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    Home » Holidays

    Graham Cracker Nativity For Kids (Video)

    December 1, 2020 By Brandy 26 Comments

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    We switched things up and made a graham cracker nativity instead of a traditional graham cracker house for Christmas and couldn't be more thrilled with how it turned out. A fun twist that brings the spirit of Christmas into our home. This post contains an affiliate link.

    You might also like our pop tart gingerbread houses! Such a fun activity for the family!

    Watch our step by step video!

    One of my favorite holiday traditions is making graham cracker houses. I remember making one in kindergarten, using a small milk carton, and being so excited to bring it home. I couldn't wait to continue the tradition with my children and I am thrilled that they love making them as much as I do! Here is a darling twist on the classic little house. It actually isn't a house at all, it's a stable! A graham cracker nativity!

    graham cracker and peanut butter nativity scene

    You might remember the cute peanut butter version that we made in 2014. We made them again this year and I made a video of the process!

    graham cracker nativity with gumdrops and toasted coconut details

    I just love the little gumdrop shepherds! The girls couldn't get enough of baby Jesus. They had a great time rolling him up in his little fruit-by-the-foot swaddling clothes.

    Let me show you how easy this project was to make each graham cracker house nativity!

    Graham Cracker Nativity Scene

    Supplies

    • Graham crackers
    • Royal icing* or peanut butter**

    *You can make royal icing with powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water. I skip the meringue powder and simply use a ½ cup of powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of water. It takes a little longer to dry, but I haven't had any issues with it. You want a nice, thick icing to hold everything together. Alternatively, you can use a tub of vanilla frosting from the store.

    **I sometimes like using peanut butter because my kids think it tastes better than royal icing. It's a fun twist on the traditional iced gingerbread house, but it does not harden like royal icing does. So only use peanut butter if your kids are going to snack on it right away. You'll notice that some of ours are made with icing and others are made out of peanut butter. Both work, depending on what you intend on using it for. Our royal icing one will be on display for a few weeks.

      divided tray with gum drops, candy canes, fruit roll ups and animal crackers

    My favorite divided tray with lid. So great for making gingerbread houses, snack trays and more.

    Candies

    • gumdrops
    • mini candy canes
    • animal crackers
    • toasted coconut
    • fruit by the foothand with piping bag adding icing to graham cracker

    To keep it easy and as mess-free as possible, we put the icing or peanut butter into a quart-size freezer bag and cut off the corner. This makes assembly a snap!

    graham cracker nativity with 3 walls

    Start with the bottom. Use your icing to attach the bottom graham cracker to your base (cardboard wrapped in foil, or a sturdy paper plate). Then add the half graham crackers for the sidewalls, a full graham cracker for the back, and another one for the top. There might be a small gap between the top of the back wall and the roof. You can trim your graham cracker side walls to fit perfectly if you’d like. Trimming your side wall crackers to fit just right will prevent your roof from eventually bowing down under the weight of candy. I don’t worry about it because we only put an angel on top of ours.

    graham cracker nativity

     My boys were able to assemble theirs on their own, but I helped the girls. They did the people and decorations on their own and had a great time doing so!

    gum drop baby jesus

    To create Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the angel, slide gumdrops onto a toothpick. Baby Jesus is two gumdrops wrapped in a piece of fruit by the foot, resting on a graham cracker.

    gum drop and candy cane angel

    The angel has two candy canes for wings.

    gumdrop shephard for graham cracker nativity

    Use icing to attach them to your nativity scene. You can trim the excess toothpick off from the bottom with scissors. If you have a cardboard base you can also just push the toothpick through the cardboard base for more stability instead of trimming it.

    mary, joseph and jesus in graham cracker nativity

    graham cracker nativity being assembled

    Animal crackers make quick and easy stable animals. We found a donkey, camel....and even an elephant?? The kids thought the scene definitely needed the elephant. Fill in any gaps and spaces on the stable floor with toasted coconut.

    Such a sweet little sight.

    3 More Christmas Crafts For Kids!

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    Graham Cracker Nativity Scene

    graham cracker nativity scene

    Graham Cracker Nativity

    Switch things up and make a graham cracker nativity instead of a traditional graham cracker house! A fun twist that brings the spirit of Christmas into our home. WATCH OUR VIDEO for more details.
    4.54 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Dry Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 nativity
    Calories: 654kcal
    Cost: $3

    Equipment

    • toothpicks
    • paper plate or cardboard covered with foil
    • plastic baggie for icing or peanut butter

    Ingredients

    • 5 graham crackers
    • ½ cup powdered sugar
    • 2-3 teaspoons water
    • gumdrops
    • mini candy canes
    • fruit roll up (fruit by the foot)
    • toasted coconut
    • animal crackers

    Instructions

    • Mix powdered sugar and water to create a thick icing. Add more sugar or water, if necessary to achieve desired thickness. You want a thick icing.
    • Fill plastic baggie with icing. Cut a small snip across a corner.
      hand with piping bag adding icing to graham cracker
    • Start with the bottom. Use your icing to attach the bottom graham cracker to your base (cardboard wrapped in foil, or a sturdy paper plate). Use two half graham crackers for the sidewalls, a full graham cracker for the back, and another one for the top. 
      Tip: add the back wall, then prop it up with a cup while you add the side walls.
      graham cracker nativity with 3 walls
    • Let graham cracker stable sit until icing has had a chance to set up (15-20 minutes)
      graham cracker nativity
    • Assemble Mary, Joseph, Shephards, and Baby Jesus while the graham cracker stable dries.
      To create these figures, slide gumdrops onto a toothpick. Baby Jesus is two gumdrops wrapped in a piece of fruit by the foot, resting on a small piece of graham cracker.
      Trim off the excess toothpick with scissors, if desired.
      Mary and Joseph are 3 gumdrops.
      The shepherds are 3 gumdrops with a fruit by the foot head covering. We also added a mini candy cane as a staff.
      gum drop baby jesus
    • The angel has two candy canes for wings.
      gum drop and candy cane angel
    • Use icing to attach the figures. Add a couple of animal cracker animals.
      Allow them to dry. Prop them up if necessary, but they should dry in about 5 minutes or so.
      graham cracker nativity being assembled
    • Sprinkle toasted coconut around for straw.

    Notes

    Toasted coconut: heat oven to 375 degrees. Toast coconut 10-12 minutes, checking every so often and stirring to prevent burning.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 654kcal

    graham cracker nativity

    One more flashback of our original nativity scenes. SO fun.

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    About Brandy

    Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

    Comments

    1. Elizabeth Stalker says

      December 15, 2022 at 4:58 pm

      Very sweet and great time to tell the story of Jesus’ birth and that that is the reason we celebrate Christmas.
      Love it.

      Reply
    2. Nicole says

      December 06, 2022 at 4:11 pm

      Where do I buy toasted coconut or did you toast it yourself?

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        December 06, 2022 at 7:11 pm

        Hi Nicole! I toasted it myself. 🙂

        Reply
    3. sherri wendorff says

      November 28, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the nativity idea. We are going to make 15 of them at a cousin party next week.
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        November 28, 2021 at 4:36 pm

        How fun!!

        Reply
    4. Leanne says

      December 15, 2020 at 12:30 pm

      5 stars
      I’m going to do this with my Grandboys when they visit for Christmas. Such a doable craft with the true Christmas meaning.💚❤️

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        December 15, 2020 at 4:41 pm

        What a fun grandma! I love this!

        Reply
    5. Lana Cannon says

      December 19, 2019 at 1:48 pm

      Saw this adorable idea last week. Two of my grands are spending the night tomorrow. So we will be doing this. Thanks so much for sharing.

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        December 19, 2019 at 4:29 pm

        What a fun grandma! I love it!

        Reply
    6. Frances Fogle says

      August 31, 2019 at 11:38 pm

      Our church hosts an annual nativity exhibition with nativities from around the world. We also include children's nativities. We will definitely add the graham cracker nativity to our display this year. It is precious.

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        September 01, 2019 at 3:28 pm

        So fun! I love that your church does that!

        Reply
    7. Kippi says

      November 28, 2018 at 8:41 am

      Sweet project to do with the kids. Happy Holiday Season, Kippi

      Reply
    8. Jennifer Wise says

      November 26, 2018 at 9:32 am

      This is SO adorable! I love the idea of a gingerbread nativity. And it's so simple, too. Love it.
      #inspirememondaylinkup

      Reply
    9. The Freshman Cook says

      November 25, 2018 at 10:34 pm

      So sweet! I love that you made your graham cracker house a nativity! Every piece is adorable! Thank you for sharing at Celebrate it!

      Reply
      • Marion Boyer says

        November 30, 2021 at 9:52 am

        5 stars
        We will be doing this graham crackers nativity for our second year. My kids love it, and it is becoming a tradition for our family. Thanks and God bless you!

        Reply
        • Brandy says

          November 30, 2021 at 2:40 pm

          This made my day, thank you! Such a fun tradition. 🙂

          Reply
    10. Maria | passion fruit, paws and peonies says

      November 20, 2018 at 3:49 am

      What a cute idea!! Love this - I'll share it with my sister who has little ones xx

      Reply
    11. Florence @ VintageSouthernPicks says

      December 04, 2017 at 6:08 pm

      This has got to be the cleverest craft I've seen for kids in a long time! And it's a great way to emphasize the meaning of Christmas to the young ones. Love the idea of all the elements that make this up!

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        December 04, 2017 at 7:16 pm

        Thank you so much, Florence!

        Reply
    12. Natalie A says

      December 01, 2017 at 4:13 pm

      I love this idea! I bet the kids love making the nativity scene and it entertains them. I pinned this fun nativity scene so I can use this later. I think it would be fun to make with my nieces and nephews. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    13. Lisa says

      December 01, 2017 at 6:07 am

      Your Graham Cracker Nativity scene is so cute. I used to make graham cracker houses with my kids when they were little but I love the idea of using animal crackers and gumdrops to create the Nativity. My kids are in their 20's now but I am collecting ideas for potential grandkids. Thanks for an adorable idea!

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        December 01, 2017 at 7:52 am

        Thanks so much, Lisa!!

        Reply
      • Brandy says

        December 01, 2017 at 7:52 am

        Thanks so much, Lisa!

        Reply
    14. Lisa/Syncopated Mama says

      November 30, 2017 at 6:56 pm

      What a cute idea! Pinned & tweeted.

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        December 01, 2017 at 7:52 am

        Thanks so much, Lisa!

        Reply
    15. Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled says

      November 30, 2017 at 5:15 pm

      So cute and fun! I should do this with my kids. Visiting from Friday Favorites party.

      Reply
    4.54 from 13 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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