Looking for a Christmas project to spark imagination, creativity, and a new-found knowledge of German culture for your children or students? 

This Germany craft for kids is the ONE!

First, they’re BEAUTIFUL, FESTIVE, and FUN!

And the best part? They can be done over time, adding details and flair as you go, which makes them the perfect craft for kids at home or in a homeschool group.

After studying the history of the nutcracker in our Germany class, we moved right into the project, learning so much as went along.

SUPPLIES

For this project you will need a plain, wooden nutcracker (I found these at Michaels but you can buy them on Amazon), paints in varying colors (definitely include gold, green and red), paint brushes in medium to extra fine brush sizes, craft hair (Michaels or Amazon), and a glue gun.

PREP THE PROJECT

To jumpstart the project, I painted the base and a few key areas of the nutcrackers gold ahead of time to allow my students to get right to the fun part of painting the uniform, hat, and accessory items like the drum and skis.

PAINT YOUR NUTCRACKER

We started with the boots by painting them black. In hindsight, it would have been fun to paint gold or white laces up the front of them.

By looking at photos we determined how to paint the eyes and moustache. One student sketched these details in pencil first.

If you look at pretty much any nutcracker, the shape of the mouth and teeth are very consistent, so you can paint them as you see here. Make sure to let the red paint dry before adding the white teeth!

For the hair, wrap it around the circumference of the head to determine where to cut it, paying attention to length as well.

ENJOY YOUR NUTCRACKER

Now that your children or students have their very own nutcracker soldier, display them in all their glory!

Have you ever done a nutcracker craft with your children or students? I’d love to hear about it!

I invite you to leave a comment about this Germany craft for kids below.

For more Germany crafts and activities for kids, be sure to check out the following posts:

A Germany Country Facts Board for your Home, Homeschool, or Classroom 

Germany Concentration Game (to learn country facts quickly)

How to Make a Weckman (a yummy sweet doughboy) for Germany’s St. Martin’s Day 

St. Martin’s Day Lanterns – A Germany Craft for Kids

Sauerbraten, Germany’s National Dish

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