Session: Christmas Why is Christmas so important to Christians? Year Group: 1 Session Overview Key Syllabus Questions Syllabus Content Pan Discovery Question Brief Description of session Themes Learning about religion: Believing: What can I learn from stories from religious traditions? Why is the story of the life of Jesus so important to Christians? Belonging: Are religious celebrations important to people? How and why do Christians celebrate important festival times? Learning from religion: Believing: What can I learn from stories from religious traditions? What ideas have you learned from the stories we have heard from the Bible? Belonging: Are religious celebrations important to people? Why might other people celebrate special times? Believing: Stories of the life of Jesus that show that Christians believe he was the son of God. Belonging: Shared celebrations e.g. Christmas. Christmas celebration of Jesus birth I wonder, why is Christmas so important to Christians? Through looking at the biblical story of Christmas pupils will learn about the meaning of this festival for Christian believers and the ways in which it is celebrated. Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas day and this will be discussed. Pupils will learn that Christians believe Jesus is God s gift to the world and understand why we give gifts to one another at Christmas time and where this occurred in the Christmas story. To understand the concept of a precious gift and relate the ideas of giving and receiving gifts to their own experience. To understand how celebrations are important for churches and communities. Advent, getting ready, Christmas, Nativity, Mary, Joseph and Jesus, the shepherds, the wise men, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, Gifts. Notes to School Staff The visit will be led by an ecumenical group of church members and church leaders. The length of the visit is 1 hr, 30 mins approx. The session will take place in XXXX. Arrive at XXXX Page 1
Timings: XXXX Please could the children be split up into X groups? There will be an experienced adult helper for each small group. Please can children wear name badges? We are expecting approx XX children. Are there any children with special needs for whom we should make provision? Resources Laptop/Session Power Point and the means to play it. PA/mics portable or inhouse. Work mats. Name stickers for Volunteers/small group leaders Felt Pens/Pencils/Scissors Clip boards/something children can lean on Resources specific to each small base activity outlined below. Bags for the children s work one per group Single Activity Focus sheets stored with this Session on our website: Passport & The Annunciation Session Content Activity Welcome Welcome the children. Introduce yourself and your team and tell the children: We are not here to change what you believe but to help you understand what Christians believe. Today s session is about Christmas. Today s syllabus question is I wonder, why is Christmas so important to Christians? Start by explaining that when we have a special occasion coming up we spend some time getting ready for it. Give examples (a birthday, football match, a wedding, and the birth of a baby). Ask the children how they would get ready for such an occasion or event. Explore for a few minutes. Christmas is a very special occasion/event for Christians and many have special ways of getting ready too. The time for getting ready is called Advent (it means arrival, so we are getting ready for the arrival of Jesus, it is also the first season in the Church year) It is not just about decorating the Christmas tree, cake or decorations! In church we might have an advent wreath with candles, advent calendar or advent candle. Each count down the days/weeks to Christmas day and helps us to remember people who told us about Jesus, people from the bible and people in our own lives. Christians believe that Jesus was God s special gift to the world. Christians think of Jesus as a King. Explore with them where Kings and Royalty might live...a castle, a palace? This king, Jesus, was born in a manger. Our story telling begins. Let s start at the beginning. Tell the children you are going to tell them a story and need their help to tell it. Page 2
Duration 7 mins Session leader Resources PowerPoint (optional) Activity All together Action Story Duration 5 mins Dramatized story of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary told with hand and face actions. See Single Activity Focus: Christmas - The Annunciation Once finished explain that we are going to hear more about this special story. Send children to their small groups. Children should be aware of which group they have been allocated to and should be wearing names stickers (as indicated in notes to school staff) They will spend 20 mins in that group then move clockwise around to the next small group and so on. Session leader keeps time and keeps the other leaders how time is progressing. When 20 mins is up the session leader orchestrates the moving round. Groups move round three times altogether. 1 or 2 leaders from the front Resources Copy of the interactive story, mic & PA preferably Activity 1 Small group Journey to Bethlehem Children arrive at their small group. Welcome them and explain how the afternoon will work with the travelling from one base to the next, hearing about the story as they go. Give them a pretend passport each. See Single Activity Focus: Passport Christmas Yr 1. Does anyone know what a passport is? Ask them to write their name on it, then stamp Bethlehem with an inked stamp. When they move to the next small group they will take their passport with them and get it stamped as if they were on a journey From your nativity set, take out Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, a Donkey and place them in front of you so the children can see them. Page 3
Read the first part of the Christmas story is told when Mary and Joseph travel on the donkey, there is no room at the inn but an innkeeper took pity on them and gave them a place to stay, Jesus is born. Explore this with questions: I wonder how Mary and Joseph were feeling: I wonder how they felt when someone was kid to tem and gave them somewhere to stay? I wonder what it was like in the stable. Duration 20 mins Creative response. Either the children make/colour in a Christmas card with a picture of Mary, Joseph and Jesus on the front. There are plenty of resources on the internet. While they work, ask who will they give this card to? Alternatively, the group could create their own nativity scene. The children colour in pre-cut nativity characters. At this stage they would focus on Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Stat, Manger, cattle shed (or cave), cattle and a donkey. If you have 10 children then make sure you have 10 items to colour in. Have a look at the picture that illustrates the session on the website. This craft can be found as a free resource on Catholicicing.com Have a bag ready for the children to place all their work in before they move onto the next base. The children carry their own passport. 1 or 2 small group leaders per 10 pupils Resources Children s Bible. Nativity figures for story telling purposes (Knitted, 3D models or simply pictures) A printed Passport for each child and ink stamp. Christmas card template for the children to colour in. Felt pens. Alternative craft 3D templates if the nativity to colour in (loads to choose from online but we used the free resource from Catholicicing.com) Activity 2 Small group Journey to the fields Children Journey clockwise to the next base taking their card and passports with them. Welcome the children to your group, stamp other passports. Take a sheep and shepherd figures from the box and set them in front of you/to one side of the family so you are building the nativity scene Read the second part of the Christmas story from a children s Bible: The shepherd s story of preparation. The angels brought greetings and a special message to the shepherds out on the hills, greetings of Good News that the baby/ Messiah/ the King had been born. Explain the message of Christmas for Christians and link it to the message of love we send in cards at Christmas. The shepherds told others about the news which the angels had brought them and then they travelled to where Jesus was born and brought him their gifts. Creative response. Either the children can make a sheep. Again loads online. Essentially children are given a pre-cut sheep template made of card, onto Page 4
which they glue cotton wool/eyes etc. If you are opting to create a nativity set, then the children would colour in sheep, shepherds and angels. Again, enough items for all the children in your group. Children put their craft into the bag again and move to the next small group for the last time. They carry their passport. Duration 20 mins Resources Children s Bible. Nativity figures for story telling purposes (knitted, 3D models or simply pictures) A printed passport for each child and ink stamp. Sheep template on card for each child, cotton wool & glue sticks. Felt pens. Alternative craft 3D templates of the nativity to colour in (loads to choose form online but we used the free resources from Catholicicing.com) Activity 3 Small group activity Journey from the East 1 or 2 small group leaders per 10 pupils The children journey on clockwise to the nest base taking their passports with them and the group s craft in one bag. Welcome the children to your group, stamp their passports. Put a wrapped pretend gift in front of your nativity family. Add the wise men to the scene. Read the third part of the Christmas story from a children s Bible. The Wise Men s journey following a star. Gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh & their symbolic meaning. Answer the question: Why do we give gifts at Christmas? Who do we give gifts to? Explain that Christians believe that Jesus is God s gift to the world. Creative response. Either the children can make a simple star bookmark as a gift to give someone. For example a fat lolly stick, glue a pre-cut star at the top, decorate the rest of the stick. If you have opted for the children to make their own nativity set then this is the last stage with the Kings, gifts, camels etc. Once they have finished you could get all the nativity items out of the bag and assemble them into the nativity scene. Each group of characters offer an opportunity to recap the story. Leave all the craft at this base. Pupils sit back together as one group. Staff then put all of the children s work back into the bag, ready to be taken back to school. Duration 20 mins Small group leaders Page 5
Resources Children s Bible. Nativity figures for story telling purposes (knitted, 3D models or simply pictures) Pretend gift, wrapped in Gold paper. A printed passport for each child and ink stamp. For the bookmark craft-fat lolly sticks, pre-cut start on metallic card & glue sticks. Felt pens. Alternative craft 3D templates of the nativity to colour in (loads to choose from online but we used the free resources from Catholicicing.com) Conclusion & Reflection Duration 10 mins Children return to the front and are addressed as one group all together. Welcome them back. Tell them they have worked well. I wonder what they have learnt today. Gather their thoughts, value every contribution. Tell them that Christians believe that Jesus is special. That people had been waiting for him for a long time. God had promised to send someone and her he is. (take the baby from one of the nativity sets and hold him in your arms) They were expecting a king, and he was, but they were not expecting a baby. This special baby grew up to be a very special man. God s own son. He taught people, healed people/made them better, took all the bad choices they had ever made onto himself and died on the cross but that was not the end of the story three days later he was alive again. This is what we celebrate at Easter. We will share with you more stories in the years to come. At Christmas time, Christians remember and celebrate the start of this story. Our story. We send cards & gifts. In some churches there will be a special carol service some days before Christmas day, as well as a special service on Christmas day itself. Return to the syllabus questions. Project it onto the screen if you are using one. Ask the children what they think. How would they answer this question now? Gather their responses, valuing everything they offer, making gentle correction, if necessary, as you go. If time allows you might like to listen to a carol on a CD or if your church has an organist or band, they could play one. NB very few children have heard a Church organ played. While you are summing up the adults in the room ensure that the children s craft goes back into the bags and is ready to be carried back to school. Hand the children back to the school staff. Thanks given to the team Session leader Resources Projector, lap top, mic, etc. PowerPoint, CD player and CD with children s carols on or perhaps church organist or band members playing live. Page 6