Christmas Stocking Templates (Free Printable Outlines)

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A blank stocking is a little invitation to get creative. These Christmas stocking templates give kids room to add stripes, draw pictures, write their names, or cover the shape with colorful paper scraps. Print a large stocking for a decorating activity, or use the smaller outlines for cards and a homemade garland.

The free printable PDF includes three designs in two sizes, all in black and white. If you’re putting together a holiday craft afternoon, you can find more shapes to mix and match in our Christmas printable templates collection.

What’s Included in the Christmas Stocking Templates?

You’ll get six US Letter-size pages (8.5 × 11 inches). Each of the three stocking designs has a page with one large outline and a page with four smaller outlines. Choose the pages that suit your activity; there’s no need to print the whole set.

Pages 1–2: Plain stocking. A simple stocking with a wide cuff and a drawn hanging loop. The open space is handy for names, pictures, and your own patterns.

Pages 3–4: Stocking with toe and heel details. Curved lines mark off the toe and heel, giving kids separate areas to color. This design also has a cuff and hanging loop.

Pages 5–6: Holly stocking. A small holly-and-berries detail decorates the corner of the cuff. This version has no hanging loop.

These are flat paper outlines for coloring, tracing, and cutting out. They don’t include seam allowances or instructions for sewing a fabric stocking.

Which Stocking Size Should You Use?

The large Christmas stocking templates leave more room for decorating and writing. Try one for a name display, a collage, or a stocking-shaped wish list. Younger children may find the larger spaces easier to color.

The small Christmas stocking templates come four to a page. They work well for greeting cards, classroom name labels, counting activities, and strings of paper decorations. Print extra copies of the same page when you need a matching set.

Supplies for Your Stocking Activity

• Your chosen stocking template page
• White printer paper or cardstock
• Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
• Scissors for cutting out the shapes
• Optional: glue, colored paper scraps, cotton balls, ribbon, or string

Regular paper is fine for coloring or tracing. Cardstock makes a sturdier shape for a garland or a reusable tracing template. Choose paper that works with your printer.

How to Print and Use the Templates

1. Choose a design and size. Select the page you want in your PDF viewer before printing.
2. Check the print preview. Choose US Letter paper and portrait orientation. Start with actual size or 100% scale, and check that the entire outline fits inside your printer’s margins. Use “fit” if necessary to avoid clipping.
3. Decorate the stocking. Coloring and writing are easier while the template is still on the full sheet. Let any glue or wet ink dry before cutting.
4. Cut around the outside. Keep the cuff attached. The toe and heel lines are decorating details, so leave those sections in place. Adults can help with the small hanging loop.
5. Use your finished shape. Display it, glue it to a card, or turn it into one of the activities below.

Christmas Stocking Craft Ideas

Decorate a Stocking with Your Name

Write each child’s name across the cuff of a large stocking. Invite them to decorate the rest with their favorite colors, little drawings, or a repeating pattern. Hang the finished stockings together for a classroom display, or give each family member a stocking to decorate.

Make a Paper Stocking Garland

Print the four-per-page design and decorate each stocking differently. Tape the backs to a length of string, leaving a little space between each one. Add shapes from our Christmas tree templates to alternate stockings and trees along the garland.

Create a Textured Stocking Collage

Tear colored paper into small pieces and glue them inside a large outline. Add cotton balls or strips of tissue paper to the cuff. On the toe-and-heel design, try a different color in each section. Use a thin layer of glue so the paper doesn’t become too soggy.

Turn the Smaller Stockings into Cards

Color a small stocking, cut it out, and glue it to the front of folded cardstock. Add a short holiday message inside. Children can personalize the stocking with the recipient’s favorite colors or write their name on the cuff.

Make a Stocking Wish List

Use the plain large stocking as a writing space. Children can draw or write a few things they hope to do over the holidays, such as bake cookies, visit someone, or watch a favorite movie. Invite them to share one idea with the group before displaying their stockings.

Try a Christmas Craft Station

Set out a few stocking pages with crayons and paper scraps so children can choose their own project. Our printable Christmas wreath craft makes another option for children who want a different decoration to work on.

Simple Learning Activities

Make a pattern. Color a row of small stockings red, green, red, green, then ask which color comes next. Try a three-color pattern when your child is ready.

Practice counting. Write numbers on the cuffs and have children draw that many dots or stars inside each stocking. Start with a few numbers rather than filling a whole sheet at once.

Compare and sort. Mix the plain, toe-and-heel, and holly stockings. Sort them by design or by size. Add our mitten templates to make a winter clothing sorting activity.

Printing and Decorating Tips

• Print a test page first. Check the size and margins before printing a classroom set.
• Keep the outline visible. Light coloring around the edge makes it easier to see where to cut.
• Support younger crafters. Let children decorate while an adult handles detailed cutting. You can also leave the stocking on the page as a coloring activity.
• Reinforce hanging decorations. Tape string to the back of a paper stocking instead of relying on the narrow printed loop.

Love the holly detail? Our felt holly berry ornament is another holiday project to try when you’re ready to work with felt.

Grab the Free Printable

Grab the Christmas stocking template printable here!

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