Christ-Centered Advent Activites for Kids
Just thinking about the holiday season reminds me of twinkling lights, sweet cookies with hot cocoa, snuggly storytimes, and fun family activities while being red nosed in the coldest weather. During all the hustle, bustle, traditions, and nostalgia that comes with this wonderful, and chilly, time of year, it is easy to lose sight of the most wondrous miracle of all: that God so loved the world, that while we were still enemies, He sent His Son to die for us.
Jesus came to earth as a man and gave the deathblow to sin and the grave once and for all. What started as a glorious creation with God ever present, fell into darkness and needed a marvelous rescue plan. That God-crafted rescue plan was foretold throughout scripture and came to fruition through the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ!
I don’t want to EVER lose sight of this truth! Especially during a season of the year in which we have dedicated to focusing on the miracle of the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.
One of the ways our family keeps the season pointing to Jesus is through our yearly advent activities. We love making memories by reading snuggly stories while sipping hot apple cider or hot cocoa, and doing crafts and activities that help us remember who our Savior is and what He has done for us!
Without further adieu, here are some of our tried and true favorites!
Preschool Activites
ABC Jesus Loves Me is one of our favorite preschool resources and curriculums. Here is a direct link to a compilation of Chrismas activities to point little hearts toward Jesus. One of our favorite activities is to count down the snowy December days with Legos.
Each day our kiddoes (most of whom are older than preschool age now 😉 ) wake up to a scavenger hunt for the day’s lego. Each lego has a name of Jesus written on it. We start our day by talking about the name, and what attributes of God it represents.
There is a scripture reading for each name too! Slowly, as our knowledge of God’s truth is being built, our lego Christmas tree is formed. (Note: if you sign up for Heidi’s email list on her blog, she usually includes a link to a printable Christmas Activity Workbook with these instructions, scriptures, and a fun Christmas family activity or craft for each advent day! 🙂 )
This is such a fun way to start our day with our hearts centered on Christ!
Jesse Tree
Our family has been doing a Jesse tree in some form for 5 years now. The idea comes from the scripture Isiah 11:1-2:
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Isiah 11:1-2
We know that this was a prophecy foretelling about the Messiah who would come from the line of Jesse. Following our favorite Jesse tree book, The Jesse Tree by
This has become our Advent bedtime story tradition, prompting the sweetest discussions before bedtime kisses. <3
Jesse Tree Ornament Making
We recently came across a free printable scripture list to follow the stories in our Jesse tree book. The free printable download also contains printable symbols for each day of advent/each Jesse tree story.
This year, my kiddoes will color the appropriate symbol. Once finished we will cut them out, laminate them, and add a hole punch and twine to the top. I intend for us to keep these as keepsake ornaments for years to come! (Be sure to print on cardstock for extra durability.)
We have been coloring each ornament during out homeschool table time following the previous night’s story. I love that my children are able to dictate the Bible stories back to me, while they are coloring and creating! 🙂
Christmas Around the World
This is a brand new unit study focusing on how Christmas is celebrated in 20 different countries around the globe. We have been enjoying doing this study as a family! Every few days you focus on a new country and how Christmas is celebrated there.
Each country has information to read through/learn together, comprehension questions, and a fun worksheet based activity (coloring, etc..) that helps the information really stick.
Take a trip around the world while imagining what decorations, foods, and traditions you would be participating in if you lived in another country this advent season. Read my full review and learn how to get your hands on a copy (and enter a giveaway for a chance to win a FREE copy!) HERE.
We have enjoyed lightening our school load during the Advent season so that we can fit in fun unit studies like Christmas Around the World. My kids don’t know they are doing geography, handwriting, reading comprehension, and art with this study, they just think we are playing. Score! 😉
Other Advent Traditions
Some of our other favorite traditions we have continued through the years include:
Watching What’s in the Bible: Why do they call it Christmas.
Making gingerbread cookies and houses.
Make an editable nativity and have your children narrate the story!
Making and decorating ninja bread cookies has been a super fun gingerbread tradition at our house! 🙂
Read about how we are like God’s gingerbread man created, wayward then ransomed for a price HERE to keep this activity Christ-centered 🙂
Singing Christmas Hymns during Advent from August through the new year! 😉 Here are some of our treasured resources for getting Christmas hymns into your home!
And another compilation of Christmas hymns and carols is FREE for download!
We also enjoy celebrating Chaunaka together as a family every year like Jesus did. We foccus on Jesus being the light of the world, as we discover the miricle of the oil that didn’t run out as the temple was cleansed. Find more Hanukkah resources for Christian families here.
As you can see our many Christmas Advent activities fill our hearts with God’s truth all while making sweet, twinkling memories throughout the season. I am praying your advent is filled with Jesus’ presence as we quiet our hearts, fill our homes with laughter and cocoa, and seek Him more! <3
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Tiffany
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