Free Printable Manger Scenes, Nativity Scenes to color

Are you looking for great Bible Christmas crafts for little ones? Here are free printable manger scenes, Bible nativity sets to color with coloring pages from the Christmas story. Catholic Icing offers free printable Bible Christmas coloring pages to make into nativity sets. Children color characters from the Bible Christmas story. Then they wrap pictures around paper towel and toilet paper tubes. This makes 3D, standup manger scenes. The blog owner created eight pages of coloring pages for so kids can make complete nativity sets and gives permission to print one for each person so long as you don't sell anything you make with it.

Children might make the entire set all at once or countdown to Christmas making and adding one new piece each day. Manger scenes have 15 parts so begin 15 days before Christmas and color one per night. Or begin later in Advent and add the wisemen and camels in Epiphany (Three Kings Day, Twelfth Night). Color nativity sets in this order--stable, palm tree, shepherd, sheep, angel, donkey, Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, wiseman, camel. Check out the other awesome Bible Christmas activities on the website.

Here are more free printable nativity sets and manger scenes (also called creche or nacimiento). Let children color their manger scenes during devotions to help them stay focused. Paper Toys is an amazing website overflowing with cool free printable models of buildings, cars and dioramas. Scroll through to find a Chanukah menorah and a gazillion other 3D paper models. 

Here are free printable nativity sets. Print in color or black and white and use for Bible Christmas coloring pages. Both manger scenes come with cut and paste stable, star, manger, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the three wisemen. Use free printable manger scenes as a follow up craft activity for Advent devotions. Catholic families could use nativity sets to pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and to countdown to Christmas. Use Magi (three wisemen) images for Epiphany or Three Kings Day, celebrated on January 6. Many countries celebrate Christmas and Epiphany. In countries like Spain, Three Kings Day is the major gift-giving holiday. It is the Magi who are said, by tradition to bring gifts to children. This makes sense as it was the wisemen who brought gifts for Baby Jesus.

Free Printable Rosary Coloring Pages, Blessed Virgin Mary Devotions

Catholic and Orthodox Christians have a devotion to the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lady taught to the Catholic faithful to pray the rosary--the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries--to turn the focus away from selfishness and onto her son Jesus Christ. Here are free printable Catholic rosary coloring pages and Marian devotional activities. The events in the rosary are called mysteries because they are so miraculous that human beings can't fully understand them.

Family in Feast and Feria has made available in free printable PDFs a lovely little Catholic rosary devotional booklet entitled "The Rosary Color Book" written and illustrated in 1949 by Ettore Fattori. These free printable Blessed Virgin Mary rosary coloring pages feature vintage image. They evoke a prayerful, devotional sense of peace. The booklet has a prayer and meditation for each of the Joyful Mysteries, Sorrowful Mysteries, Glorious Mysteries and Luminous Mysteries of the rosary (added by Pope John Paul about 10 years ago). Each mystery is followed by a coloring page depicting each event. The booklet is one single book, but each set of mysteries of the rosary opens separately. You must open each set of mysteries of the rosary from attached links.

The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary include: The Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel (the angel announces to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she has been overshadowed by the power of the Almighty and bring forth a Son who will be savior of the world). The Visitation (the Blessed Virgin Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who is carrying John the Baptist), The Birth of Jesus (Christmas), The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple (for circumcision and blessing) and The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Jesus, at 12 was found in the temple teaching the elders.) There are coloring pages for each

The Sorrowful mysteries of the rosary include The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning With Thorns, Jesus Carries His Cross, The Crucifixion. Free printable coloring pages details each sad event from the Bible story of the life of Jesus so they are called the Sorrowful Mysteries. Some of them are Catholic Stations of the Cross as well.

The Glorious Mysteries of the rosary include The Resurrection of Our Lord, The Ascension into Heaven, The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven, The Crowing of Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Heaven. These are the events that show the divinity of Jesus, so they are called Glorious Mysteries. The Catholic rosary coloring pages were made before the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary were added, so here are other links for free printable Luminous Mysteries of the Catholic rosary.

This free printable Catholic rosary prayer book is written with meditations. It includes a place for the child to write a response or promise to Jesus while praying the rosary as she reflects on each mystery of the rosary. When you pray the rosary with children, encourage each family member to go off into a private spot to meditate. Ponder what Jesus and Our Lady may be saying to you. Write your response directly to them. For example, "My Jesus, I promise to love thee more, pray more faithfully."

Free Printable Stations of the Cross Lent Devotional Coloring Pages

In the Catholic liturgical calendar, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday continues for 40 days up through Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and Easter. Catholic Christians try to imitate Jesus with prayer, fasting or sacrifice and almsgiving (charity). A Catholic prays the rosary and Stations of the Cross on Friday (and as often as possible).  Here are free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages to guide Lenten devotions. Each year during the Lenten when our family was homeschooling, the children drew images, one for each of the Station of the Cross. We used these images to guide Lenten devotions and prayer. We created Stations of the Cross in our home and yard, placing the images in order along a path. One year we hung them in the hallway. This way we had our own Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross, or Way of Sorrows). The children would begin each Friday in Lent praying the Stations of the Cross. Older children can draw Stations of the Cross coloring books for younger children to color. Or you can use free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages. A favorite source was the Fr. Lovasik coloring books series. Here are free printable Stations of the Cross coloring books. Print a booklet for CCD, VBS, religious education classes, Catholic school, homeschooling and family devotions.
Catholic Mom offers free printable Stations of the Cross coloring books and prayer devotional guide. This is a fifteen page booklet covering each of the 14 Stations of the Cross. The liturgical prayer used at station is printed on the front cover and is repeated at each station. Children may color all the pages in their coloring books at once, or you may use Stations of the Cross coloring books as daily Lenten calendar countdown to Easter activities. Children might color one page each day for Lenten devotions. Here are other free printable Stations of the Cross activities.
Web Archive has free printable Stations of the Cross coloring pages drawn like Victorian church stained glass.  These images are quite small, but could be printed for a flip book or enlarged and printed as quarter or half page coloring pages. Traditionalists will love the neo-classical black and white artwork. St. John the Baptist Religious Ed has loads more free printable Catholic coloring pages for the mysteries of the rosary (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Lumious Mysteries), Easter, Lenten, Bible and other Catholic themed coloring pages). 
Extend Stations of the Cross Lenten devotions and activities by assigning children to compose a prayer or response for each station. Preschool through first grade children might write one word or phrase to represent each station. Grades 1-2 might compose a one sentence prayer. For grades 3-5 assign one or two paragraph Lenten devotions and prayers. This makes good type 1 writing activities. Adjust the length of the prayer to suit the needs and abilities of the child. Some may wish to write their prayer as a poem, song or haiku. Don't make prayer or writing seem like chores or children will dread doing them. 

Special needs children might draw or act out each of the stations of the cross. Children could compose sign language or dance in response to the each Station of the Cross. The objective of this activity is to encourage children to respond to Our Lord's passion, death and resurrection. Encourage children to respond in whatever form they feel most comfortable with.