Hobbies And Interests
Trivia Game
Everyone loves trivia games. They are enjoyable and informative. Formulate several questions about the birth of Jesus, such as Joseph's occupation, the name of the town he was born in, who told Mary she was with child and what role the Wise Men played. Ask the children the trivia questions and when they come up with the correct answer, explain it to the other children who may not know the events surrounding the question. This is an effective way to inspire the children to join in competition to see who can correctly answer the most questions. It is a valuable learning experience. (See ref 1)
What Is Missing?
Draw pictures of things regarding the birth of Jesus, such as a donkey, angel, shepherd, the Wise Men, cradle and other figures. You can do this easily on index cards, or paste pictures from magazines onto the cards. Lay the cards onto a tabletop and have the students study them. Have them turn their backs or cover their eyes and take one card away. Position the cards differently and then ask the children to turn around and guess which card is missing. Explain to the children what role the figure had in the birth of Jesus, then repeat the game.
Nativity Scrambler Puzzle
Tell the children the story about the birth of Jesus. Find a picture of the nativity scene. A Christian coloring book or children's Bible is a good resource for the picture. Use a ruler or other straight edge to divide the pictures in equal-size squares. Make photocopies so that each child will have his own picture. Have the children cut out the squares and turn them face down onto a table. Tell them to scramble the pictures while they are upside down. Set a timer, (four minutes should be adequate) and tell them to turn their pictures face up and create the picture again in its original form. The first one to do so before the timer goes off wins the game. This is an enjoyable way for the children to learn about the birth of Jesus and to compete with each other. (See ref 2)