Star Light, Star Bright
Group Activities

Sermon Title: "Star Light, Star Bright"

Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:2-11

CHRISTMAS TREE STAR:

Children can be given a green Christmas tree cut out from construction paper and a yellow star cut out. Let children decorate the tree and star with sequins, glitter glue, etc. Tape the Bible verse or write the verse on the tree with the Bible verse "address" on the trunk of the tree or the word PEACE on the trunk of the tree. Tape or glue/staple the STAR at the top of the tree!

STAR ORNAMENT:

Children can be given construction paper to draw and cut out a star (cookie cutters make great pattern for a star). Let children decorate with sequins, glitter, ribbon or tinsel, etc and write a word or idea from the story (JESUS BRINGS US PEACE, etc) for children to take home to remember today's lesson.

PADDED CHRISTMAS STARS:

Teacher can give each child 2 stars to cut out and use tissues or tissue paper between the stars and then tape shut to make a padded Christmas star to hang from their door or to hang on their wall to remember our lesson today! Decorate the stars before padding. Encourage children to write JESUS on one side of their star and PEACE on the other side of the padded star!

STAR COOKIES:

Each child can be given a Christmas star cookie to decorate and then to eat and to share one of their cookies with someone else as they tell this Christmas lesson.

CHRISTMAS CARDS:

Give children construction paper and a pattern (cookie cutter) to draw and decorate a STAR on the front of the Christmas card to give to someone who needs to be encouraged. The children could write their own words on the inside of the card or JESUS IS OUR ONLY HOPE FOR PEACE, etc.

SNOWFLAKE STAR:

Have children make a snowflake with a star design if they know how to do that or color a star on their snowflake when it's cut out! (Snowflake

instructions

GO AND TELL RELAY:

Divide the children into several teams or if the class is small, then each child can be their own team. When the teacher calls out a team number or team name, the first child on each team will run to the teacher and the teacher will whisper something in the child's ear. This will be ideas as in our lesson today, such as THE BLIND ARE MADE TO SEE, or THE LAME ARE ABLE TO WALK, or THE LEPERS ARE BEING CURED, or THE DEAF CAN HEAR, or THE DEAD ARE RAISED TO LIFE! The child will run back to the team and tell their team to "DO" what was told --- such as acting blind and now they can see, or unable to walk and then walking around their area, or pretending to have sores all over their body and in pain that will show on their faces and then smiling and feeling better, using sign language to each other, and of course pretending to be dead and then jumping up, etc. This could be played in
many various ways as the teacher desires.

STAR OF HOPE HUNT:

Before class, the teacher can hide small star stickers on little individual cards all around a designated area. When the teacher shouts out to GO HUNT FOR STARS OF HOPE... the children will find as many as they can and stick the stars on a large poster board cut out of a star or a traced and decorated star on the poster board. Let children use markers to write BRIGHT MORNING STAR, and STAR OF HOPE, and OUR HOPE IS IN THE LIVING GOD, and SAVIOR OF ALL PEOPLE.

STARS OF HOPE:

Put 5 stars in an envelope for each child. When the teacher says to begin, the children will take their 5 stars out that have one word on each star so when the children put them in proper order, it will say, JESUS IS OUR ONLY HOPE (one word on each star). Then children can color and glitter decorate their stars. Let them dry and take them home to lay out on their kitchen table for others to see and be reminded that JESUS is our only HOPE.

CANDY CANE "J" FOR JESUS:

Provide each child with a little card that will have a poem on it and then children will tape the card and a ribbon to a "J" candy cane. The poem can say, STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT, I LOVE JESUS WITH ALL MY MIGHT, or it could say STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT, JESUS IS MY HOPE DAY AND NIGHT, etc.

Song: "Silent Night" Words by Joseph Mohr/Music by Franz Gruber

- Three Verses