How to Keep Your Child Focused on Jesus at Christmas
December is here, and Christmas is just around the corner! For many of us, Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year,” so it’s easy to get caught up in all things holidays: decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, parties, and more. Imagine how easy it is for our kids to focus on Santa, gifts, and parties! If you’d like to teach your kids more about the true reason we celebrate Christmas, we have 10 great tips to help you keep your kids focused on Christ this Christmas.
1. Advent: Advent is a season of preparation for Christmas. Advent begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and ends on Christmas Eve. You can find family advent books that use child-friendly terms and prayers to help your children learn about and prepare for Christmas. Some books include fun activities for children to do in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
2. Stocking for Jesus: Hang a special “stocking for Jesus” with your family stockings. Encourage family members to write an anonymous note whenever someone does something nice for them and drop the note in the stocking as a gift to Jesus. On Christmas Eve, read the notes and celebrate.
3. Christmas Crafts: Make ornaments or other special Christmas crafts with your kids. One idea is to make a candy cane ornament by decorating a pipe cleaner with alternating red and white beads and then bending it into the shape of a cane. While you’re making the ornament, talk to your kids about the meaning and symbolism of candy canes. (Just be sure to supervise the activity with little ones around as beads can be choking hazards!)
4. Nativity Scene: When you display your nativity set, put the wise men far away from the manger. Each day, have your kids move the wise men a little closer and talk about their journey to see the baby Jesus. You can do the same with the shepherds and sheep. Have your child put the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning before opening presents as a reminder that Jesus’ birth is the reason we celebrate Christmas.
5. Christmas Story: There are some wonderful children’s Christmas books you can read throughout December. On Christmas Eve, read the story of Jesus’ birth from one of the gospels before your children go to bed.
6. Christmas Songs: It’s fun to sing about Frosty and Rudolph, but have a sing-a-long with songs like Silent Night, Away in a Manger, and Joy to the World while you’re singing Christmas tunes with your kids. And take your songs on the road – caroling for your neighbors or senior center residents is a fun activity for kids!
7. Attend a Live Nativity: Many churches have live nativity scenes the week before Christmas. Take your kids, and talk to them about what it may have been like for baby Jesus to be born in a stable.
8. Do Good for Others: Younger children can pick out toys to donate to toy drives or help pack food items for those in need. Older children can make fleece blankets to donate. Kids can also celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas by leaving a small gift anonymously on a neighbor’s porch each of the 12 days before Christmas.
9. Birthday Party: Many of us serve cakes and other special desserts on Christmas. Celebrate Jesus’ birth by making a cake and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
10. Limit Gifts: We all know kids who make lengthy Christmas wish lists, get lots of toys, and then abandon them to the back of the closet by New Year’s. There are ways to limit the wish list! One idea is to emulate the wise men: tell your child he can ask for 3 presents because the wise men brought 3 presents to baby Jesus. Another idea is to tell your child she can ask for something to wear, something to read, something she wants, and something she needs. While this option doesn’t have the religious tie-in, it does limit the number of toys on your child’s list and sets expectations for Christmas presents.
We know it can take a disciplined effort to keep a focus on Christ during the weeks leading up to Christmas, but we hope these tips will help you and your kids find time to meditate on Jesus’ birth and the impact His coming had on the world. For as Matthew 1:21 reminds us, “(Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save the people from their sins.” Praise God for the precious gift of His Son.
One by One wishes all of you a Merry Christmas. Our mission is to provide mentoring and education to new moms so they parent well. If you are a new mom looking for support, please contact us here to be matched with a mentor. If you are a woman looking for a way to walk alongside and support a new mom and are interested in being a mentor, please contact us here.