Splitting the story across a group
Teachers and Sunday school leaders usually want the scene broken up rather than one crowded drawing. Printing the shepherds, the wise men, the angel and the manger as separate sheets lets a group of children each take a part of the story, and the finished sheets pin up together as one display.
The full stable scene is the sheet to use when one child wants the whole thing, or when you want a cover for a service booklet. It has the most detail of the seven and takes an older child a good half hour.
Drawn to stay out of the way
The figures are outlined simply, with robes, hands and posture doing the work and faces left as light suggestions. That keeps the sheets usable across different traditions, and it avoids the cartoon look that makes some nativity printables awkward for a church setting.
The animals are a donkey, an ox and three sheep, all drawn at a size a young child can manage. The sheep are the easiest shapes on any of the seven sheets, which makes the shepherd page a good one for a mixed age group.
Printing for a service or a performance
For an order of service, print at 100 percent scaling in greyscale on 100gsm paper, which takes a fold without cracking. For a backdrop, print the stable scene at A3 and let several children work on sections of it, then mount them edge to edge.
Questions
- What scenes are included in the nativity sheets?
- Seven: the full stable scene, the manger, the shepherds with sheep, the three wise men, the angel, the star over the stable, and a simple stable outline for very young children.
- Are these suitable for a Sunday school or church group?
- Yes. They are drawn plainly without cartoon faces, and you can print unlimited copies for a church, school or community group at no cost.
- Is there a version simple enough for a four year old?
- Yes. The plain stable outline has large open shapes and no small detail, and setting the line weight to heavy widens the gaps further.
- Can I use a sheet on the front of an order of service?
- Yes. Printing and photocopying for a service or a school event is covered. You cannot sell the artwork or republish the PDF file itself.