1 John 1:1 “…We have heard… we have seen with our eyes… we have looked upon, and our hands have handled… the Word of life.”
Profession: Children, like adults, need a Jesus they can touch.
We have three baby Jesus-es around our house each Christmas.
One is part of a porcelain Nativity scene purchased for $15 several years ago. Though it is (technically speaking) off limits to the children, it is an almost sacred part of their Christmas. It’s the first thing they beg to have brought out of storage when the weather turns cold.
Though not realistic, it’s beautiful; with a Mary you can love and a Baby that calls out infinite tenderness. The inevitable accidents happen. Jesus’ head broke off the first day he moved into our house, but He recovered. The cow and donkey keep joining the menagerie in the next room. And the wise men have taken a few extended trips in their day. Superglue is a wonderful tool.
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Number two is from a wooden Nativity set, gift of my aunt Rhonda one year. This one the children may play with, arranging and creating to their hearts’ content. And they do.
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Number three is another hands-on kind of Jesus. We bought him as a $5 baby doll in a cheap pink dress. We purchased half a yard of white fleece which we cut and knotted into long strips, then wrapped as swaddling clothes around the Baby, transforming him into the Christ child.
Ryan and Aarick built a manger for him to sleep in. This year we used real dried grasses for his hay, as opposed to the golden tinsel of Christmases past, and put him in an old crate.
Kelly is in love with this Jesus.
He is good at playing Hide and Seek.
To make a hat like his, cut two large triangles out of fleece. Fringe the edges with parallel cuts. Knot together and place on infant’s head.
How do you put Jesus into children’s hands?
I love this, especially the last Jesus!
I love the last idea! What a wonderful way to put the Christmas story straight into the hands of your children.
We have a porcelain nativity scene similar to yours, and yes, there was a catastrophe one year when the box nestling all of these precious figures got placed carelessly on the shelf and tumbled off and I spent hours super gluing! There are still unsightly holes and seams if you want to scrutinize closely 🙁 But, like your children, mine beg to put this out first thing when we get out our Christmas decor. We also have a very tiny porcelain set that they love to put in their own room or play house. love your manger and baby doll idea!
I love to tell children that Jesus was their age, once…4, 5, and 6. This is something they understand and I think it makes them feel closer to Jesus. I have heard the Christmas story so many times that somehow it seems easier for me to wrap my mind around Jesus becoming a baby that it is for me to comprehend that the God of the universe learned to walk and to talk, to read and write. My favorite Christmas song is “Here With Us” by Joy Williams.
One of my preschoolers’ moms made me a wonderful Christmas present…a set of wooden blocks depicting the nativity scene. I can’t wait to use it in my classroom next year. I love your ideas too!
We had a minister who cut out nativity figures and gave to each child in church. They were given lots of rides in the wooden train we had… including the donkey, the camels, and sheep.
Oh, I love the last idea! I have this tiny doll I’ve had since I was a baby. She’s very sad looking by now since her head is nearly detached from her body, but I can’t pitch her. Now I have a great idea for her for next Christmas. By then I’m sure the boys will be all into building a little manger, too! I can imagine this being a Roxaboxen kind of nativity scene that grows greater each year.
One year I wanted to tell the story with characters and had only a three character nativity scene. I stripped baby socks over pill bottles and belted the robes with rubber bands. It was amazing how much the different sizes actually looked like the men they were to represent. 🙂 Fun for one year…and Zachary who was three loved them and played out the scene many times.