Nativity
THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST
Objectives:
- Children should be able to recognize the figures in the icon of the nativity and retell the story with the icon as a guide.
- Children should be able to say, “Christ is Born!” and respond “Glorify Him!”
Possible lesson plan:
- Open with prayer.
- Tell the story of the nativity. Read the story of Christmas in the Beginner’s Bible, pages 271-281, the Children’s Bible Reader, pages 168-170, or the Read with Me Bible, pages 256-265. You can supplement with the Golden Children’s Bible, pages 351-352. Bring a crèche from home and have the children identify the figures and add/move the figures as you tell the story. Then, have the children identify the people and animals in the icon of the Nativity.
- With small children, have a small birthday cake and celebrate!
- Make a stained glass icon for each
child to take home. Give each child an 18- inch
piece of wax paper. For small children, have
the shapes of the figures already cut out from
colored tissue paper; older children can draw
and cut them themselves. Arrange the figures
on the piece of wax paper. Cover the wax paper
with another piece of wax paper and iron lightly.
Hang in a window for full effect. Of course,
There are hundreds of other possible craft ideas
for Christmas – colored stars with gold glitter,
small paper plates decorated with illustrations
from Christmas cards with a string to hang on
a tree, all manner of crèche scenes with figures
made of clay, pipe cleaners, toilet paper tubes,
etc.
Another option: Make little finger puppets to retell the story. Print on cardstock and cut out ahead of time. Let children color them, tape behind to fit the little fingers, and retell the story.
- Close with prayer. Learn “Christ
Is Born!” “Glorify Him!”