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Teach Youngsters the Meaning of Christmas With 5
Sensory Activities
Christmas is about family. Here is a collection of
five crafts that you can make as a family to teach the
true meaning and symbols of Christmas. Children will
learn to identify Christmas using their five senses:
sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Pick and choose
the activities you think your family will best enjoy,
and spread them throughout the season. Start new traditions.
Most importantly, use the activities to talk as a family.
Sight Activities
Take a Christmas Lights Drive: Pile everyone
in the van after dark and tour your city or a nicely
decorated neighborhood. Some cities will have a town
center that will be lit up. Ask your children which
decorations are their favorites and why. Talk about
how the twinkling lights resemble the stars. Remind
them that on the night Jesus was born a new star shone
in the sky, announcing his birth to the whole world.
Even people in different countries knew the Christ-child
was born, and some wise men traveled to find him.
Sound Activities
Christmas Caroling: Delight your neighbors
by singing on their doorsteps, or just gather around
the piano and sing as a family. You may even attend
a community “sing-in,” or another recital, or watch
one on TV. Christmas carols and caroling have a somewhat
obscure history. Indeed, in many countries any jovial
celebrating of the holiday was outlawed until the 1700s!
Caroling can be traced back to England around this period,
and it was a community event. Groups would go house
to house, singing in exchange for eggnog or wassail.
Caroling fosters a feeling of community as we reach
out to others and spread joy. Some of the most popular
carols to sing are Silent Night, Jingle Bells, and We
Wish you a Merry Christmas.
Smell Activities
Trim the tree: Like holly, the evergreen reminds
us that life will come again. The pine aroma fills our
heart and mind with hopes of the year to come. If you
use an artificial tree in your home, you can take your
children on a walk through a Christmas tree lot. You
can hang a swag, or even a branch with a fragrant pinecone.
Taste Activities
Peppermint Candy Canes: As you enjoy a candy cane
with your family, point out the symbols of the shepherd’s
crook, and the colors. Red represents Jesus’ sacrifice,
and white is for his purity. When turned upside-down,
the shape also becomes a “J,” which can also be a reminder
that Christmas is a time to remember Jesus. The mint
flavoring also has seasonal significance. Hyssop, a
plant in the mint family, was used in Old Testament
times to purify (or cleanse) oneself. Peppermint might
now remind us of Jesus’ purity.
Touch Activities
Snow Angels: After a good snowfall, bundle everyone
up and walk to the park or your own backyard. Demonstrate
how to make snow angels by falling backward into a fresh
bank. Sweep straightened arms and legs back and forth
to create the wings and gown of the angel. Stand up
carefully and admire everyone’s work. When the family
is back indoors talk about the angel Gabriel’s visit
to Mary, when she found out she would soon give birth
to the baby Jesus. Also talk about the angel who visited
the shepherds on the night Jesus was born. He said to
them, “Fear not, for I bring good tidings of great joy!”
Although Christ was not really born in December, it
is the time chosen to celebrate his birth. During the
winter all the plants seem dead, but after Christmas
the world gets closer to spring when all the flowers
come back to life. Jesus’ birth was a promise that everyone
who followed him would also live after death.
About the Author:
Emma Snow is a creator at for Ornament Shop http://www.ornament-shop.net
and Craft Kits http://www.craft-kits.net
leading portals for crafts and ornaments.
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