How to Share the Christmas Story with Preschoolers
Translating the big idea of the Christmas story
It can be hard to know what to say when talking about something as meaningful as the Christmas story. Jesus, the Son of God, coming to earth as a baby born to a virgin in a humble stable, fulfilling countless prophesies foretelling His arrival… This is a lot to summarize for preschoolers!
Kids can understand a lot.
Younger children do face limits developmentally to think abstractly about the significance of the Christmas story. However, many of us who have worked with young children or have them ourselves can tell you that we have experienced a young child comprehend some pretty big ideas and have profound things to say. Trust them with the opportunity to hear the Christmas story and make connections — you may encounter some wonderful results!
How to summarize the Christmas story
When explaining the Christmas story to young children, remember you need to keep it simple, even as you make it deep. Though it might not be everyone’s favorite Christmas verse, 1 John 4:10 is a fantastic summary of Christmas, and also happens to be the Cubbies key verse. It states, “…God… loved us and sent His Son.” (1 John 4:10 ESV) The Christmas story is about how Jesus was sent to the world because of God’s love for us. If you can communicate that to kids, and then give them some basic details about the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, you have given kids plenty to work with!
Kids will retain more as they hear the same idea repeated in multiple ways.
Focus on what you really want them to remember, and use different means to help them engage with it. Tell the Christmas story while showing pictures from a book, sing a song about it, instruct your kids in how to act out the nativity scene (no need for costumes or props—they have big imaginations!), make a craft that shows the Christmas story, play a game where you incorporate themes from the Christmas story (maybe a red light green light type game where you are shepherds racing to see the baby Jesus!). Would you like more suggestions? Both Cubbies AppleSeed and HoneyComb Leader Guides have instructions for teaching about Christmas in the Special Days section.
Need something quick?
Our freebie for the month is a printable ornament for kids to color and decorate. This is an easy and tangible activity with your children, and all you need to do is print it. It also has the Bible verse 1 John 4:10 on it as a way to remind kids and families of the meaning of Christmas as it hangs on their tree!
The Awana Editorial team is a group of people passionate about child discipleship and the equipping of leaders for the advancement of the kingdom. We have a breadth of experience in children’s ministry, and our heart beats with the stories of what God is doing around the world. We have an affinity for salty snacks and the occasional sweet treat, and we believe that everything is better with a good cup of coffee!
