10 Party Ideas to Make the Christmas Season Merry
The Christmas season is rapidly approaching, which means parties are on the calendar. Themed parties and little details can help children create memories to treasure for years to come. Plus they provide a great opportunity for children to invite friends to Awana! Here are 10 Christmas theme ideas for you to incorporate into your club.
- Joy to the World Night
Have the children in your club bring in an object that makes noise. This could be anything from a household item, to a real instrument, to Awana whistles. Then, together make a joyful noise unto the Lord! This is especially good for younger children in a large group setting, and ties back to Psalm 100.
- Christmas Sweater Night
Encourage kids to wear ugly Christmas sweaters. If they don’t have a Christmas sweater at their house, they can dress up a shirt with Christmas bows, ribbons, etc. Do a “bad” job of decorating a T-shirt or sweater to make it ugly.
- Christmas Card Night
Gather supplies for the children to make homemade Christmas cards for retirement communities or local children’s hospitals. Encourage the kids to bring their creativity to their cards and wish the recipients a Merry Christmas!
- Christmas Gift Wrap Race Night
Helping kids understand “It is better to give than to receive” is an integral part of teaching and leading them. Assist the older ones to understand the giving spirit of Christmas with a Gift Wrap Race game. Tell them to wrap an imaginary gift for the world inside their box, such as peace or an end to hunger. Before they wrap, they must decide what gift they’d most like to give the world and then wrap it beautifully—in the shortest time possible.
- Give the Shirt Off Your Back Night
Ask your children to bring to club a new child-sized T-shirt to donate to a mission, shelter, or other local organization that works with under-resourced children and families. The shirts can be newly bought or one a child received but never wore. This can be a lesson focused around Romans 12:20—giving to those in need.
- Wise Men Night
Have your kids dress up as wise men (or women) or wear a star. If you can, show them samples of frankincense and myrrh so they understand what these are (sometimes Christian bookstores have these in special Christmas displays).
- Support Local Ministry with a Gift Night
Encourage your kids to bring to club a new, unwrapped toy or item that someone their age would enjoy. You can tie this to the Christmas card craft, then donate the toy to a local ministry. This can also be a lesson based on Romans 12:20. Add to the event with some Awana game items.
- Wrap the Leader Night
Collect used or inexpensive wrapping paper, ribbon, and tape, and get to work! If leaders do not want to be wrapped, an alternative could be wrapping a large item in your children’s ministry area. You can set up prizes for best, silliest, and most creative wrapping job.
- Stuff the Stocking with Thankfulness Night
There is much to be thankful for year-round, but especially during the Christmas season. Have your kids write what they are thankful for on a sheet of paper, and the reason why. Collect the messages and put them in a stocking. At the end of the night, pull each of the messages out and read all the different things your group is thankful for this year.
- Grace Night
Give kids surprise gifts. Tell them they did nothing to deserve the gift, but the leaders wanted to show them how much they care. Explain that salvation is a gift of grace from God and what it means to show grace to others. You can reference Ephesians 2:8-9 in the teaching time.
If you choose to collect items to donate to a local organization, we suggest checking with that organization first to determine their needs. Some organizations and non-profits have top-priority or suggested items to help fulfill specific necessities in the community.
Additionally, once you select a theme night for your club, let us know in the comments below which you chose and how it went. We would love to hear from you!
Sarah Dudt is the director of marketing at Awana. Sarah has a background in Christian entertainment and ministries. Her passion for reaching and making disciples of Christ through creative outlets has impacted multiple generations across various avenues. Sarah is especially passionate about learning and making the most of every opportunity.
