I love getting to think about the Christmas story through the eyes of a child. They are much more appropriately awed by the amazing facts of the story: the appearance of angels, shepherds who leave their sheep to find the baby in a manger, God come to rescue humans from sin. The wonderful thing is that this is not a fairytale – it is true! As you do these activities this week with your kids, remind yourself of the wonder of the story and worship Him because it is true.
HIGHLIGHTS from Christmas Eve…
On Christmas Eve in Starting Blocks, our preschoolers retold the Christmas Story (Luke2; Matthew 2:1-12) in their classrooms. From pretending to knock on the door of the inn to acting like the sheep that the shepherds watched over by night, they had great energy and enthusiasm! We celebrated the gift of Jesus' birth by singing songs and praising His Holy name!
- Jesus is a gift from God.
- God always keeps His promises.
"For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NLT)
Here’s a simple song to help your child (and you) memorize this week’s memory verse!
3 Activities that remind us that Jesus is the promised One:
1. Gift to Jesus
For the last ornament, make a gift to Jesus. Use the bottom of a small box and grab some glue, ribbon and foil. Help your child glue the ribbon onto the box so it can hang vertically on the Christmas tree. Cut out a small square of foil that will fit inside the box. Let your child place the foil in the box and hang the gift on the tree. When your child looks inside the box, he will see a reflection of himself. So when you look inside the box, you can see your gift to Jesus is You! After your child hangs the gift on the tree, talk to him about the story of the wise men by using these questions:
The wise men went in search of a king, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh- very expensive, valuable things.
- What kind of king do you think the wise men were expecting?
- What do kings normally look like? (Crowns, thrones, or robes)
- How was Jesus different and was he s ll a king?
- What kind of gifts can we give Jesus?
- What are some ways we can worship Him?
2. Follow the Star
Hit the road to your own back yard! On a night that is clear take your family outside to look at the stars. Before you head outside, go on a scavenger hunt to find the supplies (blanket and hot chocolate) you’ll need or just clues that lead your child outside. You can make this as simple or elaborate as you like. Cut out four to five stars and on them write clues that leads him around the house and then outside. Once outside, if you can, locate the North Star. Talk about how your child followed stars to get somewhere just as people long ago traveled used the stars since there were no maps. Lastly, retell the journey of the wise men.
3. Flashlight Star
Dim the lights in a room and turn on a flashlight to represent the star that the wise men followed. Shine the flashlight on the floor, have your child walk over and stand on the light, then move it to another place and have him crawl to the light. Continue moving the light around the room and having your child follow the light by hopping, crawling or any other movement.
Your plans are so amazing! Even though Jesus did not look like a king, we know He is the ruler of this whole world and that He must love us so much to have come to earth the way He did. Show us how we can worship Christ in everything we do. Amen.
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