Kids will love creating this popsicle stick Nutcracker craft out of craft sticks and paints! Add some string and use it to decorate your tree!

When you go into stores selling Christmas decorations, you’ve probably noticed a soldier-like character among the gingerbread men and Santas. That rather stiff-looking guy is the famous Nutcracker!

The Nutcracker is a ballet by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, which is an adaptation of French novelist Alexandre Dumas’s short story The Nutcracker, which in turn is a retelling of German author E. T. A. Hoffmann’s short story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Yes, the Nutcracker has changed hands and countries many times!

If you’d like to tell your child the story of the Nutcracker, check out these books for kids that retell the story in a more kid-friendly manner.

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Cute Nutcracker Books for Kids

The Nutcracker Padded Board Book by Caroline Silva
Mary Engelbreit’s Nutcracker by Mary Engelbreit
Charlotte and the Nutcracker by Charlotte Nebres
Cozy Classics: The Nutcracker by Jack Wang and Holman Wang
The Nutcracker Ballet Fold-out Book by Mara Conlon
A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas by Ralph Covert and G. Riley Mills
The Nutcracker And The Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann

Once your child is familiar with the story of the Nutcracker, it’s time to make this fun and festive Popsicle stick Nutcracker craft!

Festive Popsicle Stick Nutcracker Craft for Kids

Supplies required:

6 Popsicle sticks
Acrylic paint
paintbrush
Pencil
Craft glue
X-acto knife or cutting pliers (to cut the popsicle sticks)

How to make the Popsicle Stick Nutcracker Craft:

1. Gather 6 Popsicle sticks for your Popsicle stick Nutcracker craft. Leave 3 sticks as they are, and cut the remaining three sticks as shown in the image below. The whole sticks make the body of the Nutcracker, while the pieces make the arms and shoes.

2. Take the 3 full sticks and place them side by side so they are perfectly aligned. Place the 2 half sticks (arms) on either side of this body base.

3. Place the 6th stick with the straight ends across all the 5 sticks – the body’s 3 sticks and the 2 arm sticks. Secure it in place with glue.

4. Turn the entire Popsicle stick Nutcracker craft over – this is the front of our craft. Make sure that the straight edges of the arms are on top and the curved edges are at the bottom.

5. Stick the remaining shoe sticks at the bottom of the craft, so that the two straight edges face each other and the curved edges face outward. Use a pencil to draw the details of the Popsicle stick Nutcracker craft – eyes, nose, moustache, hat, buttons and sleeves.

6. Time to start painting! Start by filling the tops of the hat and sleeves with yellow paint. Then use the paint for the buttons and the design on the hat.

7. After the yellow paint has dried, go in with the red paint to fill in the jacket and sleeves.

8. Finally, take out your black paint and fill in the hat, moustache, pants and shoes. The Popsicle stick Nutcracker craft is coming along nicely!

9. We need a thin paintbrush for the finer details. Use black paint to draw the eyes and sleeve edges. Take white paint and draw patterns on the jacket, sleeves and pants. Use pink paint for the Nutcracker’s nose.

10. Draw some additional lines in black on the jacket and let the paint dry completely. Now your Popsicle stick Nutcracker craft is ready to use in whatever way you please!

Isn’t this Popsicle stick Nutcracker craft super easy? The best part is that all you need are Popsicle sticks and paints, and you’re set. Add some string on the top of the middle Popsicle stick so you can use it as a DIY ornament for your tree. You can also make multiple of these and give them out to your friends as gifts!

Looking for more Christmas-themed Popsicle stick crafts? Here you go: