Here are the lessons and outline to my church's 3-hour Christmas Vacation Bible School we called "The Gift of Christmas Event."
It could easily be adapted for Sunday morning lessons as well.
The event last three hours and we scheduled it for a weekend afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m.
- We had a 15 minute opening (to give kids a chance to be dropped off). During the opening, they decorated gift bags--at each activity station they got an item to put into their bag.
- Then we had 5 activity stations (each 30 minutes long).
- There was a 15" closing session at the end where the kids could watch a video or color while waiting for their parents.
We divided our kids into 3 groups. Each group had 2 youth group members serving as guides. Each activity station had a teacher and a helper. One of these 2 persons was the narrator--we told the Christmas story from the perspective of 5 different characters.
Here is a brief overview:
| STATION | Narrator | Activity Overview |
|
| Opening | n/a | 15" gathering time. Tables with crayons and markers so that kids can decorate their gift bags | The gift bag! |
| Games | Mary | Go through an obstacle course--the various obstacles retell Mary's story | flyer about our church and Sunday School |
| Drama | Shepherd | Put on costumes and act out the story | Christmas tract--The Gift of Christmas |
| Cooking | Angel | Put together a snack mix--the ingredients help tell the story | Their left-over snack and the "recipe" (with the meanings) |
| Art | Joseph | Create an ornament--one for themselves and others to share with people receiving a basket from the food pantry. | Their tree |
| Gift | Magi | They will put together a brownie mix (in a bag not a jar) as a gift. | The gift and the recipe |
