Mama’s of young ones, I want to encourage you to continue on in the unseen work of pointing your children to Christ. Especially during this distracting Christmas season. This post is a combination of several from many years ago that I have updated and moved together, starting with Three Things Our Children Need to Know About the Christmas Story. I then move into ideas for incorporating the Christmas story in simple play or crafts. Nothing elaborate. Simple things we did in years gone by.
We share with our little ones the ancient Christmas story. Year after year we direct them to the true meaning of the Christmas season and events surrounding His birth.
A virgin girl with child. Her beloved Joseph standing by her, willing to raise a Son that is not his own in a society that would otherwise stone her to death. An angel from God that revealed His story to them.
There is the long, dusty trek to Bethlehem and the overcrowded Inn. Everyone had come to be counted, and so there was no room for the One who counts most.
The pivotal moment in the story where the Christ child is born, in a barn. The cows and the sheep and the camels and goats beheld His crowning into this world.
And the angel appeared, in glory bright, to tell humble shepherds of the birth. They listen in awe as they are told of this Savior who has been born in the most humble of abodes, and then they witness the sky glow brightly as it fills with angels singing praises to God. How could they do anything but run to the birthplace they had been told about. Run, and worship. And in worshiping Him they go and tell.
This is what worship does; leaves us with hearts full and lips brimming to speak of Him and what we know of Him.
And so this Christmas we pull our little and big ones close and we tell them this story and try to press on their hearts and minds the awe of the Christmas story. But there is more, just a little bit more, that should be impressed on the hearts of our children when we share the story of Christ coming to earth.
Three things our children need to know about the Christmas story;
1. Jesus Christ is God incarnate. Such a big word; such a big thought. And yet, it is with childlike faith we are called and who better to grasp this than those whose faith we are called to emulate. This same Jesus we see, laying in a crude manger, this same Jesus is fully God. He was never anything less, and yet He was fully human. He is God, in flesh.
2. He fulfilled prophecy. Long before we see baby Jesus in flesh we can see His coming painted throughout the entire Old Testament. Since the beginning of time. His birth was a part of God’s plan to save mankind. God promised a Seed to Eve, He used Isaac as a breathtaking picture of what was to come, He spoke to the prophets who prophesied of the coming King; both of His coming birth and His death. God’s Word is true.
3. He came with purpose. The Lord Jesus was born to die. This is why He came. The sinless, spotless Son of God became man in full so that He could save sinful, spotted mankind in full.
Throughout the entire Old Testament we see blood sacrifices being offered – not to remove sin, but to cover sin. Without the blood there can be no forgiveness and so year after year after year blood flowed and sins were covered. But man could not get to God – only the High Priest, a man from the tribe of Levi, could offer this blood sacrifice for the covering of all the people. And year, after year, after year that is what he did.
Until God became flesh. He lived among His created humanity, and then offered Himself – as the fulfillment of prophecy, of God’s plan to redeem – as the final blood sacrifice.
His blood; sinless, pure, innocent. His blood does not cover sin – His blood washes sin away. The need for blood sacrifices ended. The thick veil that hid the glory of God where the High Priest offered the blood sacrifices, that veil tore from top to bottom when Christ Jesus died.
He came so that everyone could have a relationship with God. His blood provides the access to God.
Telling the Christmas Story
One of my favorite things each Christmas season is the craft we make to go over the Christmas story – they are super simple crafts and it is sweet to see the boys understanding of the story growing. Each year we make the characters from the Christmas story and then play act with the characters – play is such an essential part of learning. They usually put on a play for us and that is where we can see what they know and what they might not understand and then later we might gently fill in gaps. Some years these were videoed and it is so sweet to go back and watch now!
Here are some of the simple Christmas crafts we have made in the past to help them learn through play what the true meaning of Christmas is.
Remember when paint samples were all the rage?? I had collected some and couldn’t figure out what to do with them … until I was inspired to make finger puppets! It was perfect and super simple.We basically picked out a paint sample sheet for each character, added tiny embellishments (wings to the angel, as seen above) and put faces on our fingers. They would slip the “costume” over their finger and play act the story.
Needed: paint samples (or just paper!), tape, marker for faces on finger
Stickers put on heavy card stock (and later with magnets added on) was a fun and very simple activity for going over the Christmas story. I bought my stickers over a decade ago and cannot find them online, but here are some other nativity stickers.
Needed: nativity stickers, cardstock, scissors, magnets if desired
These toilet paper roll characters are probably my favorite of the Christmas crafts from the past! They take a little time to prep for as you need enough rolls to cover the cast of characters, but they are really cute for little ones to make and take no skill!
Supplies needed: toilet paper rolls, scraps of fabric and ribbons – hot glue, tape, or ribbon to secure the clothing.
This telling of the Christmas story using a cardboard box has probably been the most fun activity for the boys. I did this one several times when they were really little and so did all the drawing for it myself. When they were older I had them do the drawings themself, but don’t have pictures of that. It is a pretty fun and interactive way to tell the story that can be easily adapted.
Supplies: large cardboard box, sharpie marker (more on this activity below!)
As much as I love the many cutesy ideas floating around on teaching young children about the nativity story I am faced with two realities:
1. I don’t have a lot of time to spend creating artistic masterpieces with which to use as teaching aids.
2. I have two boys who, while entirely capable of sitting and crafting, do entirely better at, well, doing what boys do best – being active.
Inspired by an idea to act out the Christmas story at Impress Your Kids {a fantastic, newly discovered blog!} I decided to do our own version. I took a large box {big enough for both boys to fit inside of it} and, using a thick Sharpie, talked with them about the Christmas story and drew illustrations on various parts of the box as I went along. We have since used it to tell and retell the story several times. Judah even started out his night last night sleeping in the box {the stable.}
Our Christmas Story Box:
On one flap is an angel {*ahem* purposely not pictured because my angel-drawing skills are non existent} – every time an angel appears in the story we pull out the box flap and talk in an angel voice.
We start with the boys sitting in the box, pretending to be Mary, and then the angel appears to them.
Next they lay down, pretending to sleep like Joseph, and the angel appears to them.
The bottom of the box has a wide, curvy path drawn on it – the box isn’t really large enough for them to crawl through it, however they get the idea that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem.
The second box flap has an Innkeeper drawn on – with a crowd of people behind him. The boys love knocking on the box and, pretending to be Joseph, request a room for their pregnant wife. {side note: Wesley has started referring to Judah as his wife. This is probably where he got it from! Oops!}
The inside of the box is our stable – with animals and a manger drawn on two of the walls.
The third inside wall is the field, with sheep {and again, the angel on the box flap appears} and the box ceiling has a star drawn on it.
It is a very simple activity, but one both of the boys have enjoyed – each time we go through it they contribute more of the story. They love the play acting, the visuals and the characters that appear {from the flaps}. I love that I have found a fantastic boy-friendly teaching tool and will be using a box for more lessons in the future!
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If you made it through this whole post, whew! Thanks for reading! Please know that these were done over YEARS with my boys. I would pick one craft/activity to help us focus on the birth of Christ, and as we talked through it I would talk about the three points mentioned way up at the beginning. Keep things simple so you can be present and joyful. Don’t do busy.
And as you point your children to Jesus, don’t forget to sit as His feet, too, mama.
Merry Christmas!
