Christmas: 30+ Ways to Teach Children about Christ at Christmas Time

With the Christmas season here, I really want my children to understand the true meaning of Christmas - The Savior. I enjoyed looking online and asking some of my close friends what traditions or activities they do to remember Jesus during the holiday. Do you have a favorite tradition to remember the Savior at Christmas? Please comment below.

1) Read Books about Jesus' Birth. We love to read at our house. We read daily and I really enjoy bringing out all of our Christmas books out during the holiday. I look forward to growing a bigger selection of Christ centered books throughout the years. Click the link above to view a list of books that teach children about Jesus' birth.

2) Christmas Books Advent Calendar. From the book list above, make a Christmas Book Advent Calendar with books all our Christ. Wrap up 25 books and put them under the tree. Have you child open and read one book a day until Christmas.

 3) Nativity Themed Flannel Board. Use a flannel board and flannel cutouts to tell the story of Christ's birth. My boys love playing with these. The link above is a little different than the one pictured below. 

4) Nativity Themed Finger Puppets. You can either buy (pictured below) or print finger puppets (your children color and tape around their fingers) to teach the story of Christ's birth. 

5) Playmobile Nativity Set. Use this play set to act out the story of the nativity. Allow your children to play with the set as a reminder of Christ throughout the holiday.

6) Watch Nativity Themed Videos. When I was first married, I bought the entire collection of Living Scripture DVD's on KSL. We watch "The King is Born" each Christmas season. We also love to watch this version (for free!) found on LDS.org.

7) Nativity Themed Art Projects. Here is a quick list of some of our favorite nativity themed art projects. I love hanging these on the fridge, so my children see them everyday as a reminder of Christ.

• Angel Craft
• Baby Jesus in a Manger
• Stain Glass Nativity
• Baby Jesus in a Manger - Fingerprint Art
• Three Wisemen Handprint Art

      

   

8) Nativity Themed Crafts. We haven't done these, because they would be too advanced for my little ones. I think these would be great for older kids:

• Popsicle Stick Nativity
• Glass Nativity Ornament

9) Nativity Gingerbread House. Instead of making a traditional gingerbread house this year, why not try a nativity themed gingerbread house? Click the link for a detailed tutorial.

10) Simple Bible Advent Calendar. Each night before Christmas (December 1-24), my sister reads a short verse from the Bible (print the verses from the link provided). Afterwards, her girls get to open a door to a Christmas Advent Calendar and eat a chocolate.

11) The Road to Bethlehem Advent Calendar from The Friend Magazine. Each night from December 14-24, children read about a character in the nativity story and glue the character onto the nativity scene. 

12) Nativity Pattern Block Mats. Print these pattern block mats - an angel, baby Jesus, camel, wiseman, shepherd and star. Use these magnetic foam shapes to match the shapes on the pattern block mats. Note: I use a magnetic cookie sheet, so the shapes stick to the mats.

13) Nativity File Folders. We love file folder games. Here are some nativity themed options:

• Make a Manger (pictured below)
• Manger Color Match
• Birth of Jesus

14) Nativity Theme Salt Ornaments: We made salt dough by combining 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 1 cup of warm water. If the dough feels to dry, add a little water. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little flour. Here are two ways to play:

• Use Nativity Cookie Cutters. You can make these into ornaments by cutting out the shapes, poking a hole in the top of the shape with a straw and baking at 200 degrees for two hours. You'll know the ornaments are done when the dough looks dry and cooked all the way through. 
• Roll balls of dough to make nativity figures. You can bake these and paint them afterward (pictured below). Click the link for a tutorial. 

15) Nativity Toilet Paper Rolls. Have your child color and put together these nativity characters on toilet paper rolls. Use them to tell the story of Jesus' birth.

16) Teach Me the Stories of Jesus Advent Tree. We did this last year and my boys absolutely loved it. Each night (december 1-24) we learned a new story of Jesus by reading a short scripture passage, looking at a picture and making a simple ornament to go along with the story. We hung these ornaments on a special "Jesus Tree." This took some prep time, but totally worth it. My boys looked forward to making ornaments every night and the ornaments really helped them remember stories of the Savior. Click the link for more information. 

17) Display Nativity Scenes and Re-enact the Nativity. My mom loves to collect nativity scenes from all over the world. She displays these at Christmas time for us to remember Jesus. A common theme is to have children re-enact the nativity scene in costumes.

18) The 12 days of Christmas. My family did the 12 days of Christmas for someone every year since I can remember. Each night (December 12-24), we would drop a small gift on someone's porch, doorbell ditch and run away. Service is a great way to remember the Savior and follow His example. Here are a couple other ideas:

• 12 Days of Christmas Nativity
• 12 Days of Christmas for a Spouse

19) Participate in a Sub for Santa. Growing up, my family and our neighbors got together the first Monday in December. There were probably ten or so families that would meet together. The parent's would donate money for us to buy items for families in need. 

20) Straw for the Manger. I remember one year in primary, a leader brought out an empty manger. She told us that every time we (the primary children) did an act of service, we could add a piece of straw into the manger. Throughout the week we'd do service and report what we'd done at church on Sunday. By time Christmas came, there was a lot of straw in the manger as a soft bed for baby Jesus. This would be a great family activity to do as well. Click the link for a "Straw in the Manger" story from LDS.org.

21) Service Expedition. One year, I remember my family agreeing to not get any toys or material things for Christmas. Instead, we were given a suitcase and a few traveling items. The day after Christmas, my family went on a Service Expedition in Mexico. 

22) Sibling Service Exchange. One of my friends mentioned, "Along with a sibling gift exchange, my mom would have us do a sibling service exchange. At the beginning of the month, we would wrap up a scripture about Christ or one that inspired us as well as a description of the service we were planning on doing. We would do the service sometime before Christmas day."

23) A Family Gift for Jesus. In November, decide as a family on a gift to Jesus to do for the month of December. My sister-in-law mentioned her favorite ideas her family did: Taking toys to a nearby shelter, donating white shirts to ward members who couldn't afford church clothing, and giving all their Christmas money to a girl with SMA. 

24) A Stocking for Jesus. One of my other friends mentioned this idea. "When I put up our Christmas decorations, I love hanging our family stockings as well as a stocking for Jesus. Next to His stocking, I have a jar with white slips of paper in it. Every time someone does something kind for another, it's considered a gift to Jesus. It could be being kind to a sibling, helping out around the house, random acts of kindness to the elderly or strangers on the street, etc. We write the kind deed on the slips of paper and place it in the stocking. I also have a "Stocking for Jesus Poem" (see below) that I leave in the kitchen as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas to go along with our stocking theme. On Christmas Eve, after reading the Nativity Story, we read all the slips of paper and remember all the "gifts to Jesus" we performed during the Christmas holiday."

25) Make a CAKE on Christmas as a reminder of Christ's Birth. My sister-in-law makes the same chocolate cake for Christmas as she does for all of her boys' birthdays. 

26) Nativity Learning Packs. These nativity packs help children with learning letters, numbers, pre-writing skills, size ordering, matching, colors, etc. There are also mazes, lacing cards, and so much more. You can find different ideas here:

• This Reading Mama  
• Over the Big Moon 
• 3 Dinosaurs

  

27) Nativity Games. These options look like fun:

• Nativity Memory Game 
• Nativity Dice Game 
• Nativity Bingo 

Nativity Memory Game

Nativity Dice Game

Nativity Bingo

29) Nativity Painting & Coloring. A few other great resources:

• Nativity Q-Tip Painting 
• Nativity Coloring Pages
• Color By Number (simple version, difficult version)

30) Nativity Sensory Bins: We also love doing sensory bins at home. Sensory bins are essentially a bin full of items to touch and play with. They are great for hands on learning, promoting creativity and improving fine motor development. Here are a few examples:

• Growing Hands On Kids (first picture below),  
• Happy Hooligans (second picture below) 

31) Find symbolism in The Savior and Christmas. Teach the symbols to your children. 

• Christmas Symbols Website: This website has a list of how Christmas items (trees, lights, candy canes, gifts, etc.) remind us of the Savior.
• I like this book titled, "I believe in Santa Claus" that teaches the symbolism between Santa and Jesus. 
• Growing up, one of my friends always had three gifts to open from under the tree as a symbol of the three gifts the wisemen brought to Jesus. 

32) Teach Family Home Evenings centered on Christ and His birth. Here are a few suggestions:

• Christmas Symbols: Scavenger Hunt - How Christmas Symbols remind us of Jesus.
• Christmas: The Nativity

33) Play and Sing Christmas Songs about Jesus. My mom always had Christmas music playing during Christmas time. Some was secular and some were about The Savior. This past year, we taught my two year old actions to Away in a Manger that we'd use while we sing. Click the link to view Christmas songs about Jesus into the mix (scroll down to "Other Media" to find a selection of Christmas Songs from the Primary Children's Songbook)

If you live or visit SALT LAKE CITY, UT here are some suggestions:

34) Drive Bible Street in Sugar House:  I always loved driving down Bible Street as a kid. Now that I'm a mom, I look forward to driving with husband and kids down Bible Street and reading the story of Christ's birth. Each house on the street has a scripture and large sign staked in their front yard. Bible Street starts on the corner of Blaine Avenue and 1400 East. Click here for more details.

35) Visit a live Nativity: I know a few live nativities that bring the spirit of Christ's Birth into the Christmas Season. 

• Small live nativity at This is the Place Heritage Park.
• Larger production at Bonneville Nativity in the Glen. Usually this is ONE night in December, so it's important to be aware of the date via facebook or you could google it.
• Plans for a new live nativity at Draper Riverside Stake - stay tuned. They are planning on making an indoor live nativity with disney quality lighting, scenes and costumes.

36) Visit Temple Square (Nativity Sets, Christus, Lights): If you're in SLC around Christmas time, this is an activity you must do. One of my friends has a tradition of going to dinner at the Roof or Garden restaurant (located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building) where they can view the temple and lights from restaurant. Afterward, they walk around Temple Square. 

37) Attend the First Presidency Christmas Devotional: Google "First Presidency Christmas Devotional Tickets" to attend this meeting. Make sure to plan in advance if you'd like to attend. Tickets are free and chosen through a random selection (limit of 6 per household). Otherwise, you can watch it at home!

38) Attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert: This concert is also something that you need to plan in advance. This year, the registration was from October 24-November 2, 2015. Tickets are complimentary and chosen through a random selection (limit of 2 per household). 

38) Other Nativity Scene Locations near Salt Lake City, Utah: We loved driving through the lights 

• Thanksgiving Point Lights (first picture below). 
• Stringtown Polar Express (second picture below). It's a small train ride that travels from Lindon, UT to the "North Pole". Each guest on the Polar Express gets to visit Santa Claus, tell him what they want for Christmas, and get their picture taken. Santa also sings Christmas songs with the kids, tells a Christmas story, and teaches them about the true meaning of Christmas. During the journey back from the North Pole, guests will hear music and see pictures about Christ's birth and His life. Reservations opened on November 1, 2015 this year and are currently closed. If I remember reading correctly, the tickets are based on donations and randomly selected. We hope to get chosen next year!

Thanksgiving Point Light Production & Nativity Story

Stringtown Polar Express & Nativity Story

I hope we can all remember Jesus during the Christmas Season! Remember to leave a comment on how your family remembers Christ during Christmas time.