Lesson Overview
1
Get Them Curious
Prepare kids for an exciting
learning journey.
Do You Hear What I Hear
Players must shake 5 boxes and guess the number of bells each box contains.
2
Screen Time
Show kids a video on the
Bible story.
Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth
The Story of Christmas (Jesus and the Shepherds), by Saddleback Kids
3
Make it Stick
Help kids remember the
Bible story.
Word Search
Kids re-tell the Christmas story about the angels and the shepherds with the help of a Word Search.
4
Dig Deeper
Help kids grasp
the big idea.
Nativity Light-up Jar
Kids make a Nativity Light-up Jar to share the story of the birth of Jesus.
5
Walk the Talk
Help kids live out
the big idea.
Lifesavers!
The first team to transfer a bowl of Lifesavers candies from one end of the room to the other using toothpicks wins!
6
Take it Home
Send kids home with a concrete action plan and fun midweek activities.
Jesus is our Lifesaver!
Give Lifesavers candy to your friends and use the opportunity to tell them that Jesus is our Lifesaver!
Big Idea
Jesus is our Savior.
Key Verse
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11
Live it Out
We celebrate Christmas by telling others about the birth of our Savior, Jesus!
This Sunday School Lesson requires some advance preparation. For a consolidated summary of preparation, supplies and free printables required, please scroll to the bottom of this lesson.
1. Get Them Curious – Do You Hear What I Hear
Remember to prepare 5 gift boxes in advance. (You can also use empty shoe boxes or tissue boxes.)
Place 1 jingle bell in the first box, 2 bells in the second box, 3 bells in the third box, and so forth.
Use sticky tape to seal all the boxes.
Randomly label the 5 boxes: “A”, “B”, “C”, “D” and “E”.
Have everyone take turns to shake all 5 boxes and guess which box contains 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 jingle bells.
Players write down their answers on small slips of paper.
For example:
- 1 – C
- 2 – A
- 3 – D
- 4 – E
- 5 – B
When everyone is ready, open the boxes to reveal the correct answers.
Award simple prizes to those who guessed correctly.
Discuss:
- Did you enjoy this game?
- What do jingle bells remind you of?
- Do you know the song “Jingle Bells”? What other Christmas carols do you know?
- Do you know that, according to the Bible, there was also caroling on the night of the very first Christmas? (Luke 2:13-14)
- Can anyone guess the title of today’s Bible story?
Say: Let’s watch a short video on Angels Announcing Jesus’ Birth.
Pray: Dear God, thank you for our Do You Hear What I Hear game! Please help us learn more about the caroling on the night of the first Christmas and teach us how you want us to live out today’s lesson! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
2. Screen Time – Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth
This is our favorite YouTube video on Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJIC57EvYFo
Before you begin, tell the children to pay attention to the words of the angel and the shepherds’ response.
3. Make it Stick – Word Search
Remember to download Angels Appeared to the Shepherds Word Search and Solution in advance.
Discuss: What Bible story did we just watch?
Show Slide 1 (Sunday School Lesson Title & Bible Reference):
Divide your class into small groups (3-5 kids per group).
Part 1 – Word Search
Give each group:
- Angels Appeared to the Shepherds Word Search
- Pencils
Kids must work in groups to find 25 words in the Word Search.
(Angels Appeared to the Shepherds Word Search Solution is provided for your reference.)
Part 2 – Story-telling
After all the groups have completed their word search and checked their solutions, show Slide 2 (list of 25 words):
Have each group take turns to re-tell the story in their own words, one sentence at a time.
The first group must use the first word in the list, and so forth.
4. Dig Deeper – Nativity Light-up Jar
Warning: This activity may get messy.
Remember to download the Nativity Silhouettes Printable and prepare all necessary materials in advance.
(The silhouettes must be printed using a laser printer.)
Show kids a sample of the Nativity Light-up Jar that you have made.
Tell kids they will be making their own Nativity Light-up Jars.
You will need for each child:
- 1 set of Nativity Silhouettes (2 different pictures per child: One of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, the other of the shepherds and angel.)
- Transparent Packing Tape (1.88 inches wide)
- Scissors
- A tub or bowl of water (Plastic food containers work well. You just need enough water to fully submerge the silhouettes )
- Transparent Plastic Jar with smooth surface
- Battery operated Fairy Lights
Pasting the sticky tape on the images:
1. Give each child 1 set of Nativity Silhouettes.
(Tip: If you cut the paper closer to the images, you will have less paper to rub off in the next step.)
2. Cut a strip of packing tape slightly longer than the image.
3. Carefully paste the packing tape over the image. Ensure that the entire image is nicely adhered to the tape.
(Some kids may need help with this. You may want to print extra copies in case some get damaged. For younger kids, you may want to paste these for them ahead of time.)
Removing the Paper:
1. Give each child a tub or bowl of water.
2. Place both pieces of silhouette images into the tub/bowl and ensure that they are fully submerged in water.
3. After a few minutes, place your fingers in the tub/bowl and gently rub the paper off the packing tape. The paper will slowly come off, leaving the transparent tape with silhouette images.
4. Once all the paper is has been rubbed off, remove the silhouette images from the water. Place them sticky side up on scrap paper to dry. This should take around 10 minutes.
5. While waiting, pack up all the items no longer needed: scissors, rolls of packing tape, tubs/bowls of water.
Pasting the Silhouettes on the Light-up Jar:
1. Give each child a plastic jar and fairy lights.
2. Once the silhouette images are dry, carefully paste the 2 images on opposite sides of the jar.
3. Switch on the fairy lights and place them inside the jar.
Say: Today we have watched a video about angels appearing to the shepherds, re-told the story as a class, and made our own beautiful Nativity Light-up Jars. Let’s see if you can re-tell the same story to a friend with the help of your Nativity Light-up Jars.
Pair kids up and have them take turns to tell each other today’s story.
They may refer to the Angels Appeared to the Shepherds Word Search or their Bibles (Luke 2:8-21) if they need help.
Have 1 or 2 volunteers tell the story to the class.
Read Luke 2:8-12
Discuss: What did the angel tell the shepherds about Jesus?
Read Luke 2:13-14
Discuss: What did the large group of angels do?
Say: Jesus is not just any ordinary baby. On the night that Jesus was born, angels appeared to shepherds to announce His birth and to praise God! Jesus is our Savior!
Show Slide 3 (Big Idea):
Have everyone read the slide.
Show Slide 4 (Key Verse):
Have everyone read the slide.
5. Walk the Talk – Lifesavers!
Divide into teams of equal numbers.
The first player of each team stands at 1 end of the room, next to a bowl of Lifesavers candy.
The last player stands at the opposite end of the room with an empty bowl.
All other players spread out between the first and last players.
Everyone holds a toothpick in one hand.
(If you are playing with older kids, you can use uncooked spaghetti for a more challenging game.)
On go, the first player must pick up one Lifesavers candy with the toothpick. Pass the candy to the next player, who must pass it to the next player… The last player places the candy in the empty bowl.
If the candy drops, pick it up and place it in the bowl next to the first player.
The first team to successfully transfer all their candy can from one bowl to the other wins.
Discuss:
- Did you enjoy the game?
- Do you like Lifesavers candy? What’s your favorite flavor?
Say: The Lifesavers candy is shaped and named after the live-saving, round floatation device.
Show Slide 5 (Lifesaver):
Discuss:
- Have you seen a real lifesaver? Where?
- What are lifesavers used for?
- When might you need lifesaver?
Say: A lifesaver is designed to be thrown to a person who is in the water, to prevent them from drowning. It is connected to a line, so you can pull the person to safety.
Discuss:
- In what ways is Jesus like or unlike a lifesaver?
- Why do we need Jesus?
Say:
- God loves us and wants to be with us.
- God is holy. He is totally pure, totally without sin. (Habakkuk 1:13a, 1 Samuel 2:2a)
- But we are not holy. We have all done things that are wrong. We have all sinned. (Romans 3:23)
- Our sin separates us from God. (Isaiah 59:2)
- God’s answer to this problem of separation was Jesus. (John 3:16)
- Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and on the 3rd day, rose again. Jesus took the punishment for our sins so that we can be made holy. (1 Peter 3:18; Romans 4:25)
- Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we don’t have to remain separated from God anymore. (John 1:12; 1 John 1:9)
- This restoration is God’s gift to us. (Ephesians 2:8,9)
Discuss: Do you know that you need to accept God’s gift if you want to be with God?
Say:
- God gave us His Son, Jesus, because He loves us!
- God wants us to be with Him forever!
- The Bible tells us that you can become God’s child and be with Him forever if you:
– Admit that you have sinned and ask God to forgive you,
– Believe that Jesus died on the cross to be punished instead of you, and
– Invite Jesus into your life to help you turn away from sin
Discuss:
- Do you want to tell God that you are truly sorry for all the wrong things you have done?
- Do you believe that Jesus took the punishment for your sins?
- Do you want to start a relationship with Jesus to help you turn from all the wrong things you have done and do what is right?
Invite those who want to accept Jesus to pray this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I know that I have sinned. I believe that you died on the cross to take the punishment for my sins. Please forgive all of my sins. Please come into my life and help me turn away from doing wrong. Thank you that because you took the punishment for my sins, I can have a relationship with you now and will one day be with you in heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Say:
- If you have prayed this prayer sincerely, you have become God’s child and will be with God forever and ever! You are saved!
- It is important that you grow in your relationship with God by talking to Him and reading the Bible regularly, and by obeying God.
- For those of us who believe in Jesus, Christmas is a great time for celebrating God’s gift of salvation!
- Let’s read about what the shepherds did after hearing about God’s gift of a Savior
Read Luke 2:15-20
Discuss:
- What was the first thing the shepherds did after the angels left them?
- After seeing Jesus, just as the angel told them, what else did they do?
Say:
- The shepherds didn’t keep the news about Jesus to themselves!
- They spread the word about Jesus!
- And they praised God for all the things they had heard and seen!
- We can do this too!
- We can celebrate Christmas by telling others about the birth of our Savior, Jesus!
Show Slide 6 (Live it Out): 
Have everyone read the slide.
6. Take it Home – Jesus is our Lifesaver!
Say: Let’s recall all that we have learned today. Can you remember the title of today’s Bible Story?
Show Slide 1 again (Sunday School Lesson Title & Bible Reference):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say: Can you remember today’s big idea?
Show Slide 3 again (Big Idea):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say: Can you remember today’s key verse?
Show Slide 4 again (Key Verse):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say:
- We celebrate Christmas because God has given us Jesus!
- Jesus is our Savior! Because of Jesus, we can be with God forever!
- God doesn’t only want to be with us, but He also wants to be with all the people around us. So we should also celebrate Christmas by telling them about Jesus!
- Today you will be bringing home your own Nativity Light-up Jar and I will be giving you some Lifesavers candy. I hope that you can use these to tell your friends about Jesus!
Show Slide 6 again (Live it Out):
Have everyone read the slide.
Discuss: Who can you tell about Jesus?
Give each child a copy of Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth Take it Home Handout and some Lifesavers candy.
Discuss:
- On the first page of the Live it Out section, let’s write down the names of who you can give your Lifesavers candy to!
- Then spend some time praying that God will help you tell them that Jesus is our Lifesaver!
- The other pages are for you to do at home. Tell me next week about what you did at home!
Give everyone some time to write down their Live it Out action plan before ending the lesson with this closing prayer:
Pray: Dear God, thank you for today’s Bible lesson on Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth. Thank you for the good news that the angel told the shepherds – that a Savior has been born! Thank you for giving us Jesus to be our Savior, so that we can be with you forever! Please help us celebrate Christmas by telling others about the birth of our Savior, Jesus! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Lesson Preparation and Supplies
Here’s a summary of all the preparation, supplies and free printables required for this lesson.1
Get Them Curious
Prepare kids for an exciting
learning journey.
Do You Hear What I Hear
Players must shake 5 boxes and guess the number of bells each box contains.
You will need:
- 5 gift boxes (you can also use empty shoe boxes or tissue boxes)
- 15 jingle bells
- Sticky tape
- Marker
- Small prizes for the winners
Place 1 jingle bell in the first box, 2 bells in the second box, 3 bells in the third box, and so forth.
Use sticky tape to seal all the boxes.
Randomly label the 5 boxes: “A”, “B”, “C”, “D” and “E”.
You will also need for each child:
- A small slip of paper
- Pen
2
Screen Time
Show kids a video on the
Bible story.
Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth
The Story of Christmas (Jesus and the Shepherds), by Saddleback Kids
Ensure that you can play this YouTube video:
The Story of Christmas (Jesus and the Shepherds), by Saddleback Kids
(Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJIC57EvYFo)
3
Make it Stick
Help kids remember the
Bible story.
Word Search
Kids re-tell the Christmas story about the angels and the shepherds with the help of a Word Search.
Download Angels Appeared to the Shepherds Word Search.
You will need to print 1 copy for each child.
You may also want to download and print 1 copy of Angels Appeared to the Shepherds Word Search Solution.
Download Slide 1 (Sunday School Lesson Title & Bible Reference):
Download Slide 2 (list of 25 words):
4
Dig Deeper
Help kids grasp
the big idea.
Nativity Light-up Jar
Kids make a Nativity Light-up Jar to share the story of the birth of Jesus.
Warning: Depending on the ages of your kids, this activity may get messy.
Be prepared with mops and rags to soak up any spillage.
If you are worried about kids wetting their clothes, inform them in advance to bring a change of clothes.
Download the Nativity Silhouettes Printable and print using a laser printer. You may want to print extra copies in case some get damaged during the activity.
Make 1 Nativity Light-up Jar in advance.
(Follow the instructions in “Dig Deeper” section above.)
You will need to show kids your sample craft.
You will need for each child:
- 1 set of Nativity Silhouettes (2 different pictures per child: One of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus, the other of the shepherds and angel.)
- Transparent Packing Tape (1.88 inches wide)
- Scissors
- A tub or bowl of water (Plastic food containers work well. You just need enough water to fully submerge the silhouettes )
- Transparent Plastic Jar with smooth surface
- Battery operated Fairy Lights
Download Slide 3 (Big Idea):
Download Slide 4 (Key Verse):
5
Walk the Talk
Help kids live out
the big idea.
Lifesavers!
The first team to transfer a bowl of Lifesavers candies from one end of the room to the other using toothpicks wins!
Divide into teams of equal numbers.
For each group, you will need:
- 1 bowl of Lifesavers candy
- 1 empty bowl
- 1 toothpick per player (plus extras in case they break)
For older players, you may use uncooked spaghetti for a more challenging game.
Download Slide 5 (Lifesaver):
Download Slide 6 (Live It Out):
6
Take it Home
Send kids home with a concrete action plan and fun midweek activities.
Jesus is our Lifesaver!
Give Lifesavers candy to your friends and use the opportunity to tell them that Jesus is our Lifesaver!
Download Angels Announce Jesus’ Birth Take it Home Handout. You will need to print 1 copy for each child.
You will also need to give each child some fun size Lifesavers candy to share with their friends.
It would be good to tell parents about the Take it Home Handout. Encourage them to do the suggested family activity with their child.
