The following links come from our October 2022 Zoom Coffee Chat in which five of our "treasure hunters" shared their favorite Advent and Christmas lessons, ideas, programs, and resources from Rotation.org.
20 Favorite Advent and Christmas Lessons, Ideas, and Resources
presented by our Rotation.org Treasure Hunters:
Beth Tobin, Robin Stewart, Cathy Walz, Luanne Payne, and Neil MacQueen
Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, traditions, programs,
lessons, crafts, videos, scripts, software, meals, and more!
To be used for Sunday School, special events, weekly programs, or at-home.
INTRODUCTORY SITE TOUR LINKS:
Link to our Advent and Christmas resource forum!- Link to our search feature.
- Link to our Teachers Lounge where you can post a request for help.
20 ADVENT RESOURCES FOR AT-HOME AND AT-CHURCH
- Cathy: Children's Sermons for Advent and Epiphany (yes, we are more than "just" lessons—we have a lot of resources to offer!)
- Robin: an Advent Family Pancake Breakfast and Worship, a favorite ministry tradition. This event can be used as an in-church Advent Event or adapted for at-home Advent boxes. There are a number of activities/crafts at our site that could be used for this event, such as making a creche scene for a Nativity in a box and giving families Advent devotions to use at home for the remainder of the season.
- Cathy: an "at-home" activity: "Home for the Haggadah." And don't miss the resources at this link for teaching about Hanukkah, including why Christians should celebrate it.
- Neil: Advent At-Home Resource Highlights and a sharable video clip presentation of those highlights that you can distribute to your families. This is a special "super collection" of resources originally posted for "AT HOME" use by individuals and families. Most are suitable for in-church use too. Lots of great media as well. The collection comes with a 90 second VIDEO you can download and share with people that leads them to the special collection posted here at Rotation.org
CHRISTMAS LESSONS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL OR WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
- Luanne: Games: A Christmas Mix-Up (And don't miss the good idea for how to do this lesson with non-readers, posted right below the game.)
- Cathy: a simple Christmas craft: Christingle - It is a fruit craft and ceremony that includes a candle (light of the world).
- Robin: Story of Ann and Simeon video by Meghan Adrian. This video contains a short, cookie-based object lesson and an animated version of the story of Anna and Simeon.
- Luanne: "The Promise: Birth of the Messiah" is my favorite Christmas video; using it for several different parts of the Christmas story is outlined in detail in our video guide (open to Supporting Members; screenshots below). The guide includes reflection questions and several lesson plans that go with different sections of the movie.
- Luanne: Fluffy and God's Amazing Christmas Adventure is software that can be downloaded for free by Supporting Members of Rotation.org. This program has six Bible lesson areas in it, including the Angel and Mary, Birth of Jesus, Shepherds, and Magi. Fluffy lesson plans can be found in our various Advent Bible story forums in the Computer Workshop. Five of our Writing Team's Advent lessons use the software as well.
A Pause to catch our breath and recommend Supporting Membership; complete Christmas story lesson sets from our creative Writing Team, software, and so much more can be shared with your church for only $45! (Note that some of the links we are sharing are open to Supporting Members only, so this Zoom was a chance to peek at what we offer! You can see some screenshots of those lessons and resources in the posts below.)
SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS WRITING TEAM LESSON SETS
- Robin: Isaiah Promised, Jesus Fulfilled - Parade of Old Testament Heroes to Zeroes is rather elaborate, but is a great example of a drama lesson that could be "morphed" into a number of versions. Students perform and make a quick and fun video "Parade of Old Testament Heroes and Zeroes" to explore why God wanted to be king all along. Humorous script included. Would make a good Christmas play as well!
(Luanne's church used the script for a performance in addition to a lesson,)
Open to all: lesson summaries for the Advent/Isaiah lesson set. - Cathy: the Game Workshop from Jesus is Born includes a verse scramble, a mad scramble, and a Mad Lib. (Don't miss the adaptations for nonreaders.)
The entire Jesus Is Born! lesson set is available as a FREE sample of our creative Writing Team lesson sets. - Luanne: Shepherds and Angels - a drama using a creative "Flat-Lay" technique.
Open to all: lesson summaries for Shepherds and Angels lesson set.
Link to instructions for "Flat Lay" Photo and Video Drama Technique. - Beth: Mary Accepts, Magnifies, Ponders Cooking and Art workshops - our kids loved these lessons and we easily adapted the cooking workshop for our shorter class time.
Open to all: lesson summaries for the Mary Accepts lesson set.
CREATIVE CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS
- Luanne: For something completely different - a Black Light Christmas Song - "It's All About the Cross" song by Go Fish.
Link to black light theater instructions to help you use this technique for other Bible stories. too. - Beth: a minimal preparation Christmas Program that we do each year as part of our family Christmas Eve service. Script and instructions for leaders are included.
EPIPHANY PROGRAMMING
- Cathy: Art: making chunk candles to learn about how Jesus is the Light of the World.
- Beth: a "Follow the Star" family event including sample room instructions.
- Robin: Epiphany party - Another of my favorite ministry traditions was a welcome back and restart after Christmas. This Epiphany Minute-to-Win-It works as a party activity as well as a stand-alone lesson. (Games)
- Beth: an Epiphany Drama that we do every few years in worship.
- Beth: suggestions for John 1 ~ In the beginning was the Word... Use this passage in Epiphany as a recap of Christmas and tie it in with the Baptism of Jesus; children can reflect on the traditional Christmas story and expand their understanding that Jesus was here from the beginning. (This would also make for a great series with Middle and High Schoolers as well as with parents and adults!)
Recommendations from some of our Zoom Chat Participants
- From Margie Roxborough: If you are in Canada and need computers (free) for your organization, check out this program: Computers for Schools Plus.
- Raquel asked about resources in other languages:
- Rotation lesson plans (and other resources) in Spanish
- Here is a Swiss/French site: Les Ateliers de la Bible (Bible Workshops)
- The Jesus Project has films in a variety of languages
- Search YouTube for videos in your country/language.
- Many organizations such as The Jesus Project offer their materials in a variety of languages. Check the link from our site to a video you are interested in to see if it is available in other languages.
- Google Translate can translate websites (such as ours) into the language you choose.
NOTE that in order to view some of the resources that were shared you will need a FREE registered membership.
Other resources are available only to our Supporting Members. Not sure if you are ready to spend $45 for a Supporting Membership? Take a look at our free sample Supporting Member only resource: The Writing Team's Jesus Is Born! lesson set. In it you will find seven creative lessons covering Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.
