This year my Little Man is a sponge, so I’m being intentional with a few Christmas Lessons for a Preschooler by using each week of December as a theme for exploring the story of the nativity with my toddler son.
My mom has been a preschool teacher for more than 40 years. So you would think all this comes naturally to me, but it doesn’t. I learn by doing so I’m pretty good at organizing a spreadsheet and putting Pinterest ideas on a bullet point list. But, the rest I really have to work for. But, Little Man likes to “do projects.” And, right now that means intentional time together at a table, or the kitchen counter in our case.
Sometimes he is working on a themed color page on the coffee table. Sometimes we are mixing up a snack or special treat at the kitchen counter. And, other times we are at the dining table with paint and glitter and glue sticks. You never know and most of the time, I don’t know what we will actually do that day, or what random activity he will steal from my stash and start working on first thing in the morning.
At the end of last month, I knew I wanted to make sure we walked away from December with basic knowledge and understanding of The Christmas Story and how that differs from Santa and shopping and gifts and lights, etc. With COVID adjustments last year, we didn’t really attend church in person so we missed a whole year of hands-on lessons. But, I know that falls on me anyway to be the mama and teach him the things.
So, this month I set out an outline, made a list of possible ideas, gathered some items I had in my garage and craft closet and picked up a few others at the dollar store, and just look ahead on Sundays to see what’s coming and I put it in a box that stays on the floor in my office. If you have a playroom or desk area, this would be a great space to store this weekly supply box as well.
Don’t let all these bullet points overwhelm you. I really tried to lay out all my ideas and make it super simple for someone else to reproduce the ideas in my head. ModernMomLife.com has become one of my go-to places for holiday crafts for kids and I have a couple of boards on Pinterest you may want to follow: Preschool Learning, Christmas Crafts, Kids Fun.
What makes craft time more successful with Preschoolers?
- Planning – just having an idea of what’s on your radar
- Already having all the supplies gathered and any pieces prepped
- Just try doing one thing at a time, finish and go to the next thing
- Don’t talk about something until you are ready to accomplish/tackle that project
- Give them creative freedom, its ok if the head is in the armpit or the wrong colors are used
- Talk to them as they are doing things and get them to narrate the story or project back to you
- Let them do any part of the project that is safe enough for them to complete – hot glue guns and scissors are for grown-ups, but they can probably handle more than you give them credit to do.
- Repitition – I have one goal/truth/promise/verse each we and we talk about it every day
- Use simple moments all day long as teaching times – on the drive to the park, while you are preparing dinner, when they over hear a conversation, just redirect and use those “in-between” moments to keep the conversation going
**One big note here – I wrap books for Little Man to open each night from the first day of Advent up through Christmas Eve. I try to resort them into themes that fit what we are learning, it doesn’t always work out, but I put our angel books on week 1 and barn books on week two, shepherd books on week three, and the camel book on week 4. I hope through repetition and different styles, some of it starts to stick. I also have books about gingerbread men, elves, snow, and a silly dog that are woven in. It’s not all “matchy-matchy.”
Preschool Advent Week 1 Focus: The Angels Secret
- Story – An angel came to see Mary and told her she was going to have a baby. She was scared so the angel told her “Do not be afraid” or “Do not be scared”. What did the Angel tell Mary? She was going to have a baby and name him JESUS. Mary was overwhelmed, but she responded, “Everything is possible with God” or “Nothing is impossible with God.”
- Read the story from the Bible – preferably their Bible, if not, tell it in a way they will understand. You want them to know this is a true story from the Bible.
- Verse/Saying – Nothing is Impossible with God
- Watch “the angel’s secret beginner bible” on YouTube and some of the other movies that follow are great for a visual representation of the story
- Make – angel crafts – Angel shape craft, Angel mirror paint craft, Handprint angel craft
- wooden angel cut outs from hobby store – just color them, paint, or decorate with sequins and stickers
- Other topics this week: tree and wreath, begin any handmade gifts,
- if you have someone in your life who is pregnant, use that an easy topic to compare that woman to Mary
- Button wreath craft
- foam art kit from a hobby store – make multipe ornaments you can give to others – they like having ownership of who they are going to give them to.
- let them help you decorate the tree and your home
- Reinforce – tie the symbol of an angel to bringing the story to Mary and “nothing is impossible with God”
How do you cover this topic with kids?
Preschool Advent Week 2 Focus: Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem and Baby Jesus is born
- Talk about why they had to go to Bethlehem and the journey on the donkey. Talk about there not being room for them when they get there and having to sleep in a stable
- Verse/Saying – Jesus was born in Bethlehem
- Recycle food boxes or packing boxes to make a Bethlehem town in a place you can leave up the rest of the week – tape a piece of construction paper to the front of cereal or crakcer boxes (or any other things oyu are throwing away) and let your kid decorate like a store front – help them create a “bethlehem town” – this also helps them understand community and what makes a town. Its ok if there is a Walmart or Target in bethlehem.
- My son loves barns and animals, so we really played up that the only place for Jesus was in a barn and the animals were curious but made room for Jesus – also as he gets older, just using this to have the he wasnt born as a king in a big palace but in a stinky manger surrounded by barn animals – of course a boy wants to talk about poop and toots and this seems like the perfect place.
- Build a gingerbread house – use this time to talk through a big pretty house vs. a barn or stable/manger area – we bought a gingerbread village kit and Little Man knows the week Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem we get to make it. I tried to give him a little ownership in the process.
- Story – Break this up into a couple of lessons – the first part is traveling to Bethlehem then Jesus is born. This could really be two weeks if you wanted more time.
- interact with a barn or animals – Move something around the house to symbolize the donkey traveling to Bethlehem. Plan to have an outing to go visit someone or even a barn. Find a place to visit or see a donkey.
- Pack a bag for pretend. Talk about planning and packing for a trip and what it would be like to take all your things on the back of a donkey instead of a car.
- Talk through all the senses and imagine a barn, what did it smell like, what would you see, what would you hear?
- This is a great week to have a Baby Jesus Breakfast or Happy Birthday Jesus party
- Extras for this week: not much because its full, but donkeys, nativity set, star if you aren’t doing a third week, ornaments
What tips do you have for covering this topic with kids?
Preschool Advent Week 3 Focus: Shepherds heard the Good News
Sometimes if you are teaching kids at school and get out early or need to have only 3 weeks, it’s easy to combine Shepherds and Wisemen to do a “Jesus’ First Visitors” focus – but when we have all 4 weeks at home, I split them up.
- Read the rest of the story.
- Verse/Saying – We must tell everyone what we have seen
- Topics – shepherds, sheep, angels
- Talk about where the shepherds work and how they are out in the fields with sheep
- Talk about the angels coming in the sky and telling the Shepherds about Jesus
- Talk about the angels singing – sing some songs they might have sung
- Talk about the Shepherds leaving “at once” and going to find Jesus – maybe play a freeze tag game outside
- Glue cotton balls on paper to make sheep
- Make toilet paper roll sheep with clothespin legs
- Color pages of angels singing to the shepherds
- Make a nativity scene on a paper plate
- Play with shaving cream on the counter and talk about fluffy sheep – write out the story in the shaving cream as you talk
- Go drive to see Christmas lights together and talk about what its like to go and see something someone tells you about.
- Extra topcs for this week: candy cane, christmas lights, santa and reindeer
Preschool Advent Week 4 Focus: The King Comes from Far Away
- Read – continue the story about the wisemen coming – don’t go too deep into the “timing” thats a lesson you can really reinforce with a middleschooler, but sure lay the foundation that they probably weren’t at the manger scene.
- Verse/Saying: O come let us worship the King!
- Themes: wisemen, star, gifts, traveling a long way, the number 3
- Here the message is that the wise men lived far away but they saw the star the night Jesus was born and they wanted to see what it meant. They traveled a long way to find Jesus because they were waiting for a Savior. When they found him, they brought him gifts. (the Herod part of the story and the angel appearing to them is important and could work for younger elementary, but its a lot for preschool)
- I don’t think it matters if you call them wise men or magi – just be consistent in what you choose
- use wrapping paper piece to make crafts – cover something, write out big letters and glue paper pieces inside them
- Make star shaped sugar cookies – cut them out and decorate
- Do sensory activites with essential oils
- Mix up bath salts in mason jars for gifts
- Make crafts with 3 things and use glitter and gold
- Decorate 3 toilet paper or paper towel rolls as the three wisemen
- Make gifts together to travel and take someone – baked goods or ornaments work really well
- If you have not done so, go to the store and let your kid pick out gifts for people in the family. Wrap them together and talk about taking them to Christmas for them to open.
- talk about what the three gifts the magi brought might meant and why they offered Him those things or gave them to his mom.
Other Christmas topics to weave in
- Santa and Reindeer
- Christmas Tree
- Wrapping Presents
- Snowflakes (although this can bump to January)
- Wreath
- Giving Gifts
- Serving Others
- Shapes: Triangle and Square
- Colors: Red and Green
- Letters: C for Christmas or Christ, J for Jesus, D for December
- Number – three
- Shape: Triangle – tree and body of angels
Bottom Line – do what you can and don’t beat yourself up about the rest. Be intentional as you are able. Use all moments as teachable moments and don’t forget they are listening and absorbing all the time. Give them ownership and let them be part of the process. Every day you are raising tiny humans who will be grown-ups and they are forming lifelong habits and skills like generosity, kindness, humility, and understanding how much God loves them that He would send us Jesus!
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