this glorious time celebrating Our Savior! Much love, Marilyn
Great idea! I have a question though. How did you get the parts stiff? (As stiff as they could stand up in the basket like on one of the pictures)
They are just laid in the basket for the picture. They are really pretty floppy when playing with them. My kids smooth them out onto the stable.
Do you have patterns for this wonderful idea? I tried to just copy and paste your pictures so I could refer to them, but couldn’t. I would love to make this for my grandchildren (I have 15!). I’m always looking for new ideas and always try to keep their minds focused on what Christmas is really about.
The templates are printable and then you can cut them out, trace and cut your felt 🙂
Great! I love it. Thanks. Am always trying to find crafts related to the real meaning of Christmas!
I kept seeing the Christmas tree too, but I really like this one! I will have to try it. Thanks!
Just wanted to weigh in about what kind of glue to use. There is such a thing as felt glue, and it is lightweight and very sturdy. It takes a few hours to cure, but once everything is dry, the pieces do not come apart easily. It’s worth splurging on ($5 for a bottle at Hobby Lobby) for a larger project like this one.
Thanks for the patterns …. I did it last night , my girls love it.
Did you use wool felt or the less expensive kind (I think it’s acrylic)? I love this and thanks so much for sharing it!
I used the less expensive kind, it was 4 sheets for $1
Thanks for the free patterns! My friend and I made 2 of these this week. They are adorable 🙂
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I pinned this last Christmas and am today cutting out all my pieces. I really appreciate you offering the pattern for free. What a blessing! 🙂
I LOVE this! I was going to make banner to hang on the wall, but it makes much more sense to hang one down where my toddler can play with it. Genius!
I just found this on pinterest. I love it and can’t wait to make if for my kids! Thank you so much!!!
I found them on pinterest. Thank you so much for the pattern, I made them into felt puppets as my grandchildren love to give puppet shows. Cute as a button. 😉
I love it – what do you use to attach the stable to the wall?
I’m wondering if that easily removable poster hanging tape will work, or the little thumbtacks
I used small thumbtacks
How do you ahead it to the wall
How did you mount it on the wall?
Thank you and bless you for sharing your template with the world. This is just what I was looking for. It is the best one, and easy to make, tha I’ve came across so far. Thank you again.
Hi
Thanks for sharing this great nativity idea! I’ve been looking for something to use for my 2 & 3’s children’s church class. I thought about purchasing a Fisher Price one or the Play Mobil one but just didn’t want to spend that much money on one. When I saw yours I knew it was just perfect! I’m also excited that you shared your templates. I am a sewer so I could have imitated yours but this will be so much easier! Thanks again & God bless!
How do you get this to stick to your wall?
I used push pins
I like this version lf the felt on the wall. How did you make the stable stick to the wall? How are each figure sticking over the stable? Do you use Velcro for the figures and tape for the stable?
Thank you for sharing this!!! I camt wait to make this.❤️ I have a toddler and hope he can learn how important Jesus is.