Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Card Challenge
Materials: 20 or more Christmas cards, scissors, 2 bags
Cut the fronts from the Christmas cards. Group the cards into two groups; cut the cards in halves and put all the halves of each group in a bag. (Cut the cards into 3 pieces each for a more challenging game.)
Group kids into two teams. Guide each team to group up in a different part of the room. Set the bag for each team in the middle of the group. On your signal, the teams pour out their cards and race to put all of the cards together. The first team to complete all the cards wins. As time allows, guide teams to put all the card pieces back in their bags, swap bags, and play again.
Guide teams to look at their completed cards and pull out the cards that depict Jesus’ birth or related pictures. Recall what you have heard about Jesus’ birth so far during this unit.
Live It Out
Game – Run It Out
Materials: signs with true and false (You may want to make multiples of each one.)
Tape the signs at different ends of the game area. Or spaced around the room for multiple signs. Ask a true/false question about the Bible story. Example: “Mary went to see her brother Judah.” Kids should run to the correct sign (false). Guide kids to move to the middle of the room before you make another true/false statement. After you have reviewed the story, make true/false statements about Bible stories from previous weeks (Angels Spoke to Mary and Joseph and Mary Visited Elizabeth).
Craft – Jesus Banner
Materials: large note cards or paper (5 per child), markers or crayons, yarn, scissors, hole punches
Talk about the Bible story. Note that the angel had told both Mary and Joseph that the baby’s name would be Jesus, and that’s the name they gave to the baby. Give each child 5 cards or pieces of paper. Invite kids to make banners. They can write one letter of Jesus’ name on each card. If they choose, they can use embellished letters or draw designs around the letters. Help a child punch two holes at the top of each card and thread the cards on a long length of yarn. If needed, knot the ends of the yarn to prevent the cards from sliding off. Suggest kids turn their banners over and write words or draw pictures about the Bible story on the backs of the letters; they could also write the Life Point and today’s Bible verse. Encourage kids to hang their banners at home to remember that God sent Jesus to earth to be the Savior.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – What’s the Word?
Materials: headbands, large index cards, markers, tape
Guide kids to write Christmas words on the index cards, one word per card. Kids should write the words in large, clear letters. (You can write words beforehand.) Take up the cards and mix the words. Choose three kids to come forward. Put a headband on each kid and tape a word to the headband. The first kid should turn and face the second kid. The second gives clues for the first to guess the word on his own head. When the word is guessed, the second kid turns around to face the third kid. The third kid gives clues for the second kid to guess his own word. The first kid chooses a seated kid to move behind the third kid and be next. Continue until all kids have a chance to guess a word. Say: “These words were about Christmas. But today we will talk about what Christmas is really about and why we celebrate.”
Live It Out
Game – Gospel Sticks
Materials: craft sticks, marker, Bibles
Write these Bible references on craft sticks, one per stick: Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10. Mix these sticks with blank sticks.
Guide kids to sit around a table or in a group on the floor. Say today’s Bible verse. Tell kids that God sent Jesus to be the Savior. Drop the group of sticks. Tell the kids they will take turns picking up a stick. As a preteen picks up a stick, he should carefully remove it without moving another stick. If he moves another stick, his turn is over. When a preteen removes a stick with a reference, ask him to look up the verse and read it. Talk about how that verse tells us about God’s plan through Jesus. (Use the information inside your leader guide for more information about sharing the gospel with kids.) Tell kids they can talk privately with you or another adult about the Gospel and becoming a Christian if they have questions. Pray and thank God for sending Jesus to be the Savior.
Craft – Time Capsule
Materials: small jar, plastic bottle, or ziplock bag for each child; various art materials (markers, crayons, paint, felt, scissors, glue, clay, chenille stems, and so forth)
Talk about the Bible story. Tell kids they can create a time capsule of Jesus’ birth. They can use the various art materials to create different objects related to Jesus’ birth. They can create 3-D items, draw pictures, or write words to add to the time capsules. Encourage volunteers to tell about the items they are creating for their time capsules. Help kids put their items into their own containers to create the time capsules. Lead kids to write (or glue) the Life Point to the outside of their time capsules. Suggest kids place the time capsules in their homes among the other decorations to remind them that God sent Jesus to be the Savior.
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