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 brand name 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. All are circles, ovals, triangles, and squares. Arrange the figures on the piece of wax paper to make the people and angels and sheep. 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? Most families have a Nativity creche scene in their homes, but WITHOUT THE CAVE. Make a salt dough cave shaping it around a large rock, leaving one side open. Bake at 250 degrees F for 3-4 hours or let dry till next week. Remove the rock and paint and decorate the cave for the baby Jesus.
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.
Another option? Print the scene on cardstock, cut out, color, and fold between sections so it will stand up.
- Close with prayer. Learn “Christ
Is Born!” “Glorify Him!”
