VBS HQ
Menu
Craft

Mary and Joseph Craft for Kids: Road to Bethlehem Scroll

An easy Mary and Joseph craft for kids in three levels, a scroll on craft sticks with the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem (Luke 2:4). Free printable template.

Preschool–Grade 5

Mary and Joseph Craft for Kids: Road to Bethlehem Scroll
📌 Save to Pinterest

Download

Free to print and copy for your church, classroom, VBS and home. Please don't resell or re-post our files; link to the page instead.

Ages
Preschool (3–5), Early Elementary (K–2), Upper Elementary (3–5)
Time
15 to 30 minutes
Scripture
Luke 2:1–7
Bible story
The Road to Bethlehem

What you need

  • The printed template (page 2), one per child (cardstock is sturdiest)
  • 2 craft sticks per child
  • Crayons or markers in light blue, green, light brown, brown, yellow and orange, and any colors for drawing Joseph and Mary
  • Scissors, a glue stick and clear tape
  • The printed road strip page (page 3), one per child (harder level)

Steps

  1. Color the scroll: the sky light blue, the hills and fields green and the road light brown. Color the Nazareth houses yellow with brown doors. Color the Bethlehem hill green and its houses orange with brown doors. Color the border of the traveler card brown, but leave the oval window white.Color the scroll: the sky light blue, the hills and fields green and the road light brown. Color the Nazareth houses yellow with brown doors. Color the Bethlehem hill green and its houses orange with brown doors. Color the border of the traveler card brown, but leave the oval window white.
  2. In the window, draw Joseph and Mary walking on the road to Bethlehem (Luke 2:4–5).
  3. Cut out the scroll, Nazareth, the traveler card, Bethlehem and the verse strip on the dashed lines. Don't cut the two short dashed lines on the road; they are for the harder level. Help younger children with the cutting.
  4. Glue Nazareth on its dotted shape at the left end of the road. Glue Bethlehem on its dotted shape at the top of the road, on the right.
  5. Glue the traveler card on its dotted shape in the middle of the road. Joseph and Mary are on their way.
  6. Turn the scroll over. Tape a craft stick along each short end, so the ends of the sticks stick out at the top and bottom. Roll the paper once around each stick, up to the dotted line, and tape it.
  7. Glue the verse strip on the back of the scroll and read it together.
  8. Roll both ends toward the middle. Unroll the scroll from Nazareth to Bethlehem as you tell the story.Roll both ends toward the middle. Unroll the scroll from Nazareth to Bethlehem as you tell the story.

This Mary and Joseph craft turns one printed page and two craft sticks into a scroll with the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Caesar Augustus sent out a decree "that all the world should be taxed" (Luke 2:1), so Joseph went up from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, "because he was of the house and lineage of David," with Mary, who was great with child (2:4–5). Long before, God had named that little town in His promise (Micah 5:2). Kids color the road, glue on the two towns and draw Joseph and Mary on their way. The memory verse, Luke 2:4, goes on the back. It costs under 50 cents a child, takes about 20 minutes and comes in three levels, from preschool to 5th grade.

The finished craft, easy and medium level

The finished craft, harder level

What it looks like finished: easy and medium (first photo) and harder (second photo).

Why this craft works

  • Cheap and simple: one printed page, two craft sticks and crayons.
  • It follows the Bible closely: the road runs from Nazareth in Galilee up to Bethlehem, the city of David, as Luke 2:4 says. There is no donkey, innkeeper or star, because Luke 2 doesn't mention them.
  • It shows God keeping His promise: the scroll reminds kids that God's promise about Bethlehem was written down long before (Micah 5:2), and the harder level glues that verse on the back.
  • Every child draws Joseph and Mary: kids draw them walking, inside the traveler window.

Three ways to make it

  • Easy (preschool, ages 3–5): you cut out the pieces and tape on the sticks. Kids color, draw and glue the towns and the traveler card on the dotted shapes. No scissors.
  • Medium (grades K–2): the craft in the first photo. Kids color, draw, cut, glue and tape the sticks themselves.
  • Harder (grades 3–5): kids thread a road strip from page 3 through two slits, so Joseph and Mary slide along the road to Bethlehem, and glue Micah 5:2 on the back.

Questions to ask

While kids work, ask who sent out the decree (Luke 2:1), where everyone went to be taxed (2:3), why Joseph went to Bethlehem (2:4), who went with him (2:5) and what God had promised about Bethlehem long before (Micah 5:2). Then read Luke 2:4 together.

Tips for the classroom

For preschoolers, cut out the pieces and tape on the sticks ahead of time. Tell the story the way Luke tells it: the Bible doesn't mention a donkey, an innkeeper or a stable, only that "there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).

Teaching the story first? Use the free Road to Bethlehem Sunday school lesson and the Road to Bethlehem word search.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a simple Mary and Joseph craft for preschoolers?

Cut out each child's pieces and tape the two craft sticks on the scroll ahead of time. Preschoolers color the scroll and the two towns, draw Joseph and Mary in the window (or you help), and glue Nazareth, Bethlehem and the traveler card on the dotted shapes. It takes about 15 minutes with no cutting by the kids.

How much does this Road to Bethlehem craft cost?

Under 50 cents a child: one printed page, two craft sticks, a little tape and crayons you already have. The template is free to print.

What Bible verse goes with this craft?

Luke 2:4 (KJV), "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)" It is printed on the verse strip that kids glue on the back of the scroll.

How can older kids make this craft harder?

Use the harder level for grades 3–5. Kids cut two slits in the road and thread a road strip from page 3 through them, so Joseph and Mary slide along the road from Nazareth toward Bethlehem. They also glue God's promise from Micah 5:2 on the back, next to Luke 2:4.

More for this Bible story