Sometimes I have to think about why I am doing these advent devotions and activities. Every morning, my children open the tukbagee for their "surprise" activity and we have devotion during breakfast. But we want to prepare our hearts to think of the great significance of Jesus' birth and simply celebrate it with all our being.
Again, these are the devotion resources I am using--Holy Experience's FREE Jesse Tree Advent Devotional and my own from last year here.
Dec 1. Using Jesse Tree Devotional (JTD) November 30 (Genesis 1:25-31)
We also talked about the trinity with 3 in 1
Activity: Draw on blank Christmas cards
Tooth fairy's first visit with The Secret Staircase! First day of snow! The girls saw a rabbit at night.
Dec 2. JTD Dec 1 (Genesis 3:1-21)
Activity: Hide and Seek (Surprise in tukbagee: Surprise later in the day)
Surprise: Parents viewing day in ballet
First day of icicles! Singing practice for World Festival Day at husband's seminary.
Dec 3. JTD Dec 2 (Genesis 6:5-8)
Activity: prepare and freeze ice ornaments in rainbow colors. I don't know when we'll be ready to hang them because it's not that cold...yet. Or maybe play dough in rainbow colors?
It was fun making rainbow ornaments. I also showed the children some of the online catalogs from this post I almost cried as the children agreed that they didn't need any toys and wanted to give presents to Jesus by giving to those who really needed it. I received one of the catalogs and even my husband was moved. We also had a great time worshiping together with others from different countries at husband's seminary. It was an eyeopener for the children.
Dec 4. JTD Dec 3.(Genesis 12:1-7)
Activity: Blindfolded faith walk and hanging the rainbow ornaments.
Dec. 5. JTD Dec 4.(Genesis 4: 21-27)
Activity: Father Abraham song which never fails to tickle their funny bones!
Dec 6. JTD Dec 6.(Genesis 28: 10-22)
Activity: Crystal ladder
I thought making this in a shape of a ladder was a great extension, but I hope my children don't think there are any actual crystal ladders! Though who knows? Maybe in heaven.
Dec 7. JTD Dec 7 (Genesis 37: 31-33; 50:15-20)
Activity: felting wool ball or felt a small robe ornament
We actually just pretended to wear a bathrobe!
Dec 8. JTD Dec 8. The Ten Commandments (Deut. 5:1-22)
Activity: Put nail polish on the girls' ten fingers!
The girls loved this but were a little disappointed that their pink glittery nail polish was more clear than pink. Go figure!
Dec 9. JTD Dec 10. Rahab and the red cord. (Joshua 2:1-21)
Activity: Using a playsilks, pretend to be in the water and take turns being rescued by the rope.
I was nervous talking bout Rahab, but I just said she had a bad job and no further questions asked. They LOVED role-playing Rahab and the spies!
Dec 10. Read the parable of the lost sheep and explain how God is always looking for us and loves us so much.
Activity: Read Little Baa and excerpts of A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Another game of hide and seek? The kids love playing this and I know they'll love that it's parent-initiated.
Dec 11. Isaiah 9:1,2 The Great Light
I am going to talk about how Jesus is the great light who shows us where to go. I am also going to share how darkness is associated with sadness and how light here also refers to hope.
Activity: At night turn off the lights and then turn on a flashlight or light a candle. Perhaps shadow tag?
Song: "This Little Light of mine.
Skipped. I decided no advent activities for Sundays!
Dec 12.
Isaiah 9: 3 Rejoice Before You
Isaiah compares the joy of Jesus' birth to the joy of a successful harvest and war. I imagine both are celebrated by a party. I am thinking I will talk about how we were so excited that our garden produced so many tomatoes and cucumbers and how were so happy every morning when we saw another ripe fruit. For older kids, you could discuss the joy of doing well on an exam, etc.
Activity: Do a "happy dance" celebrating Jesus' birth. Jump up and down like David praising God after a battle.
Song: "Joy to the World"
Skipped.
Dec 13. Isaiah 9: 4 Shattered the Yoke
Koko is really into prisons and policemen these days so she will be able to understand how the Israel suffered in captivity. I will talk about how Jesus frees us from prison and burdens because he forgive us.
Activity: Have the children carry something heavy (to them) and keep on adding objects until they complain. Then take all the "burdens" away and explain that's how sin is heavy and how God takes it away. Also, for additional fun, use a wooden chopstick (the take out variety) and put on two books. Explain how this is similar to a yoke and then break the chopstick for a visual aid.
Skipped
Dec 14. Isaiah 11:1,2 JTD November 29.The shoot
Activity: Cutting the Christmas tree
Skipped
Dec 15.
Luke 1: 41-43 A Special Baby
I am going to talk about how John the Baptist was Jesus' cousin and how when Mary, Jesus' mom visited Elizabeth, Baby John leaped in her womb because he knew Baby Jesus was special!
Activity: I know my girls will love putting a doll under their shirts and having it jump a bit!
Dec 16.
Matthew 1: 24 Joseph's Obedience
I am going to talk about how Joseph obeyed God's commandment right away and how hard it is for my children and me to obey God.
Activity: Show a hammer, explaining how Joseph was a carpenter and how carpenters use hammers to do their job and then play with the hammering activity set we have. Last year, I set up the Montessori activity with craft foam and golf tees but I really didn't like how the foam crumbled everywhere. This year, I hope to do these tin ornaments that requires hammering and nailing.
Dec 17.
Luke 2:1-5 An Uncomfortable Ride
When Koko and Cheeky were very young, they both hated car trips. They cried and cried. This also seems to be the case with the new baby. So using this as an example, I am going to explain how it must have been very uncomfortable for Mary to be traveling with her big belly and how it was a beautiful sacrifice. (When the kids get older, I'll talk about how it was a huge sacrifice to have a baby as a virgin!)
Dec 18.
Luke 2: 8-10 Good news versus bad news
Find an example of good and bad news. I am going to talk about losing our dog Buku which was bad news to us and how when we found him, that was good news and relate that to Jesus who is good news for all people.
Activity: My kids are young so we are going to look at a hand mirror and make happy and sad faces and then draw on their easels happy and sad faces.
Dec 19.
The Long Awaited Savior
Discuss "waiting." For my kids, I will talk about how long it felt for us to wait for my baby to be born and how often the kids told my baby via my belly to "come out!" Explain how many people from long time ago waited for Jesus to be born and how exciting it must have been that he finally arrived.
Activity: Make something that you need to wait for. I'm thinking of a cake, jello, or bread with yeast that you need to wait to rise several times, or maybe even that homemade butter.
Song: O Come, O Come, Immanuel
Dec 20.
Matthew 1: 21,22 The Lord Saves
Without going too deeply on Mary's virgin birth, I am going to mention how an angel visited Joseph and told him to name the baby Jesus and explain how Jesus is a Greek form of Joshua which means "the Lord Saves." And then I am going to talk about how the reason the Jesus came as a baby was to die on the cross to save us from our sins.
Talking about salvation is an ongoing conversation we have in our house. One tract that I recently shared with Koko is One Way. I do have to admit that I don't agree with all of Chick Publication's tracts, but this one is a great way to explain salvation to children and adults!
Activity: Read the tract and if I have energy, find branches outside and use some twine to make a homemade cross ornament. I was inspired by this snowflake ornament. Cute, aye? Or, you could just make a body cross. Have a child lie down with his hands on his sides vertically and the other child on top horizontally. This only works if you have one very lightweight child. Otherwise, you could be the vertical pillar and have two kids on each side as the horizontal line.
Dec 21.
Luke 2:14 Peace
Discuss when their hearts can be not peaceful (anger, anxiety, etc.) Explain how the definition of peace is salvation and how when Jesus saves you from your sins, you can experience true peace.
Activity: Explain how the dove is a symbol for peace. You can color, paint, or glue white tissue paper on this dove coloring page. I would print it on blue construction paper so there's contrast.
Song: "Peace like a River"and "My Peace I Give Unto You"
Dec. 22
Luke 2:12 A sign
Explain how a baby wrapped in cloths will be a sign to the disciples so that they would know who Jesus was. Discuss Jesus' humble birth. Compare his manger to a cradle, crib, etc.
Activity: Swaddle dolls with receiving blankets. Or for boys who might not like to swaddle dolls, wrapping with toilet paper some stuffed animal or action figure.
Song: Away in the Manger
Dec 23.
Matthew 1:23 God with Us
My kids know how the baby will cry when he's not near his mama and as they also value being with me, they understand the importance of being connected and together. So today, we will talk about how Isaiah from long ago said that someday God would send a baby and call him "Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." We will talk about what it means that God is with us mainly how God chose to become human so he could be our friend and died for us so we could be with him forever in heaven. And perhaps, about the Holy Spirit who is currently with us.
Activity: Paper doll chain of two to symbolize Jesus and us. Or just hold hands and say how Jesus always with us in our hearts.
Song: "Immanuel" by Michael Card and "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."
Dec 24. Angelic Messengers
Ask kids to imagine a bunch of angels telling everyone the good news of Jesus' birth.
Activity: Paint hands and imprint two hands in a "v" to look like angels' wings and cover the whole big sheet of paper. I would use black paper because it was night and the white paint will come out better. Older kids can draw angel faces as well as bodies.
Song: Hark the Herald
.
Dec 25.
Rushing to see the good news
Discuss how the shepherds rushed to see Jesus.
Activity: Grab a mop or whatever make-believe staff you can make, and have a race from one room to another "rushing" to see Jesus. End with Jesus' birthday cake celebration.
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As always, I hope this can be helpful for someone with younger children. Wishing you a blessed and not-so-stressed joyous Advent.
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