LEGO Nativity Set Instructions

Build your own LEGO nativity set!

This sweet LEGO project makes a fabulous Christmas decoration, and the design is simple enough that kids should be able to pull this off with the bricks they have. Swap out colors if needed!

This LEGO® nativity is part of our Five (More!) LEGO Christmas Projects to Build, but since the instructions were getting a little lengthy, I decided to give the how-to part its own post.

I originally published this project in November 2015, and I decided to give it a long-overdue update in December 2024. Mary has an updated design, and I added a little donkey. I also added more complete building instructions in response to many requests over the past few years!

 

For this nativity display, I chose to make the figures without faces. We tried using the eyes that come with the LEGO® Classic tubs, and they just seemed too goofy. Even though we were using LEGO®, I still want to keep the nativity scene something that the kids take seriously.

We built Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in the manger, a donkey, and a shepherd with two sheep. The wise men weren’t technically at the manger the night of his birth, so I didn’t build those (although you could certainly add them – they’re in many nativity scenes!).

How to Build Joseph

Gather the bricks shown for building Joseph’s head. I used a 2 x 2 brown tile for the top of his head, but you can definitely swap it for a 2 x 2 plate.

Assemble the head as shown.

Then grab a 2 x 4 light gray brick, a 2 x 2 brown brick, and two 2 x 2 slopes that are 2 bricks high.

Use these bricks to build the bottom of Joseph’s robe.

Then add a 2 x 2 light gray brick and a 2 x 2 light gray slope to the body. Build the arms. Each arm has a 1 x 2 slope (2 bricks high), a 1 x 2 light gray plate, and a 1 x 2 tan plate.

Find a 1 x 4 light gray plate for the shoulders.

Attach the 1 x 4 light gray plate, and connect the arms to this. Then add the head!

How to Build Mary

I really like this medium azure blue color for Mary’s body, but you can use any color. Green would be a great option!

Build the body as shown below.

Bricks used: two 2 x 4 bricks, four 1 x 2 bricks, one 2 x 2 slope (2 bricks high)

Then gather the bricks shown for Mary’s head.

Assemble the head as shown.

Then add the head to Mary’s body.

Add arms. I used a 1 x 2 slope (medium azure blue) and a 1 x 2 tan plate for each arm.

Shepherd

The shepherd is the same design as Joseph, just in different colors.

How to Build Baby Jesus in the Manger

Gather the bricks shown for building baby Jesus. We used a regular minifigure head, with the face turned around backwards.

Then you’ll need two 2 x 2 white round bricks, a 2 x 2 white round plate, and a 2 x 2 white round plate with a rounded bottom.

For the manger, I started with a 4 x 8 brown plate. Then I added a 2 x 4 tan plate and a 2 x 2 tan plate to look like straw.

Add a row of brown bricks around the edge of the manger. Then build feet with four 1 x 2 brown inverted slopes.

Find two 1 x 6 brown plates and two 1 x 4 brown plates.

Place the plates around the perimeter of the manger to finish it up!

How to Build LEGO Sheep

Grab a 2 x 4 white brick, a 2 x 4 white plate, a 2 x 2 white plate, two 1 x 2 white plates, a 1 x 2 white slope (30 degree), and a 1 x 2 white plate with one stud (jumper plate).

Use the 2 x 4 brick to connect a 2 x 4 plate and a 1 x 2 plate.

Add the remaining pieces as shown.

Turn the sheep’s body around and add a 2 x 2 white inverted slope. Then find the bricks shown.

Add a 2 x 2 black round plate. Then attach a 1 x 2 black plate under this.

Place two 1 x 2 white plates behind the 2 x 2 black round plate. Then add a 1 x 4 black plate with a 1 x 2 white plate on top of that.

Finish up the head by adding a 1 x 2 white slope (30 degree).

Add legs. Each leg is a 1 x 1 white round brick and a 1 x 1 black round plate.

Try making a sheep that is lying down by using 1 x 2 black plates instead of the legs. So cute!

How to Build a LEGO Donkey

Use the picture to build a LEGO donkey. The base of the body is a 2 x 6 dark gray brick.

I used 1 x 2 dark gray plates for the ears and another one for the tail. A 1 x 2 black plate makes a great nose.

Stable

We decided to go with an outline of the stable rather than trying to round up enough brown bricks for the whole building, and I think it has a simple, clean look. There are brown plates holding the top together.

Here’s a better view of the support pieces.

I used a whole bunch of smaller brown plates to make the roof. If you’re ordering bricks, you’ll want to order larger plates and use less of them – ha!

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More LEGO Christmas Ideas:

Christmas LEGO Projects

Five (More!) Christmas LEGO Projects