Watercolours and washi tape Christmas art

We use watercolours a lot at our house. I love that I can leave them out for the children to use whenever they want, and even when my 2-year-old chooses to paint herself blue (quite often!), she can just be washed down! Coming up to Christmas I see lots of cute hand and footprint pictures, … Read more

Countdown candle prayers

I am just sending my three god-daughters a countdown candle with a card with some suggestions of prayers they could use with their candle. I say countdown candle, as strictly it’s not Advent, as Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, I believe. This candle has numbers 1-24 to countdown to Christmas during December. … Read more

What’s your nativity scene like?

Home is the perfect place to have a nativity scene which children can play with. Often sets are so beautiful and delicate that they aren’t appropriate for children’s touch, which is a shame. There isn’t any other Bible story which has so many versions available, and play is a wonderful way for children (and adults!) … Read more

Candle prayers

As the nights get darker, and we get closer to eating our evening meal in the dark, it’s the perfect time to try out a candle prayer. You could use– a large, chunky, church candle which will last a long time– a long, thin candle in a candle stick which will raise the flame away … Read more

Explore the story with your Nativity set

Home is the perfect place to have a nativity scene which children can play with. Often sets are so beautiful and delicate that they aren’t appropriate for children’s touch, which is a shame. Play is a wonderful way for children of all ages (and adults!) to explore the meaning of this incredible story–the one which … Read more

10 great ideas for Christmas and Advent

The run-up to Christmas, traditionally celebrated as Advent, is such a busy time, but also a powerful time to remember, celebrate and absorb the incredible story of when God became a human baby. All families have traditions around Christmas, so all we need to do is intentionally use them to give everyone the opportunity to … Read more

Christmas Fuzzyfelt

Cut a set of simple geometric shapes from felt and use them to create pictures of the Christmas story using this template. Here’s how to do it: 1. Choose your felt colours. You could cut all the shapes out of one colour sheet, or choose different colours. I chose colours which lent themselves towards certain … Read more

Fill your own Advent pockets calendar

Advent pockets or even little advent drawers are popular these days. I found some good-value ones in TK Max. But there are others here or here. It’s easy to pop in a choccy for each day, but if you want something which helps children explore the Christmas story over the 24 or 25 days. I’ve … Read more

Satsuma prayers

One of the things I love about late  Autumn and Winter are satsumas. I eat loads of them so I thought it would be a good idea to have a way to pray while I indulge. So here’s a prayer idea using satsumas 🙂 It’s so simple: Pray for a different person as you eat each segment. … Read more

Benecol nativity

A Christmas Family GodVenture

Make your own nativity set using yogurt pots. Benecol bottles (any yogurty type bottles will do!) work well, and it’s easy to use the stickers from A Christmas Family GodVenture. The book has 400+ stickers including lots of faces, buttons and the like to create your own nativity scene.In fact, you don’t even need bottles, … Read more

Advent wreath prayers

Advent is the four weeks running up to Christmas.  It is a time of expectant waiting and preparation and many Christian traditions light candles during this time. How to make a wreath: To do this you will need four or five candles, and perhaps some spares in case the early ones burn right down. Try … Read more

DIY Christmas Play

A family Christmas play

Put on a simple fun play as a family, or with a few friends. Obviously, you can make up your own play. Have fun with costumes and set! When my children were 7 and 9, they worked on doing a secret Christmas play together, but it was a bit tricky with only 2, and the 9 … Read more