Bible story packets
Sharing the Christmas Story With Kids During Advent
Can I be honest? By the second week of December, I'm usually tired. There are programs and parties, gifts to wrap, and a calendar that fills up faster than I can keep track of. The last thing I want is another big project.
But I want my son to know why we celebrate. Not as a lesson he has to get through, but as a story he loves and keeps coming back to.
So this year, I'm keeping it simple. Advent starts on Sunday, November 29, and our plan is just a Bible, a few minutes, and whatever questions he brings to the table.
We start small
We don't read the whole story at once. We read a few verses and stop. Luke 2:1-7 is where we'll begin.
When he asks something, we look back at the page together. I don't need him to remember every detail the first time, and honestly, I don't always either. Sometimes the best part is the question I didn't see coming.
Some days that happens after breakfast. Some days it's at bedtime. Some days it doesn't happen at all, and that's okay. Tomorrow we just open the Bible again.
Then I tell it back in my own words
After we read, I tell the story again in simpler words, and I let him know that's what I'm doing. It's my retelling, not the Bible's exact words.
Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. While they were there, Mary gave birth to Jesus. She wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
That word "manger" always needs a little explaining. It's a feeding place for animals. I've learned one good explanation goes further than a pile of extra details, so I try to stay close to what the passage actually says.
The shepherds are a favorite
On another night, we read Luke 2:8-20. Here's the short version I tell: shepherds were out watching their sheep at night. An angel told them that Christ the Lord had been born. They hurried to Bethlehem, found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, and then told everyone what they had heard, praising God.
I like to ask something he can find in what we just read, like "Who heard the news first?" or "What did the shepherds do next?" If he's not sure, we read that part again. No big deal.
And sometimes I just ask, "What are you wondering about?" Kids notice things we grown-ups skip right past.
Keeping it light
If he wants to draw the shepherds or tell me what happened first, next, and last, great. If he'd rather talk than write, I write it down for him. When we're done, we might say a short prayer together in our own words.
I made the Birth of Christ Bible Story Packet for days when I want something ready to print. It retells Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 1:18 to 2:12 in kid-friendly words, with KJV memory verses and an answer key.
If you miss a day (or three), you don't have to catch up. Just open the Bible again and ask what your child remembers. Even in the busiest season, there's room for a quiet few minutes together.