Christmas ideas that kids love

Craft Idea

Gingerbread Manger Scene
Supplies: Graham crackers, marshmallow star, large and small marshmallows, pretzel, small gingerbread men, teddy graham, shredded wheat, miniature candy cane, powdered sugar, Ziploc baggie, sugar, 2 eggs

Icing: Mix 3 cups powdered sugar and 2 egg whites. Place in baggie. Cut off corner of baggie. Squeeze to get icing out.
Melt sugar in pan. Dip edges of crackers in sugar and stick to cardboard to form a three-sided box with one side open. Place nativity pieces inside using icing as glue. Decorate with icing or colored candies for a “Christmas” look. Keep plain for a “realistic” look.

*Shredded wheat = hay, manger
*Teddy Graham = Jesus
*Gingerbread men= Joseph, Mary, Shepherds
*Candy cane = Shepherd staff
*Marshmallows = sheep
*Animal crackers = animals
*Pretzel and marshmallows = angel

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Game/ Story Idea

Pass the Parcel
Jessica, my creative assistant, grew up in South Africa. She told me about this game that she played as a child. I modified it a bit to make a fun way of telling the Christmas story.

Supplies: wrapping paper, tape, gold ribbon (angel’s halo), strip of cloth, straw piece, cotton balls (or small plastic sheep), candy cane, gold coin, cotton ball soaked in perfume

Wrap the gold coin and perfumed cotton ball. Place angel’s halo on top of the package and wrap the two (halo and first package) together. Place the cotton balls and candy cane on the package and wrap. Continue with the straw piece in the next layer. End with the strip of cloth in the final layer.

Pass the parcel around a circle while music plays. When the music stops the person holding the parcel unwraps a single layer. Tell the part of the Christmas story that matches the item.

Scripture: Luke 2: 1-20; Matthew 2: 1-12

Items to use:
*strip of cloth- Represent swaddling clothes. Jesus was wrapped in the cloth.
*straw- Jesus born and placed in a manger
*small candy cane- Shepherd were watching their sheep in a field.
*cotton balls- Represents the sheep.
*angel- An angel appeared to the shepherds proclaiming the good news.
*gold coin, cotton ball soaked in perfume- Wise men brought gold, myrrh and frankincense.

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Activity/Craft Idea

Christmas tree for birds
Supplies: pine cones, peanut butter or shortening, lunch bag, bird seed, bread, cranberries, string, needle
String cranberries using the needle and string. Make long strands to loop around the tree. Tie a string to the top of a pine cone. Cover pine cones in peanut butter or shortening and place in a lunch bag with seed. Shake to cover with seed. Hang from the tree. Cut the bread into Christmas shapes using cookie cutters. Spread peanut butter or shortening on it and sprinkle bird seed. Tie string to the bread and hang from the tree.

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Devotional Idea

Jesus is the Light of the World

Scripture: John 8:12
Supplies: glow in dark stick or bracelet

Turn off the lights. Talk about how dark it is. Give out the glow in the dark items and break them so they glow. Talk about how Jesus was sent to be the Light of the World. Encourage the kids to think about this whenever they see the lights on their Christmas tree or the houses in their neighborhood.