Nativity Activity for Christmas
From an early age, my son has been in charge of setting up our family nativity set each Christmas. When he was a toddler, we bought the “kid-friendly” set: the set that could be set up by little hands without fear of breaking. As he got older, he was given the responsibility of setting up my cherished (and breakable!) set: the one that was given to us as a young married couple and has a prominent place in our home each Christmas season. Each year we carefully wrap the pieces and place them back in the box until they make their entrance the following season. My son carefully unwraps each one and sets up the scene as his mind sees it (which isn’t always to my perfectionist standard, but whatever--I need to let go sometimes).This year I was excited to come across this activity and will incorporate it into our nativity set-up tradition. It is such an easy way to keep the focus on Jesus during the Christmas season by including these quick conversations into our tradition. In fact, I think this is going to make a great Sunday school lesson as well! As we unwrap each of the pieces, read the corresponding verses and talk about the following:Joseph and Mary—read Luke 1:30-33. Joseph and Mary learned they would have a son. Talk to your child about the day they were born.Baby Jesus—read Luke 2:6-7. Jesus was a gift to not only his parents, but the whole world. Ask your child to find similarities and differences between their birth and Jesus’ birth. Pray as a family, thanking God for this wonderful gift!Shepherds and Angel—read Luke 2:8-20. The angels and shepherds had exciting news to share! Discuss a time when your family had exciting news to share. Talk about how important it is to share God’s great news with others. Think about people you could tell about Jesus.Wise Men—read Matthew 2:1-2, 10-11. The wisemen didn’t know Jesus, but they followed the star. Talk about the ways God shows himself to us each day. Pray that God would show us how to follow him every day.If your family has a nativity set in your home, feel free to share a picture on our social media accounts! Wishing you God’s peace, joy, and love this Christmas.