Search online for nativity art, and look at how the same stories have been depicted differently by different artists. You might like to look for pictures of the angel visiting Mary, the angels and the shepherds, the shepherds visiting Jesus and the wise men arriving. Which picture do you like best? How does it speak … Read more
Have fun by dressing up as the characters from the Nativity story. Visit some charity shops to look for bits and pieces that could be used in different ways. Scarves and dressing gowns for example. You could make tunics out of pillowcases and headdresses with tea towels and a ring of elastic. You could download … Read more
This is a simple way to make a gingerbread nativity scene by creating a manger scene in a stable (or house depending on your theology of the nativity!). I know homemade gingerbread tastes fab, but the bought stuff is easier to build with and gets us straight to the fun bit which is of course … Read more
“People who learn to ‘sit still and be quiet’ in church during the early years of their life are more likely to continue to ‘sit still and be quiet in church as adults.” Sharon had me with this quote… let me give a few headlines and then you can read what else I discovered: Title: … Read more
Most families have some dried pasta in the house, so here’s a few ways to use it to explore Bible stories together. While 1 type of pasta works fine, it’s fun to have a few different types. In this picture we used lasagne sheets, spaghetti and twirls (what are they called?). You could read the … Read more
A Mum on the GodVenture Facebook page asked me this question the other day: “I imagine you’ve done quite a bit of research. Can I pick your brains? What are your favourite Christian books for 0-5 year olds? Could be Bible-based stories or more vague.” I love books, so that’s a fab question, but which … Read more
One of the things I like doing when reading the Bible is considering the crowd. Who are the non-speaking people in this story? Which people from other Bible stories might have also been in this one as part of ‘the crowd’. This is especially interesting when looking at stories about Jesus as the Bible often … Read more
This is a simple activity which can be used as an exploration of any Bible story. I use it at home and also in our church as part of our intergenerational service at Easter. The idea is to have lots of abstract shapes for people to create their own pictures with. The pictures could be … Read more
I wonder what part of the Easter story you like best? Which part have you particularly noticed this year? I wonder what you might make out of these shapes? I love open-ended activities. We have creative materials out all the time for my daughters to create something whenever the mood takes them. And they do! Often … Read more
Title: The Big Bible Activity Book Written by: Maggie Barfield Published by: Scripture Union Price: £11.99 Buy from: Scripture Union Useful for: parents of children age 1-6 years old Best bit: My daughter (age 4) said it was the stickers. Of course. We love stickers. For me, the best bit was the fresh new contemporary … Read more
This week I made a photobook using actual Bible text and toys to ‘act’ the story then set the book up with the toys in an ‘Invitation to Play’ the story. When I found a company doing photobooks for £6 (!) I got to work making a photobook of a Bible story using Bible text … Read more
I love Advent and candles. Here’s a really simple idea for using them to develop thankfulness in the run up to Christmas. It doesn’t take long, but a few moments each day will help develop a habit of thankfulness in a month when so much is trying to pull us away from it. You might … Read more