Jesus is the greatest gift we could ever receive! This Sunday school lesson comes from Dig In Sunday School Curriculum. Use these activities to get children’s ministry students in the holiday spirit!
Sunday School Lesson: Jesus Is the Greatest Gift
Introduce the Lesson
Say: Today we’ll learn about when Jesus came to earth as a baby. God sent his only Son as a gift for us. Jesus is the greatest gift ever. That’s what Christmas is all about!
Share
First tell kids about a place you usually go around Christmas, such as a family member’s house, an event, or a special store.
Then have kids form small groups and tell about a place they usually go around Christmas.
Summarize
Open a Bible, and say: Today we’ll celebrate Christmas and that Jesus is the best gift ever, and we’ll explore what that means to us. We’ll dig into the Bible to find out. The Bible is another one of God’s special gifts. It’s one way God teaches us and talks to us. God is ready to teach you and talk to you right now.
Pray, thanking God for Jesus, the greatest gift.
Discover the Bible (20 min)
Christmas: Jesus Is Born (Luke 2:1-7)
Supplies
- Bible
- paper
- pencils
- 1 pebble per child
- spray bottle of lukewarm water
- masking tape
- a wrapped package containing birthday cake, plates, and forks
Easy Prep
- Use masking tape to make a narrow, winding pathway leading from one side of the room to the other.
- Make a masking-tape square at each end of the path. One square should be large enough to hold all of your kids. The other square should be very small.
Take a Census
Have kids form small groups of no more than four.
Say: Let’s take a census. A census is a list of people along with information about their families. Write the name of everyone in your group. Also, note the number of people in each person’s family.
Have kids take the census in their groups. Have them add up the total number of people in all the families.
When groups are finished, ask for a tally of the total number from each group.
Say: In the Bible, when the government did a census, it was so they could get money from people. So now you have to give me $10 for every person in your group’s total.
Pause for a reaction, and then tell kids you’re just kidding about them owing you money but that the government in the Bible really did do that.
Say: When I read about that in the Bible, you’ll make a trumpet noise whenever you hear the word “census.” Read aloud Luke 2:1-3, pausing for kids to make trumpet sounds.
Say: The census was the first step in God’s plan to send the best gift ever. He wanted to give the gift of Jesus in a special place called Bethlehem.
Pick up the wrapped gift, and ask who wants to know what’s inside. Tell kids it’s a great gift, but it’s not the best gift ever. Then set it down and tell them they’ll have to wait.
Take a Trip
Say: In order to be counted in the census, a couple named Mary and Joseph had to go from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph were married and were expecting a baby. Let’s take the trip with them.
Have kids each put a pebble in one shoe. Then have all the kids stand in the larger square, which represents Jerusalem.
Read aloud Luke 2:4-5. Then lead kids on a walk through the narrow pathway to “Bethlehem” (the small square). As kids journey, pause periodically to allow them to experience some of the difficulties of the trip as listed below.
Say: There might be lions or other dangerous animals. Have kids pause and make lion sounds.
Say: There could be robbers. Have kids show a scared face.
Say: It’s through a desert, so you might get hot and sweaty! Spray kids with the water.
Say: You’d have to sleep outside along the way. Step off the path and lie down on the side of the road. Have kids “sleep” for a few seconds.
Say: Now get back up and keep moving! This trip also takes us through Samaria—a city where no one likes us. Have kids making booing sounds.
Say: Your feet might be hurting because of the pebbles. I’m guessing their feet hurt, too. They had to travel for about 10 days, probably on foot! And Mary was pregnant. Walk slower and hold your back because it hurts. Have kids walk slower for a little bit.
Ask:
- How do you feel right now?
Continue until everyone is at or near Bethlehem. Start to pick up the gift again, but then set it back down and say it’s not time yet. Say: You’ll love this gift! But it’s not the best gift ever!
