God's Gift Billboards
Create billboards
(two pieces of poster board connected by yarn to drape over a
child's
shoulders; set of 8; one letter on each sheet): When placed over
children's heads, one side
will read "God's Gift." When the children turn around, the
second side will read "Jesus!"
Good Behavior
Have a manger and a bail of hay.
When one child 'catches' another
child doing something good that child gets a handful a hay and
adds
it to the manger. When the manger is full, the class gets a
special snack.
(Christmas cookies....)
Birthday Party
for Jesus
We have a birthday
party for Jesus in my preschool classroom,
and it's a great way to stay focused on the reason for the
season.
The children help plan and make decorations, a parent usually
donates a birthday cake (or I do :>) ) and we play party games
and have activities which focus on the Christmas story. We
discuss
how we were once babies too, and for a bulletin board we all
bring
in a baby picture (yes, even me). Jesus in the manger is in the
center,
and the title is "I WAS A BABY LIKE BABY JESUS". This leads to
some wonderful discussions on how Jesus is God's Son and was
"real"
like all of us. We use pictures on the flannel board (I use a
Mary Manz
Simon book) to put the story in order, match pictures of angels,
the star,
shepherds, sheep, etc. in a memory game I made using clip art,
and of
course we sing the birthday song. It's a great way to end
the week before Christmas vacation.
Ask Questions
Ask questions like:
Since the wise men were going to see a king,
what do you think they expected to see? I wonder what it was like
for the
wise men to see the baby Jesus in the stable. What gift can you
offer Jesus?
Look It Up
When they saw the
star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His
mother;
and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their
treasures
they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh
(Matt. 2:10-11; NASB).
Get Ready
If your child has
glow-in-the-dark stars, use one star for each
family member and one larger one. If you don’t have stars,
make your own out of stiff yellow paper or cardboard.
Talk It Over
WEEK 1: The
Preparation
Place the large star in the center of your table. Talk about
how God
prepared the world for the birth of Jesus. You can also read from
Luke 1:5-80 or Luke 2:1-20. Talk together about what helps each
of you prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth. Attach the large star
to
the ceiling of your family room with poster putty. Each week,
you’ll
move the star toward "Bethlehem." Bethlehem could be a Nativity
scene or a picture of the baby Jesus on the wall. End by asking
God
to help your family focus on him during the holiday season.
WEEK 2: The Star
If weather permits, do this week’s devotion outside in the
evening.
Look at the stars in the night sky. Talk about the "stars" in
your lives
that help you follow God’s path. How can you be shining stars
that
point other people to Christ? Hand out the individual stars to
each person.
Use the stars to remind yourselves to shine brightly for God this
week.
Now head back inside and move the big star in your family room a
little closer to "Bethlehem." End your time by thanking
God for shining his eternal light on your family.
WEEK 3: The Kings
Think about the last trip you took together as a family.
Talk about the things that made the trip exciting. Now think
about the journey of the Magi. Why was their trip exciting?
Why would they travel so far to see the new King? Now think
about your family’s journey toward Christ. If you like, let each
person talk about how he or she came to know Christ. Or talk
about the ways your family is seeking Christ together. Move your
star toward "Bethlehem," then thank God for guiding your family.
WEEK 4: Your
Heart
Talk about Christmastime. What are some of the things your
family
will be doing to celebrate Christmas? How will you prepare for
all these
activities? What are some ways Mary and Joseph prepared for
Christ’s birth? How can each of you prepare your hearts to
welcome
Christ this Christmas? Move your star to "Bethlehem," then ask
God to prepare your hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
