How to do faith at home at Christmas

Advent and Christmas are notoriously busy. So much so, that there could be a case for not bothering to try to do anything faith at home focused and just starting again in the New Year. However, I believe it’s such a wonderful season, we would be crazy not to take advantage of the opportunities. One … Read more

8 ways to use the Nativity I-spy Colouring Poster

I love colouring and I love Christmas, so this Nativity I-spy Colouring Poster is a perfect combination. I’m also a big fan of using the activities we do around Christmas to celebrate Jesus in some way, so here are some ideas on how you can use this colouring poster: 1 Just colour it. Use it … Read more

Three questions for a connected Christmas

It’s December, the last month in what has been a pretty dreadful year in many ways. How do we celebrate Christmas? In order to work out our answer to that question, I’ve got three questions (I’ve put each in three different ways – make your choice!): What is your family like? / What do you … Read more

Chocolate Star Prayers

Read the story from Matthew 2 or listen to it being read by David Suchet. Invite everyone to chat or think about the impact the star had on the wise men, what impact did it have in their lives? The sorts of things they might say include that: it guided them when they saw it, … Read more

Review: The Promise and the Light

Title: The Promise and the Light By: Katy Morgan Published by and available from The Good Book Company Best bit: 25 short chapters telling the story of Jesus’ birth in an imaginative, but true-to-the-Bible way, perfect for children aged 5-11 years old Worst bit: no pictures, and I would love an audio version! More thoughts: … Read more

Review: The Adventure of Christmas

Title: The Adventure of Christmas By: Ed Drew RRP: £6.99 Published by and available from: The Good Book Company Best bit: Short but meaningful daily Advent devotionals with a picture for each day and something for all ages – from under-fives to adults! Worst bit: Only a few creative activities for people with other learning … Read more

How to run a fun Online Advent Party

I ran a couple of really fun parties during Lock Down and it’s definitely possible to keep it simple and therefore easy to run! Here are some keys to keeping it fun: Be intentional Before you start to plan your party, as with a face to face event, it’s crucial that you clarify what you’re … Read more

Review: The Newborn King

Title: The Newborn King By: Sarah J. Dod and Raffaella Ligi Price: £5.99 Published by: Lion Available from: Eden Good for: children aged 3-7 years Best bit: Lovely artwork and tone of the storytelling, which makes all the characters feel real Worst bit: There is what I would consider additional elements added which aren’t in the … Read more

Review: The Gift of Christmas

Title: The Gift of Christmas – The boy who blessed the world By: Mary Joslin and Kristina Swarner Price: £7.78 Published by: Lion Good for: children age 5-10 years Best bit: Lovely, whimsical artwork and a re-telling of the story which is very close to the Bible version told in Luke and Matthew. It also … Read more

Christmas at Home Activities

Below is a collection of faith at home activities for Christmas. Use this list to inspire your own activities, choosing things which really work for your family. Here are Some articles to help you choose the activities which are right for your family: Here’s the mega-list of Christmas activities: Things to do each day in Advent … Read more

Preparing for COVID-19 Christmas

This Christmas is the Christmas we never thought we’d have to plan for! So, what can we do to make it a good one? In some ways not being able to plan for huge, elaborate group gatherings – nativity plays, carol services, parties – leaves us free to have a bit of a rethink about … Read more

Explore the story with old Christmas cards

Have you got some old Christmas cards stashed? Here’s some ideas of ways you can use them to explore the Christmas story together: 1. Sort them Go through your cards and split them into two piles: ones which feature something in the Christmas story and those which don’t. You might need to do a quick … Read more