The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:1-7


Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called the Gospel of Luke. Luke loved Jesus and wanted others to know and love Jesus, too. And the word gospel means “good news!”

A long time ago, a ruler named Caesar Augustus made a new rule. He said that everyone had to go back to the town their family came from so their names could be counted. Mary and Joseph lived in a town called Nazareth, but Joseph’s family was from Bethlehem. So Mary and Joseph packed their things and began a long journey.

The road to Bethlehem was dusty and crowded with people. Mary was going to have her baby soon, and Joseph walked carefully beside her to make sure she was safe. Step by step, they traveled over hills and through little towns, until at last they saw Bethlehem ahead of them.

But Bethlehem was very full! So many people had come that every house and guest room was crowded. Mary and Joseph knocked on doors, but there was no room anywhere for them to stay.

At last, someone showed them a quiet place where animals slept. It wasn’t fancy, but it was warm and safe. That night, in that humble place, something wonderful happened.

Mary had her baby—God’s own Son. She wrapped Him in soft cloths and held Him close. Then she laid Him gently in a manger, a long, wooden box filled with hay that the animals used for food.

Mary and Joseph looked at their tiny baby. They knew His name would be Jesus. They knew He was special. Jesus had come to show God’s love to the whole world.

In that quiet place, with the soft sounds of animals around them, the Savior was born—just as God had promised.

Jesus was born because God loves us. God sent His Son to be our Savior, and Jesus came into the world in a simple, humble place just for us.


Dear God,

Thank You for sending Jesus to us. Thank You for loving us so much that He was born, even in a small and quiet place. Help us remember that Jesus is Your special gift to the whole world. We love You, God.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.





Bible Verse: “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” — Luke 2:11, BSB

Paraphrase: “Jesus is born! He is the Savior God promised to us.”



Activities

These activities help preschoolers engage with the story through movement, crafts, music, and storytelling, making the lesson fun and memorable.


1. “Journey to Bethlehem” Walking Path

Objective: Help children understand that Mary and Joseph traveled a long way to Bethlehem.

Materials: Masking tape or rope to mark a simple path on the floor; small picture of Mary and Joseph (optional).

Activity: Create a winding “road” across the room with tape or rope. Children walk the path slowly, pretending they are traveling with Mary and Joseph. Pause at the end of the path and say, “We made it to Bethlehem—but there’s no room! Where can we go?”

Talk About It: “Mary and Joseph walked a long way. God was with them the whole time, and God is with us too.”


2. “Baby Jesus’ Manger” Craft

Objective: Reinforce the humble setting where Jesus was born.

Materials: Small paper bowls, brown strips of paper or raffia, glue sticks, small circles of paper for “Baby Jesus,” crayons.

Activity: Children fill their paper bowl (the manger) with paper “hay.” Then they draw a simple baby on the circle of paper, wrap it in a strip of cloth or paper “blanket,” and place it gently in the manger.

Talk About It: “Jesus was born in a simple place, but He is the most special gift God has ever given.”
 

3. Soft Animal Sounds at the Stable

Objective: Introduce the stable setting using imagination and gentle play.

Materials: None, or optional animal puppets or pictures.

Activity: Children pretend to be quiet animals in the stable—soft sheep, gentle cows, sleepy donkeys. Have them make soft animal sounds and then “hush” as Baby Jesus is born.

Talk About It: “Jesus was born in a quiet, peaceful place. God was there with Mary and Joseph.”


4. “Jesus Is Born Tonight” (Musical Activity)

Objective: Celebrate Jesus’ birth with a simple, joyful song.

Materials: None (optional: soft rocking motions).

Activity: Teach children the following song to the Public Domain melody Are You Sleeping? / Frère Jacques (Public Domain). Encourage gentle rocking motions or soft tapping on the lap.
Teach children this short song to the tune of the tune of “Jesus Loves Me” (Public Domain):

Song: “Mary Sang a Happy Song” (to the tune of “Are You Sleeping” / “Frère Jacques”)

    Jesus is born,
    Jesus is born,
    In the night,
    In the night.
    Mary gently holds Him,
    Mary gently holds Him,
    God’s own Son,
    God’s own Son.

Talk About It: “Jesus was born because God loves us. How can we show God we are thankful?”

-
Story illustrations are the copyright of James M. Thomas. All rights reserved.
-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Early Christians Shared Everything

Image
Acts 4:32-37 Our story comes from a book of the Bible called Acts. That name is short for “the Acts of the Apostles.” The word "Apostle" is another word to describe a helper of Jesus. Our Bible story tells us about some people who loved Jesus. The people were gathered together in a room. Buzz, buzz, buzz. The room filled with talking and laughter. The people called themselves Christians because they did what Jesus Christ said to do (Christian means "follower of Christ"). The Christians knew that Jesus was God’s Son. They wanted others to know about Jesus, too. Grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, and children met together in homes. They would pray, sing, and learn about Jesus together. All these people loved Jesus. They were like one big, happy family. Because they loved Jesus, the Christians happily shared what they had more than others. Everything a person had was happily shared with the rest of the Bible-time Christians. They shared food so every...
Read more

Jacob and Esau

Image
Genesis 27:41a; 32:9-21; 33:3-11 Our story comes from the book, or part, of the Bible called Genesis. Genesis means "the beginning." The Bible tells us about two brothers, Jacob and Esau. Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. They were the sons of Isaac and the grandsons of Abraham. Jacob and Esau were born at the same time and were the same age. But Esau was a couple of minutes older than Jacob. Because Esau was the oldest son, he would someday receive a special blessing from their father. That was very important. One day, Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving Jacob the important blessing instead of Esau. Esau was very mad. Esau was so angry that Jacob became afraid. Jacob decided to move away from Esau. So he packed up his things and traveled to another land. Even though God didn’t like what Jacob had done to Esau, God still blessed Jacob. God gave Jacob a large family and many animals. After many years, God told Jacob it was time to g...
Read more

Abraham and His Family Moved to a New Land

Image
Genesis 12:1-9 Our story comes from the book, or part, of the Bible called Genesis. Genesis means "the beginning." A man and woman lived in a land called Ur. The man was named Abram and the woman was named Sarai. Abram and Sarai were husband and wife. God called Abram and Sarai and gave them new names! Abram means “nobel father.” But God changed his name to “Abraham,” which means “father of many.” Sarai” means “princess.” But God changed her name to “Sarah,” which means “mother of nations.” Now they were Abraham and Sarah, "father of many" and "mother of nations!" Abraham grew up in the land called Ur. When he was grown, Abraham moved with his family to a new land called Haran. But then, in the land of Haran, God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his country. God told Abraham to move to a new land. God promised to be with Abraham and show him where to go. God also promised to give Abraham children, grandchildren, and many g...
Read more