Angels Visit the Shepherds
Teacher's Guide - this is just one possible lesson plan. Visit the Angels
or the Christmas
Bible section for further ideas to supplement this.
Introduction:
Most children know this story very well. The story never changes, but
it seems the world tries to reinvent what Christmas is all about. I've
said this before, but it's worth mentioning again. When instructing young
children, repetition is a positive thing. Everything is so new at this age
that it is helpful to repeat important messages multiple times. This is
the second lesson on the Christmas story, the next lesson will cover the Wise
men, followed by the Nativity.
The message: The shepherds find Jesus. They tell others
about Him.
The message of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds is
important. The angel gave the most important news in history, because of
this men began to seek Christ. The shepherds gave praise to God, who was
still just a baby. The children need to know how they can "find"
Jesus this season.
Make sure you repeat the message many times during the lesson. Send the
Shepherds find Jesus Take Home
Sheet home with the children to encourage parents to reiterate the
message during the week. It includes a poster at the bottom that the
children can color and hang on their wall or refrigerator.
Preview of the lesson:
Some people like to do craft time first and story time second and some like
to switch it around. I like the first option, myself.
Always consider offering, Coloring Pages
or Posters for children who aren't interested in participating in the
group activity (or if you get done the group activities very quickly and need
something to fill in the spare time). Everyone has a need for "alone
time" once in awhile. Also, sending home the coloring pages with the Take Home sheet provides parents with much needed help
in reinforcing the lessons. You can make a nice little booklet each week
with the take home sheet on top -- I promise that most parents will appreciate
the effort!
Description
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Time Allotted
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Supplies
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 |
| Welcome! Receive name tags. Have
the children use crayons, markers, yarn and whatever other materials (such as
sparkle glue) you have available to personalize their
name tag. Sing the Learning our Names
song |
10 to 15 minutes |
Angel
name tags, scissors (or adults can precut), crayons, markers, yarn,
safety pins or tape. |
| |
Craft time!
Preschool thru Grade 1: Make a paper
angel craft . You can always add some glitter to these angels.
Grade 2 and 3: Make a Christmas
Day Angel or
Boy Christmas Angel. There are many options when
printing these angels. Depending on the different children you
have in your class, personalize their angel. The children may need
some help gluing the pieces of the angel in order. If you have extra time, or
you want to give the children a small gift, you can make the Nativity
Bookmark. |
15 to 30 minutes
depending on your
adult/child ratio |
Preschool thru Grade 1: angel
template, printer, paper, glue,
crayons, scissors (adult pre-cut). Grade 2 and 3: Christmas
Day Angels, Boy
Christmas Angel. (printer, paper, glue, crayons, scissors). |
| |
Bible Story/Song Time:
There are so many songs that tell the story of the angel and the
shepherds that I love
to sing with instead of just reading to the kids. Incorporating bells
or small instruments might add to the singing.
Preschool and Kindergarten: Read the
Story of The Angels Visit the Shepherds (or read from your own store
bought children's bible).
Grades 1 thru 3:
Hark the Harold Angels Sing, The
First Noel,
Angels
We Have Heard on High
Grade 3: it's tough to know when it's the right time to
start readings from the Bible, but if the children have been read a
children's version of the story in the past, I believe this is
a good age to introduce the King
James (or your preferred) bible reading. |
10 minutes |
Our Coloring Pages
can be distributed to the children. Print the pages, staple them together
and they can be taken home to color during the week.
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Closing:
Depending on the time remaining, allow the children
to brainstorm about how they can tell others about Jesus, (invite them
to Sunday School, by being a good example, or just asking their friends
if they know the real Christmas story, and sharing it with them) just
like the shepherds at the end of the story.
Standard ending song: for example
We love to learn together,
together, together
We love to learn together
And give thanks to God.
substitute "learn" for sing, pray, etc
(to the tune of The More We Get Together) |
5 to 15 minutes |
To end the lesson you could make a Nativity
Scene felt bulletin board. Add to it each week as the
different characters are discussed.
Words to:
standard ending song
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