Teach your children about the important symbols of the nativity story with this simple, fun, and free nativity story cube.
Your little ones will enjoy coloring and then rolling the story cube and learning about each of the unique aspects of the Christmas story.
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The Nativity Story
What is the nativity story? The two most popular retellings take place in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. They are very similar but also have some storyline differences and different tones in which they were told.
Regardless, when we are retelling the story to our children, there are typically six parts of the story that we usually focus on.
- The Star – Matthew 2:9
- The magi – Matthew 2:1-12
- Mary and Joseph – Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38
- The shepherds – Luke 2:8-20
- The angels – Matthew 1:20-21, Luke 1:11-20
- The birth – Luke 2:1-7
Now, there are some varying parts of this story such as the birth of John the Baptist and the more in-depth story of Herod. However, for our purposes, we are focusing on the items that most often get told to little children.
Nativity Story Cube
This nativity story cube will highlight the six portions of the nativity story that are listed above. Each symbol/picture represents a portion of scripture that children will know and love from the nativity story.
We will be using the Nativity Story cube alongside our advent traditions this year. We always love hiding our Shepherds Treasure and using updated advent cards. This year we are adding Ann Voskamp’s “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” to our traditions and along with the daily reading, we will be rolling the nativity cube and retelling the story over and over again!
How to use the story cube
- Print out page two of this activity sheet. Cardstock is best.
- Have the child color the nativity images before cutting.
- Then cut along the solid lines.
- Fold along the dotted lines, insert the flaps, and use glue to secure them in place.
- Enjoy your creation by rolling and retelling the Christmas story as many times as you like!
Play a game with your children by having them roll the cube like a die. The first couple of times you will be retelling the story to the children. After they have heard it a few times, you will turn the tables and have them tell the Christmas story to you.
One way to play the game is to have the cube on the dining room table throughout the season. As you do your morning time routine or breakfast, you can have the children roll the cube and retell the story.
Questions to ask
Here are some questions to ask your little ones as they learn to tell the Christmas story through the nativity story cube.
- What do you think the shepherds felt when they saw the angels?
- Do you think it was easy for Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem?
- How long do you think it took for the Magi to reach Jesus?
- How do you feel when you think about the nativity story?
Depending on how old your child is, you can vary the questions based on their age group.
Download the Nativity Cube
Want to get the nativity cube? The full version is in my printables vault library! Just fill out the form and get immediate access! I’ll see you on the other side of the download!
