How to Teach Kids the True Meaning of Christmas
Simple, Bible-based ways to help children understand why Christians celebrate Christmas — teach kids the true meaning of Christmas at home or in Sunday school.
Christmas may be one of those things that "used to be Christian". Many parents and churches struggle to reclaim the original meaning of Christmas, while kids nowadays believe it's all about gifts, Santa, and sparkly things.
If your family, church, and culture practise Christmas but you want to regain its Christian meaning, this post is for you.
In this post, I will teach you how to teach children the true meaning of Christmas again. It's not just a story about a baby in a manger - it's the Gospel incarnate; it's God's promise fulfilled (John 3:16). It's Good News that changes everything.
May you find space here to pause, reflect, and abide.
Teach kids the true meaning of Christmas - it's not gifts or Santa
Start with the question: Why do we celebrate Christmas?
Have you ever tried to talk about the Bible to children and they go completely unresponsive? Trust me, I've been there.
Often, we go straight into teaching mode with children. But they tend to shut down when we do that. I've found a better approach is to start by asking a question. I want them to feel confident that they know what I'm talking about.
Here's an example:
"Do you think it's time for us to put up our Christmas tree?... Why do we do that?..."
When we start by asking the question 'why' - kids feel a need to find an answer within themselves. And they will listen.
You can ask why about all kinds of Christmas things:
Why do we give gifts at Christmas time?
Why do we gather with family?
Why do we put up lights?
Why do we practice generosity?
Think about it this way, you want to lead your kids to Jesus, not bore them with more information.
Go beyond the manger
Many of the parent discipleship and kids ministry resources out there focus on the manger. Both at-home and at-church lessons on Christmas seem to only make a big fuss about the Bethlehem star, Joseph and Mary on the donkey, and the 3 wise magi.
The problem is that does not teach kids anything about the true meaning of Christmas. It's just another little story...
The message of Christmas is beautiful.
It started with a promise in the Garden of Eden, echoed through the prophets for generations, and finally was fulfilled through Jesus Christ in his life, ministry, death, and resurrection.
Christmas is tied to the Old Testament.
It ties together the pages of Scripture with a bow;
it opens up the promise and the gift.
Isaiah 9:1 & 6 - "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light....For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And he will be called:Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Use Christmas things children already understand
But teaching theology to kids is not a simple endeavour. If we go into why salvation was needed from the get-go, what incarnation means, and the meaning of epiphany, we will bore them. They just don't understand that yet.
So we have to start at the beginning.
What we'll do is take the things that they are familiar with instead:
When it comes to Christmas, there are certain symbols and icons that give us the material to work with. These include:
Gifts | Jesus is God's gift to the world |
Santa | Generous Saint Nicholas (a follower of Jesus) |
Find the meaning in the rest of the Bible
The way to do a truly impactful Christmas skit or lesson is probably not found in the same old story again. You get to choose and adapt Bible stories so that even little kids can understand them and learn something about God.
As disciples of Jesus, He has something new for us each day. Fresh manna.
God chose an awe-inspiring way to come to the world and save it. Christmas is anything but boring. The Bible is not boring. Because God isn't. How do we make it interesting?
Christmastime, the manger, and the child born to us take on a new meaning, not with flashy props, expensive costumes, or more entertainment - but by going back to the beginning.
We need to help kids see the Bible's big story (so that they can encounter the Bible's big God). We need to inspire awe and wonder. We need to not only tell them about God, but lead them to know Him.
WISE MEN: The magi who read the stars; God creating the stars in Genesis; Daniel being the one who taught the wise men from the East to look for the Messiah's sign; Solomon as the wisest man ever.
CANDYCANE: The Old Testament Scriptures that describe God as a shepherd; Jesus described as the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to look for the 1.
These are just two examples showing how a theme can be highlighted in the Christmas story and connected throughout Scripture to find its place in God's big story.
Ready to get to the real root of Christmas?
If you're planning Christmas lessons for family Bible study, Sunday school or children's church, you don't have to create all of this from scratch. I created a printable 40-page guide that helps you teach kids the true meaning of Christmas:
These two ideas are woven together creatively with popular Christmas items or symbols:
Lesson 1: Lights
Lesson 2: Christmas tree
Lesson 3: Gifts
Lesson 4: Santa Claus
This 4-part lesson plan includes:
How-to section for facilitators
List of Scriptures for deeper study
Introduction
Bible verse & lesson
Coloring page
Response
Questions for discussion
Prayer
Activity
Big idea
Link to a Christmas item
You can read more about the Christmas curriculum / lesson plan in the product description:
P.S. If you enjoyed this post or feel curious to go deeper, I want to invite you to sign up for my newsletter. Be the first to hear about new resources to lead kids in faith.
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