Christmas is one of the most festive holidays of the year, and many Christians gather to celebrate the birth of Christ. However, young kids may miss the true meaning of Christmas between the decorations and presents. Here are a few ways to help your little ones understand what this holiday is really about.

How to Teach Christian Children About Christmas

1. Create a Nativity Scene Together

Buy a kid-friendly nativity scene with durable, easy-to-handle pieces that children can inspect and play with. Retell the story of Jesus’s birth while arranging the scene and explain who and what each piece represents.

Let the kids march each figurine into place and ask them questions about why they think the piece is important to the story. This will help them learn about the miracle of Christ’s birth and what significance it brought to people during that time.

2. Give Back

Connect with your congregation to find out if the church is doing any charity or outreach work, and take part in a project as a family. This will give your little ones a chance to give back to the community and less fortunate, teaching them that the holidays are about giving and not receiving presents. Before going to the project, give them examples from the Bible to show that Jesus values service work too.

3. Make an Advent Calendar

The calendar should have 24 small compartments, one for each day from Dec. 1 to Christmas Eve. Your kids will look forward to opening a new pocket each day to get their surprises.

Fill each compartment with a printed Bible verse about Jesus's birth and a holiday trinket, like a candy cane, bell, or small gift. Read the verse together and discuss what it means, then talk about the Christian symbolism of the day’s trinket.

If you want your children to learn more about this season, turn to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Honolulu, HI. This church offers virtual services every Sunday, which are archived on their Facebook page so that you can sit down and watch them with your kids later. You can pause the recordings to digest the information and talk to your little ones about the lesson. For more information about their virtual sermons, visit the website or call (808) 922-6011.