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
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
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
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
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
A simple activity for Advent is to do some colouring meditation. Download this beautiful nativity colouring poster and print it at whatever size suits you. Spend time together colouring and listening to Christmas carols or worship music or the Christmas story from an audio Bible. Chat and think and chew over the wonder of the … Read more
One thing we’ve found helpful during December is to celebrate Saint Nicholas. There are lots of lovely story books out there about him, and his story is a combination of fact and myth. What I love is that our traditions of gift giving and specifically Father Christmas are linked to him. I really like this … Read more
Make your own nativity scene using lollysticks, paper, glue and pencils Glue 4 or 5 lolly sticks together to create a house. If you use 5, you can make a pointed roof. To make this fast, you could use a glue gun (You can get cool ones for children to use too).Next glue a piece … Read more
Bake jam tarts or cookies using an angel-shaped cutter and give them to a friend, neighbour or a delivery person. If appropriate, offer to pray for them, including a prayer that God will bring them good news, just like the angels brought good news at the first Christmas. You might like to read the Christmas … Read more
Make clay ornaments with words of blessing on to give to people as ornaments. You could write or stamp words that describe blessings, which you pray God will give them, such as courage, peace, joy, strength. We made these and hung them from a little tree in our hall. Any time a visitor came to … Read more
If you’re looking for a nativity set which can be played with, one good way to get one is to make one together. Peg dolls make simple people to which you can add as much or as little as you choose. I usually opt to leave faces blank or just draw on eyes with a … Read more
Make your own wrapping paper, keep it environmentally friendly and use it to pray for and bless the people who will unwrap it! Use an angel-shaped cookie cutter to print paint over a large sheet of paper. You could also make Christmas cards and gift tags in the same way. Chat about what the angels … Read more