Resources for Christmas and Advent

Below are some of the best resources dedicated to the Advent and Christmas season. You will also find Christmas related ideas in many other resource books - a few are also listed here. 

Click on the category to go to that section.
Church groups – under 5s
Church groups – 5-11s
Church groups – tweenagers
Plays
Schools
All-age

There is also a good range of Christmas story books, activity books and CDs with stories and music available for children and families. Check out the Christmas section in the Resources for Ministry shop.

Church Groups – under 5s

MiniZone Christmas 1: Good News! Leader’s Guide £3.59 £3.23, Craft Resource £0.97 £0.87,  CD Resource Pack £4.69 £4.22
Five sessions for 3-5s that explore how God gave the news about Jesus to Mary, Joseph, shepherds and wise men.

MiniZone Christmas 2: For All Mankind Leader’s Guide £3.59 £3.23, Craft Resource £0.97 £0.87, CD Resource Pack £4.69 £4.22
Five sessions for 3-5s that explore how people were told about the coming of Jesus and how they were thankful when he was born.

The Christmas story is also included in Bubbles October-December (for 3-5s),
TotZone Year 1, TotZone Year 2 and Tiddlywinks the Big Red Book (for under 5s)

Church Groups – 5-11s

KidZone Christmas 1: Good News! Leader’s Guide £3.59 £3.23, KidZone Blue and Gold £0.99 £0.89, Craft Resource £0.97 £0.87 CD Resource Pack £4.69 £4.22
Five sessions for 5-9+ that explore how God gave the news about Jesus to Mary, Joseph, shepherds and wise men.

KidZone Christmas 2: For All Mankind Leader’s Guide £3.59 £3.23, KidZone Blue and Gold £0.99 £0.89, Craft Resource £0.97 £0.87 CD Resource Pack £4.69 £4.22

Five sessions for 5-9+ that explore how people were told about the coming of Jesus and how they were thankful when he was born.

Discipleship Junction: Happy Birthday Jesus £9.99 £8.99
13 sessions for children’s ministry, covering the foundational themes: People need a Saviour, Prophets describe the Messiah, Jesus is our hope, God announces His Son, We prepare our hearts and Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Play and Pray through Advent £9.99 £9.49
Use story cloths, song, and get messy with crafts, to help children learn more about Advent and Christmas and bring to life the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, his early years and the beginning of his ministry. With simple guidelines, it couldn't be easier to explore the themes week-by-week in church groups or at home. Particularly focuses of children age 5-7.

Christmas Wrapped Up £9.99 £9.49
A wide range of Christmas activities for use at a time of year when non-churched people are more likely to go to a church. All-age service outlines, drama, songs, craft ideas, games, quizzes, assembly outlines and children's party outlines all explore the Christmas story through different media.

Also available:
More Christmas Wrapped Up £9.99 £9.49

Make and Do Christmas Puppets £5.99 £5.69
Ideal for children aged 7-11. With clear instructions and illustrations, church children’s groups or families can explore their creative sides crafting easy-to-make puppets and then presenting their very own performance of the Christmas story (includes an easy-to-perform puppet play).

Nativity Activity Book £9.99 £9.49
This book contains a wide variety of activities, including Bible studies, which extend the themes in the linked Bible game pack. Ideal for church groups or home use.

Sharing Life through Advent £11.99 £11.39 CURRENTLY WAITING FOR NEW STOCK
The material, which covers all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary, is designed for either daily or weekly use. It offers a special focus on the Bible and the Advent candle, and provides a wide range of activities to explore the four-fold themes of story, symbol, sharing and remembering which lie at the heart of Advent.
This book is packed with ideas to share with children in church groups, all-age services, or collective worship in primary schools. There is also a special section to help create a Christ-centred focus within the home and a set of reflective notes for adults.

Veggietales DVD: St Nicholas - a story of joyful giving £9.99

Laura Carrot's Christmas stocking might be empty this year because her dad is in danger of losing his job. Join the Veggies as they discover the true joy of giving to others - at Christmas time and throughout the year!


Veggietales DVD: The Toy that Saved Christmas £9.78
The Toy That Saved Christmas teaches children that 'Christmas isn't about getting, it's about giving. And it's especially about a little baby named Jesus, who was the greatest gift of all!'

Veggietales DVD: The Star of Christmas £9.78
The VeggieTales gang plan a big musical production. The problems they encounter show that the only way we can really learn to love each other is by first understanding how much God loves us.

The Christmas story is also included in Splash! October-December (for 5-8s) and XStream October-December (for 8-11s).

Church Groups – tweenagers

Plays

Pre-school

One of the biggest problems faced by those working with young children at Christmas is how to involve pre-readers in the nativity story with the minimum of fuss and manageable preparation. These plays use well-known nursery rhyme tunes to bring the storyline to life. Simple directions, costumes and props ensure that the children are given the opportunity to participate fully in the performance. Includes photocopy permission.

Primary school age

In order to minimise complicated entries and exits for the younger children, each play is designed to allow all the children to stay on stage throughout the performance. All the children are involved in actions, mimes and songs throughout the play, with the speaking parts designed for older children in the group. Each play is preceded by a complete story version of the play, complete with black and white line drawings, designed to be told to the group as an introduction to the play itself. The story is followed by a five-week countdown to the performance, with hints, activities and scripts for each week running up to the performance. Suggested stage positions are included. Photocopy permission is included for the scripts and for all worksheets.

Also available:

Easy Ways to Christmas Plays volume 2 by Vicki Howie £11.99 £11.39

The Advent calendar puzzle, What can I give him? Silent night.

Topsy Turvy Christmas by Lucy Moore £8.99 £8.54
Written for a primary school wanting a Christmas play that tells the traditional story with a contemporary twist, the story is told through the eyes of two angels who see God's plans for the birth of his son as nonsensical - until they realize that the first Christmas is 'so upside down, it's the right way up!'

This book contains everything you need to stage the play with a class or larger group of children: the full script, instructions for props and staging, fully notated piano score for all original songs and photocopy permission on scripts and songs.

Story Plays for Christmas by Vicki Howie £9.99 £9.49
Three easy-to-stage Christmas plays for 7-11s: 'Have you seen Christmas?', 'The earth looks forward to Christmas' and 'Jump for joy!'

Designed to explore the wonder and joy of the Christmas period in a way that makes it easy and enjoyable for everyone involved, each play is introduced with a story version, followed by games and activities to help children explore it. Contains photocopy permission.

Getting Ready for Christmas £9.99 £9.49
A wealth of ideas for cross-curricular teaching designed to give a host of fresh ideas for the last few weeks of the Christmas term. The material includes a mix of practical, literary and academic tasks, all linked to the National Curriculum and comes complete with a nativity play and three structured literacy hours, based around a specially written story, The Last Customers.

There are also ideas for Advent assemblies, drama workshops and things to make, including a class Advent calendar, Advent candles and St Nicholas Day biscuits. The material includes class worksheets with full photocopy permission where appropriate. 

 

 Schools

The book includes valuable information for preparing the church and school communities for the event, ideas for team-building, helpful hints concerning practical considerations, clear instructions for setting up and presenting the six story-based scenes, suggestions for follow-up assemblies and classroom ideas and is supplemented by the website www.christmasjourney.org.uk.

Bethlehem Carols Unpacked £8.99 £8.54
by Lucy Moore and Martyn Payne with BibleLands
What makes for an exciting and involving carol service in church or school? Taking eleven popular carols as its starting point, the material explores the different aspects of the Christmas message. Through a wealth of pick-and-mix ideas, including creative storytelling, poetry, prayer, drama and worship, you have the chance to create a truly memorable carol service tailored to your situation.

Getting Ready for Christmas £9.99 £9.49

A wealth of ideas for cross-curricular teaching designed to give a host of fresh ideas for the last few weeks of the Christmas term. The material includes a mix of practical, literary and academic tasks, all linked to the National Curriculum and comes complete with a nativity play and three structured literacy hours, based around a specially written story, The Last Customers.

There are also ideas for Advent assemblies, drama workshops and things to make, including a class Advent calendar, Advent candles and St Nicholas Day biscuits. The material includes class worksheets with full photocopy permission where appropriate.


Christmas Wrapped Up £9.99 £9.49
A wide range of Christmas activities for use at a time of year when non-churched people are more likely to go to a church. All-age service outlines, drama, songs, craft ideas, games, quizzes, assembly outlines and children's party outlines all explore the Christmas story through different media.

Also available:
More Christmas Wrapped Up £9.99 £9.49

Sharing Life through Advent £11.99 £11.39 CURRENTLY WAITING FOR NEW STOCK
The material, which covers all three years of the Revised Common Lectionary, is designed for either daily or weekly use. It offers a special focus on the Bible and the Advent candle, and provides a wide range of activities to explore the four-fold themes of story, symbol, sharing and remembering which lie at the heart of Advent.

This book is packed with ideas to share with children in church groups, all-age services, or collective worship in primary schools. There is also a special section to help create a Christ-centred focus within the home and a set of reflective notes for adults.

All-age