As followers of Christ, we are so thankful for the gift that is Christmas. The idea that our very big, good, and holy King would come to earth to draw us to Himself as Immanuel. It’s humbling and exciting all at the same time!
Christmas is such a beautiful time to tell children about Jesus and just how much He loves them. Here are some children’s Christmas crafts and activities to help you do just that.
Enjoy this Christmas season and share the good news that is Jesus!
Our very big, good, and holy King would come to earth to draw us to Himself as Immanuel.
Children’s Christmas Crafts and Activities
Children’s Christmas Craft: Stick Nativity Ornament
SUPPLIES
- Craft sticks (7 per person)
- Raffia (several pieces per person)
- Pieces of cloth (1 piece per person)
- Glue (liquid or hot glue guns)
- Markers
- Ribbon
SETUP
Cut several craft sticks in half. Each person will need three half sticks and four full sticks. Set out craft sticks, raffia, pieces of cloth, glue, markers, and ribbon on the table.
Tape the Ornament Station #4 Sign and Ornament Station #4 Printable on a wall, so both are visible.
WHAT TO DO
Say:
God had a special plan to send Jesus to earth. The earthly family of Jesus started long before He was born. Many years after King David lived, from the same family line, Jesus was born to earthly parents Joseph and Mary. God sent Jesus to earth to be our Savior! Let’s make an ornament to help us remember His birth. He was born in a stable, which is where animals stay. We’ll make an ornament with Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus.
You will create a barn shape using five full craft sticks. First create a “U” shape using three of the craft sticks to create the bottom of the barn and the two sides.
Second use two more full craft sticks and make them meet at a point at the top to create the roof. Glue these pieces together.
Use bits of cloths and markers to decorate three of the half craft sticks to look like Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Glue these onto the bottom of the barn. Then use several pieces of raffia to look like straw along the bottom of the barn shape. Lastly tie a ribbon at the top of the nativity scene to create an ornament.
Hang this ornament on your own family Christmas tree to remember that God sent Jesus to save us and that He sent Jesus through a very special family line.
Object Lesson: Wishing Versus Hoping
SUPPLIES: coins (1 per 2 kids), several different types of balls and objects that can be dropped safely, tissue, steady stool or ladder (optional)
Show the kids you are about to flip a coin. I hope it will land on heads! Do you think it will? Allow kids to shout their answers. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t! Flip the coin. Show the kids what side it landed on. Prepare to flip the coin again. This time, I hope it will land on tails! Flip it again and show the kids what side it landed on.
Have kids pair up. (If there’s an odd number, ask a volunteer to participate.) Give each pair a coin. Instruct them to take turns flipping it. Each time, the flipper should say what side she “hopes” it will land on. Give the kids enough time for each kid to flip the coin several times.
How’d that go? Did your coin land on the side you hoped it would? Allow kids to share freely. Then collect their coins.
Hope in Jesus is not like flipping a coin and wishing for it to land on a certain side. Hope in Jesus is more like dropping an object from the sky. Hold up a ball or other object. If I drop this object, what will happen to it? Allow kids to answer. OK. Let’s try it! Hold the object as high as possible and drop it. To make it more dramatic, stand on a chair, stool, or steady ladder and drop it. For safety, limit the climbing to adults only.
It fell to the ground just like you knew it would! Let’s try a few more objects. Hold another ball or object as high as possible and drop it. One at a time, hold an object (such as different types of balls) above your head and drop it in an open space. Finish by dropping a tissue.
Every object we dropped eventually fell to the ground.
I’m curious: why does that happen? Allow kids to answer. Many will know it is because of gravity. Yes! Gravity is the unseen force that pulls objects towards the earth. Gravity is certain. Because of gravity, we know that what goes up, must come down! Each time I dropped an object, you waited confidently and expected it to fall to the ground. We had to wait longer for some objects to fall than for others, but they still fell!
Hope in Jesus is a lot like gravity. When Jesus is our hope, we can wait confidently and expect what He said will happen. Hope in Jesus is not chance or wishful thinking. It is certain!
I’m curious: what are some things God has promised us in His Word? Allow kids to share promises they remember. If needed, list some promises, such as God will always be with you; God will give you strength; Because of Jesus, God forgives your sins and welcomes you into His family forever!
For people living 700 years before Jesus came as a baby, hope meant knowing God would send a Messiah, or Savior. We know now the Messiah they hoped for is Jesus! The people waited confidently and expected God’s Promise to come to pass. Jesus was their hope, and Jesus is our hope!
Wonder Ink’s 3-year, 52-week children’s ministry curriculum offers kids space to fully find their place in God’s Big Story. Children discover they are Known by God, Loved by Jesus, and Led by the Holy Spirit.
Multisensory Activity: Happy and You Know It?
SUPPLIES: long rope or roll of tape, images that coordinate
Create a line on the floor using a long rope or tape. It should be long enough for all the kids to line up on it. Invite the kids to come over to the line on the floor and have them stand with one foot on the right side of the line and one foot on the left side of the line.
Let’s learn more about each other by seeing what makes us joyful and what doesn’t! Let the kids know you’re going to put a picture up on the screen. If the image makes them feel joy, they should jump with both feet to the right of the line. If the image doesn’t make them feel joy, they should jump with both feet to the left of the line. Younger kids may need your help knowing which way is right and left.
(Make It Inclusive! If you have any kids who may have trouble jumping, encourage them to point to the right or left instead.)
Let’s try it! Does a puppy make you feel joyful or not? Jump! Many kids will choose joy with this one, but some may not. Take some time to ask the kids why they chose what they did. Does a puppy make them happy? Or are they afraid of dogs, or maybe allergic to them? Encourage conversation. If someone shares a description of joy that is not consistent with the Bible, gently remind her that the joy we get from God is everlasting and true in our hearts.
Continue the game by going through all of the images, stopping for conversation along the way.
(Make It Virtual! Modify this activity for your virtual or digital ministry by prompting kids wherever they are to stand up and reach for the sky if an image makes them feel joyful and to sit down if an image does not make them feel joyful.)
That was fun! Lots of things made us feel joyful. Did you know God loves when you feel joy? The most joyful thing that ever happened in the world was when Jesus came to earth to rescue us and show us God’s love.
Interactive Game: Wrap the Leader
SUPPLIES: Christmas wrapping paper (1 large roll per group), scissors, tape, bows (3–5 per group), upbeat Christmas song
Before kids arrive, set out the supplies.
Leader Tip: You will need enough wrapping paper for each leader to be wrapped. Some discount stores carry especially small rolls, so check the length of the paper on the packaging (or purchase additional rolls) to ensure there is enough to fully wrap a leader.
Help kids form small groups, and give each group a roll of Christmas wrapping paper, scissors, tape, and bows. Each group will need a youth or adult leader.
Tell kids you will play a song, and as it plays, they will wrap their leader as a Christmas present. The team who has the best and most creatively wrapped leader at the end of the song wins! Choose an upbeat Christmas song, and play it for four minutes. At the end of four minutes, ask groups to put down their supplies. Then visit each group, commenting on their creative wrapping jobs! Decide which leader is wrapped best and most creatively and announce the winner.
Did you have fun wrapping up your leader? Can you imagine sending your leader as a special gift to someone in the mail? Allow kids to respond. That would be amazing! Today in God’s big story, we’re going to see the special gift God sent to the world. It wasn’t wrapped up like your leader or any present you might open on Christmas. But it was the greatest gift anyone would ever receive, and it was sent with this special purpose in mind: to save us.
Children’s Christmas Craft: Handprint Family Tree
SUPPLIES
- Green cardstock or craft paper (1 sheet per person)
- Scissors
- Markers
- Hole punches
- Tempura paint and paintbrushes (1 set per family)
- Ink pads in various colors (optional)
- Baby wipes or damp paper towels
- Ribbon
SETUP
Set out green paper, scissors, hole punches, paint or ink, decorating supplies, wipes, and ribbon.
Tape the Ornament Station #5 Sign and Ornament Station #5 Printable on a wall, so both are visible.
WHAT TO DO
Say:
God chose a special family to bless the whole world. What started with a promise to Abraham to have as many descendants as stars in the sky continued through Ruth, then Jesse and David, then many others, then Joseph and Mary, and then at last, Jesus—the promised Savior—was born! After Jesus was born, two people who had waited for a long time for the Savior, Simeon and Anna, got to meet Him, and they praised God!
God had a special purpose for the family tree of Jesus, and we can be a part of God’s family tree through Jesus! We’ll learn more about that today! To help us remember this, we’ll make family tree ornaments. To begin, you will trace your hand (or let someone else trace your hand) on a sheet of green paper. Cut out the hand, then dip your fingers into the paint or ink to make ornaments to decorate the tree. You can decorate it with stickers or pom-poms too!
When you finish decorating your tree, use the hole punch to make a hole at the top and tie a ribbon to it.
Take your family tree ornament home as a reminder that your family is special and loved by God and that we can all be a part of God’s family through Jesus!
More Children’s Christmas Crafts from Ministry Spark
43 Colorful Christmas Crafts to Celebrate Jesus’ Birth
These fun, easy Christmas crafts for kids will get your students ready to share the good news!
Christmas Activities: Celebrate Advent with 25 Ornaments and Coloring
Inside this download, you’ll find 25 illustrated ornaments celebrating each day of Advent and a Christmas coloring page! These are great for at home, in classrooms, and to include in activity packets for families. Grab these free activities and share with your church family!
10 Simple Advent Wreath Ideas That Will Make Your Classroom Beautiful
Bring the joy and anticipation of Advent to life in your space.
