The kits were easy to assemble and the children loved the experience of “creating” their own nativity set, especially since they have read and learned so much about Jesus’ birth this month. 

Traditionally, the Christmas season in liturgical churches starts on Christmas Day and extends into January, culminating with Epiphany on January 6, so it is not too late to use the nativity kits.

Christmas Day will soon come and go, but we will have some winter vacation days at home with our children before they must go back to school.  This craft would be an excellent activity for one of winter’s cold and snowy days at home! 

Enjoy your families and may God grant you all a blessed and Merry Christmas!

Just as we adults can feel bombarded by the materialism of our society at this time of year so, too, can our children. They can so easily be drawn into the glitter and bright lights of the shopping season, deceived by ads designed to help them confuse “What I truly need” with “What I really, really want.”

As Christian adults and children, we believe a relationship with Jesus fills our deepest need. We know that his love for us is the one gift that truly lasts forever. Together, we remind one another of this—in church, in our families, in our circle of friends. For example: 

• During this Advent season, we sing songs focused on God’s gift of a Savior.
• We plan ways to do kind things for those around us.
• Maybe you remember the practice of putting a handful of hay or a single straw in a small ”manger” when you do something helpful for someone else during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Children still love that practice! It works!
• In my class, we always plan a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” party as well.

CTA has been an enormous help to me, both as a mother and a teacher, in helping children keep the main things the main things during the Christmas season. I encourage you to check out CTA’s Christmas crafts and gifts for children.

The Christmas Story Pen is a meaningful gift all your students will find intriguing and fun–and for only 99 cents each when you buy a dozen! You might even buy two for each student and help them learn to use the second one to share the Good News of Jesus’ birth with a friend.

Want to know more? Check  out the video description!

Pumpkin Prayer Bookmark

Halloween is a great example! This year, I plan to cut out bright-colored fish, a heart, and cross shapes similar to those on CTA’s Pumpkin Prayer bookmark. I also plan to cut pumpkins out of construction paper in proportion to the fish, hearts, and crosses. 

Then, using the symbols, the children can create their own pumpkin faces. If I send home the Pumpkin Prayer Activity kit or bookmark from CTA, it will explain the project and the symbols in a way most parents will notice. 

This can also work a larger scale. If you are responsible for a children’s message or devotion for children’s church in October, think about creating a giant Prayer Pumpkin in front of the group. Then send home a Pumpkin Prayer bookmark or Pumpkin Prayer Activity kit with each child. It is a great way to help equip families with tools they can use to guide them in their child’s faith formation.

Have a fun, friendly, and faith filled fall!

In addition, today’s economy forces me to be as organized as possible when I make purchases. This often means planning ahead, and taking the time to shop around for the best deals for my money.

For both these reasons, I was glad to see the latest copy of my CTA catalog in my mailbox this week. I found many things already on sale, including teacher gifts, Halloween items, small gifts to have on hands for birthdays, and even some Christmas items!

It pays to be organized and to plan ahead!

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How wonderful that in the Northern Hemisphere Easter corresponds with spring and new life in the flowers and trees. This makes it that much easier to teach young children about the new life God gives us in Jesus!

I like to plant seeds with my students at this time each year. We save our milk cartons from lunch, cut off the tops, and glue construction paper covers around the cartons. We use these in a lesson that integrates both science and religion class.

We talk about how God has given us the earth, the sun, and the rain, that these work together to make the seasons, and that spring marks the arrival of new life. God gives new life to seeds, just as he brought Jesus’ body back to life. The kids love this interactive lesson, and it’s become even more meaningful since CTA has begun to offer their plantable seed cross—it works perfectly for this project!

I’ve always found the lesson teachable because children love colors and relate so well to them. As the children and I read the prayer together, we discuss the meaning of the words.

The bag of free jellybeans that come with several of CTA’s Jellybean prayer items helps to complement this activity. I send these home with the children as my Easter gift to them.

My students always treat the stories of the last days of Jesus’ life very somberly. People often ask how I talk about all this with kindergarteners without frightening them or being too graphic.

We begin by discussing what a sacrifice is and what temptation is. We talk about how Jesus went into the desert to pray, and how that was a sacrifice because he went without food or water for 40 days. We then talk about what it feels like to be “tempted” to do wrong, and how the devil tempted Jesus. I tie this in with the virtues of courage and perseverance. We talk about what we can sacrifice to help others.

As Holy Week approaches, we talk about the last week of Jesus’ life and all he did to show us he loved us. At this point I tell my children that not everyone liked the things that Jesus taught, and one day they decided to put Jesus to death on the cross. My children have always been very respectful and attentive to this explanation. I also tell them that because Jesus was willing to die on the cross, the sins that we commit are forgiven. It has been my experience that this develops a reverence for Holy Week and for Jesus’ death for us.

I have made it a practice not to celebrate the resurrection until the children return to school after Easter. I will discuss that in my next blog, “Celebrating Easter.”

Editor’s Note: For ideas about teaching the Easter message to children, please visit our Children’s Easter Products page and Free Resources page.