Don't Miss Christmas
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "Don't Miss Christmas"

Scripture Reading:Luke 2:1-20

TREE AND TINSEL RELAY:

Children can divide into two teams if the teacher has 2 mini/small Christmas trees available. Children will take turns running to their team tree and placing tinsel on the tree until a whistle blows and then will return to their team for the next team member to do the same. The winning team can either be the team that has the most tinsel on their tree or the tree that looks the best when judged.

BABY WRAPPING RELAY:

Tell the children today's Bible verse and tell the two teams that they will be wrapping a baby quickly and returning to their team for the next "baby wrapper" to wrap the baby as well. Continue to play until all children in each team have wrapped the baby (doll). When the child runs to the table to wrap the baby, they will place the baby in a basket (manger) for the next player to take out of the "manger" and unwrap and wrap the baby once again and place in the "manger".

MANGER BUILDING:

Provide children with molding clay or play dough or building blocks and have children build a manger. Tell the children the Christmas story and ask who was placed in the manger and why, etc. The teacher could tell the children to make the sounds that they might hear around the manger for all the animal sounds.

HAND PAINTING:

Children can be divided into groups of two. Provide children with paints to paint their team mates hand with a picture from today's story - baby Jesus, manger, the Inn, birthday cake, etc.

CHRISTMAS LOOP CHAIN:

Give children many strips of colored construction paper. The children can write a word from today's Bible lesson or Bible verse on each loop. Then they can form into a loop and place each loop into the loop next to it and continue to form a chain. Children can hang their loop chain around the room or on a classroom Christmas tree.

LIGHT THE TREE:

Children can help the teacher place a string of lights on the classroom tree and take turns telling the REAL Christmas story and how JESUS was born and is THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

CHRISTMAS CRAFT STICK ART:

Let children color 8 craft sticks green. One craft stick will lay vertically while gluing the other craft sticks sideways to form a Christmas tree. The bottom craft stick will be the full length. Each craft stick above that one will need to be trimmed on each end, to be shorter and shorter as the tree goes up to the top. Let children cut out a yellow construction paper STAR to glue at the top of the glued craft sticks and write JESUS with gel pens for sparkle. Children can place a magnet on the back to put on refrigerator or can add a piece of string or yarn to hang as an ornament. When children have the tree glued together, they can put tiny drops of colorful gel pens to the tree to represent lights on the tree.

CHRISTMAS STAR:

This is another craft stick ornament that can be easily made with children coloring the craft sticks and then adding tiny drops of gel pen glitter. The craft sticks can be glued in the middle of each stick in the shape of a star (about 4 sticks).

CHRISTMAS ACROSTIC:

Children can work together as a class or individually, as teacher desires. C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S can be written in bright colored markers dow the left side of the poster board or sheet of paper. Encourage children to write one word for each letter that would tell or explain the Christmas story of Jesus' birth.

CHRISTMAS LOVE BANNER:

Give each child a half piece of construction paper lengthwise. Children can write CHRISTMAS LOVE on the top (lengthwise) of their paper in colorful markers. Then tell children to write these two words again but to make the "M" into a "W" on the bottom of this piece of paper and then tell the children to read the new statement!!

BIRTHDAY CAKE:

The teacher can have a small birthday cake with candles for the children to blow out together and sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JESUS.

CHRISTMAS FEAST CELEBRATION:

Let children listen to Christmas music and sing along with the music as they have a Christmas celebration feast, with Christmas cookies, candies, cheese/crackers, etc. The teacher may choose to decorate the table with red table cloths, centerpiece and even a small wrapped gift for each child.

Song: "Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come!"

Words and Music (pdf)

MP3 Accompaniment Track