When I was about seven years old, I used to walk out of the house at night in December and stare up into the sky and look for the Bethlehem star. I was convinced it came out every year to point the way to Jesus. I would stare and stare, and on a clear night point to the brightest star in the sky, and think to myself, “There it is.”

This year for the first time, my kids and I attended a planetarium show called “Star of Bethlehem.” It reminded me how I felt about the miracle of the star of Bethlehem when I was a child. I love the symbolic nature of the star, reminding us that Jesus is the Light of the World, and that He lights the way for us to God.

That’s why at Christmas time, I love to have my kids make star crafts and ornaments. This year, I had a special Christmas Star of Bethlehem craft created just for us, and of course, for you. It’s a beautiful, simple, and wonderful reminder of the light that is Jesus.

To do our Star of Bethlehem craft with your kids, you’ll need to download the free Star template and print as many copies as you will need on thicker white card stock. You can also adjust the size of the star in your printer settings. Once printed, the star template should be cut out and readied for the kids doing the craft. Don’t forget to cut out the center!

Our star of Bethlehem craft looks so good hanging on the tree! Plus, this craft is a great fine-motor skills exercise for little hands. Depending on the age of your kids, you might need to be in charge of the clear contact paper though. That part can be a little tricky. But really, with varying levels of involvement this Christmas craft is perfect for elementary and even preschool kids. It’s not too messy, and the end result is just so pretty, even though it’s a fairly simple Christmas ornament to put together. You can also hang the stars on the window if they don’t fit on your tree!

The other supplies you will need for our Star of Bethlehem craft include clear contact paper, scissors, twine, black construction paper, various colors of tissue paper, and a little bit of glue to attach the twine ornament hanger. Your child will use kid scissors to cut small squares of tissue paper. They do not have to be perfect! If you have little ones, you might want to get a pair of loop scissors to help them get started with scissor skills.

Follow the directions below to make your Star of Bethlehem craft together. You can print the directions using the little print button or just pull this post up on your iPad. Once finished, your Bethlehem Star will look lovely on a tree, garland or window — anywhere it will catch the light.

Want to follow up your beautiful Star of Bethlehem craft with a little down time? Your kids will enjoy watching The Star.

–>Click here to grab your free star template.