How to Teach Children the Christmas Story
April 13, 2009 by admin
Filed under Education & Reading / Writing
Christmas is one of the most exciting holidays for children and is an opportunity to teach kids about some of the traditions and symbols they see all around them. From candy canes to Santa Clause, every symbol can be traced back centuries from even before the dawn of Christianity.
Christmas Games and Ice Breakers
Christmas games and ice breakers are a great way to keep an active, excited class learning and having fun in the process. There are many resources on the internet with great ideas. One great idea is a game where the nativity story is told to the children sitting in a circle. Every time the words “left” or “right” are used in the story, children pass small gifts in the opposite direction (left when the word right is used, etc).
The children really listen to the story in anticipation of hearing these words and it’s a great way to experience the gift of giving and receiving for the kids. Another fun game is to place words from popular carols into a bag for each child and have them match the phrase with the correct carol title. While doing this you can talk about the meaning of each song and even when it first became popular. Most Christmas carols are full of symbolism and hidden meaning from the period in which they were written. Relate these hidden symbols to the original Christmas story and the classic manger scene.
Free Sunday School Curriculum
There are many websites devoted to helping you develop and teach free Sunday school curriculum. Some of these resources may be faith specific but can be tailored to fit your denomination and believes. Always have a backup plan ready just in case, there is always something that can go wrong from a lack of supplies to a larger class than expected, etc.
Easy Step By Step Instructions
- Evaluate the learning style, atmosphere and resources of your classroom.
- Allow students to share information about their own family traditions and customs.
- Be creative in how you present information.
- Relate the information presented to the children’s lives.
Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions
Religion is a very personal, sensitive subject matter to teach. When planning lessons keep in mind that each student may have grown up with different traditions and understanding of verses and written word.



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