For the complete look, follow our step-by-step picture guide to making an Angel Nativity costume here. 6 How to make a stable animal Nativity costume

And if your angel or fairy requires some wings, try our fab homemade wings made out of paper plates here. An angel Nativity costume is another easy one to rustle up. You may already have a fairy or angel costume at home, or at least a tutu, some fairy wings or a halo or tiara in your dressing-up box. It’s time to get your little ones ready for a night of candies and scares with our collection of kids’ Halloween costumes. From superheroes and princesses to witches, wizards and vampires, there’s something here for everyone. You can then decorate it in the colours of the animal. For added authenticity, cover the cardboard in furry fabric. Faces can then be painted to add an extra cute dimension to your child's outfit. Follow our step-by-step picture guide to make a Nativity costume for Mary. 2 How to make a Joseph or Shepherd Nativity costumeOf course, don't forget the crown! You can easily make a crown out of cardboard, and use some coloured tissue paper or glitzy wrapping paper to create the sparkling 'jewels'. And they'll need a present to carry for the baby Jesus; you can make this from an old cardboard box, covered in gold or shiny wrapping paper, too.

However, amongst all the excitement you've probably got the stress of making their Nativity play costume yourself. The most popular addition is the old striped tea towel wrapped around the head. If you don't have a suitable tea towel, you can try using a pashmina which can be wrapped around your child's head, turban-style. Cut around the semi-circle so that your child has a hole to put their head through. If you like, you could stop here with the tabard, but if you want to make it neater then follow the next steps. Once you've made the tunic (trust us: it's easy peasy) then you're pretty much halfway there to any Nativity costume. All you need to add are a few accessories depending on the character and you're sorted. Most of the Nativity characters that your child is likely to play are listed below, though some schools may add some more unusual characters! Read on for our costume ideas... 1 How to make a Mary Nativity costumeIf not, you can make a plain white tunic from a piece of fabric and tie it with a tinsel belt, or you could even dress your child in a long white t-shirt or white dress with some tinsel accessories. To neaten up the tabard, you can hem the edges. You can do this with a sewing machine if you have one, but for a no-sew option use something like Wonderweb hemming tape. Place the tape on the inside of the fabric, a couple of inches up from the edge. Then, fold the rough edge of the fabric so that it covers the hemming tape. You can then place a damp cloth on top and run a hot iron along the hem to bond the tape in place.

For most Nativity costumes, you can get away with a tabard or a tunic to make up the base of the outfit.

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All you need is a long rectangle of fabric to fashion into a tunic, or you can even cheat and adapt an old pillowcase for little ones! If you've got a little Joseph or a Shepherd, you'll be pleased to know this is one of the easier costumes to rustle up! You simply need to make a plain or stripy tunic and tie it around your child's waist with a length of rope or a leather belt. To make your angel's halo, you can simply use a plain headband with some silver or gold pipe cleaners. Easy! Find more steps on how to make a halo here. Again, you can make a simple tunic for these costumes –just use a colourful or velvet fabric for a King or a Wise Man. For more regal accessories, add a statement piece of jewellery, such as a large pendant. If you need to provide your own baby Jesus prop, you can use a child's doll, swaddled in a blanket or towel, for your little Mary to carry.