Christmas

Luke 2:1-7

Teaching Videos

Teaching Ideas

Idea 1

Put on a Christmas play.

  • I bought this play years ago by Debbie Goodwin, it is called Christmas Lines, and I use it every year. (sometimes more than once)

  • There is a narrator who tells the story then each Christmas character gets one short line, that they repeat over and over again throughout the story.

  • Have costumes for the kids, or adults or whoever is in your play.

Idea 2

Create a Christmas museum with the kids.

  • Have lots of materials ready for the kids to create everything they will need. Use cardboard, bristol board, markers, cloth, bible costumes, stuffed animals etc.

  • Read through or show the kids a video about Christmas so they remember the story.

  • Tell the kids that you are going to make a museum and brainstorm on a board all the different things that kids could create. (angels, manger, sheep, map of Mary and Joseph’s trip, videos of interviews with different bible characters, hotels that were full, shepherds, wisemen, gold, frankincense and myrrh etc)

  • Divide up everything on the list and let the kids get to work.

  • This project might take a week or two. Let kids show their parents and explain it to them when the museum is finished.

Idea 3

Read “He’s Here” on page 182 in the The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Questions:

  1. Why did God choose for Jesus to be born in a stable?

  2. How was Jesus’ birth different from what people might have expected for a king?

  3. What does it mean to you that Jesus was born to bring peace and joy to everyone?

  4. How can we celebrate Jesus’ birth and show love to others?

Idea 4

Go on a Christmas Scavenger Hunt.

  • Hide a number of objects around that room that will tell the Christmas story.

  • Ask the kids to go on a hunt and find the objects that have been hidden. Get them to hold onto them and bring them back to the circle when all the objects have been found.

  • Ask the kids to sit back in a circle, and one by one ask them what they have found. Then use those object to make a Christmas scene.

  • If you have a lot of money, you can let each child make their own Christmas scene to take home.

Idea 5

Read The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry

Questions:

  1. Why was there no room for Mary and Joseph at the inn?

  2. What kind of place was Jesus born in, and what does this tell us about Him?

  3. How did God show His love for us through Jesus’ birth?

  4. What are some ways we can remember the true meaning of Christmas?

Idea 6

Put on an Art Show.

  • Show the kids a video about the Christmas story or read them a book.

  • Then have different stations in the room where they can do some art work about different parts of the story. (Mary and the angel, Joseph and the angel, Mary and Joseph traveling, Jesus is born, Shepherds, Wisemen) It’s important to divide it up or chances are all the kids will design or draw the manger scene.

  • Let the kids get to work. If you want them to do a good job, give the kids lots of time to make their art work, and give them good materials to make it with. Like thick paper, pastels, paint, (something different than just normal paper and crayons)

  • There will be some kids who will finish their art work in 5 minutes and others who will take 2 hours. Have something ready for those who finish early.

Idea 7

Go on a hunt for all the Christmas Characters. (you will need a whole church building, or area of a town to play this game)

  • Ask leaders or older youth to dress up like different Christmas Characters. Then get them to go run and hide in different places in your church. (Each leader should have a pencil or pen)

  • After the leaders have had a chance to hide, give each of the kids a piece of paper. Each paper should have all the names of the leaders who are hiding. (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Wisemen etc).

  • The goal is for each kid to find all the hidden characters and get their signature beside their name.

  • The first kid to find all the characters wins.