How To Craft A Crucifix For Catholic Kids

Find all of my Mass crafts and activities for kids here.

I’m continuing my series, showing you how to make a Mass kit for kids piece by piece. Today, I’m going to show you how to easily craft a versatile crucifix that can stand up on a table top, or be used on a stick for pretend altar servers.

how to make a crucifix for Mass kit

You can find the navigation page of how to make all the Mass kit pieces for kids here.

Supplies Needed: 

  • 2 paint stirring sticks (you usually get these for free at the hardware store)
  • something sharp to cut with (a small saw is great, an exacto blade will work in a pinch)paint stirring sticks
  • sand paper
  • hot glue gun and sticks
  • 1 old fashioned wooden clothes pin
  • 1 popsicle stick
  • 1 cheap plastic cup
  • gold spray paint

You start with 2 paint stirring sticks. You’ll need to cut one of them a little shorter to make the cross shape. Cut just before the handle dent on one of them to give yourself a nice straight piece. If you have a saw, use that. I’m very comfortable with big tools, so I scored it a few times with an exacto blade right where I wanted to cut it. Once you’ve scored it a few times, you can snap it right in that place. It won’t have a perfect edge this way- that’s what the piece of sand paper is for.

cross from paint stirring sticks

Glue them together in the shape of a cross, putting the handle dent of the longer stick at the bottom. Now you have the cross for your crucifix!

You could just make a cross, but I really wanted Jesus on there (even if it is a very “stylized” Jesus). To do this, first glue a regular popsicle stick on the middle. These make his arms. Then glue on a old fashioned wooden clothes pin- this makes the body. Take your plastic cup, turn it upside down, and glue the whole cross to this.

how to make an easy crucifix

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Now you’re ready to paint! I got all of my Mass objects ready first so I could spray paint everything at the same time.

how to craft a standing crucifix

The cup is really handy because the crucifix can either sit on a table top, or go on the end of a stick (like a broomstick).

how to craft a crucifix on a stick

This way, your kids can put it on a stick, process in like an altar server, then set it near the tabernacle for display.

how to craft a crucifix for pretend altar servers

Remember that this is just one piece in my larger Mass kit series.

diy mass kit for kids