Children and Families - Scripture Union NZ

These are four quick ideas you can use to explore the Christmas story with children. They accompany photographs that I took in Israel in 2011. We want children to understand that the events of Christmas are not a fairytale. They happened in a real time and place, to real people.  __________________________________________________________________   Spot it! Print out pictures of Bethlehem and Nazareth as they look today, or download copies of the photos mentioned below. As a small group, look at the photos. Count how many differences you can spot between Bethlehem or Nazareth today and what it would have been like in Jesus’ day. Israel photos: Click on the photo's name to download the photo from our dropbox file:  Bethlehem today Nazareth today __________________________________________________________________ Create it!  In Israel, beautiful churches have been built in places where the Christmas story happened. They have amazi...

These are a handful of quick ideas you can use to explore the Christmas story with children. They accompany photographs that I took in Israel in 2011, but you can google your own images as well. __________________________________________________________________ Map it!   The places mentioned in the Christmas story were not well known in Jesus day. But they sure became famous! We know about Bethlehem, Nazareth and the hill country of Judea because they all feature in the biblical story of Christmas. It's helpful for children to know where these places are. That way they don't seem like a fairy tale. Bethlehem is not in a land far far away, but is a real place.  Activities: Print out black and white maps of Israel. Give the children gold star stickers to mark the places mentioned in the Christmas story. Provide an atlas or google maps to help you.    Click here for a free black and white map.  Click here for an interactive colour map....

This is a cool activity and so easy.  1. Line ten ice block sticks up in a row. 2. Stick two together with masking tape, then turn over and stick the next two on the other side. Turn back and repeat. 3. Use felts to draw a picture of Jesus’ death on one side, and a picture of the resurrection on the other side. 4. Fold the sticks up. (See the third photo.) 5. Show the children how to use it to tell the Easter story to their friends and families. While the children are making their picture it's a good opportunity to help them think about Easter. Try asking using these questions. -Why did Jesus choose to die? -What happened when Jesus came back to life? -What is your favourite part of the Easter story? Why? -What do you think the most impo rtant part of the Easter story is? Why?