FREE Christmas Sunday School Lesson
You can use this FREE Christmas Sunday School Lesson in your Children's Ministry this Christmas. We also have a lot of coloring pages and additional activities for Christmas that you can see here with our collection of FREE Christmas Children's Ministry resources. Christmas is a great opportunity to teach your kids about why Christmas is such a big deal and why we celebrate it. Kids absolutely love Christmas. So, take advantage of this holiday to teach kids about the true reason for the season... Jesus. This makes a great lesson for Kids Church, or Sunday School.
Christmas Sunday School Lesson For Kids:
BOTTOM LINE:
The greatest gift of Christmas is Jesus.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn the importance of the Magi’s gifts and that Jesus is an even greater gift than those.
KEY PASSAGE:
Matthew 2:1-12, The Magi visit Jesus.
MEMORY VERSE:
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:2b (NIV)
“Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? When we were in the east, we saw his star. Now we have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:2b (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
Three wise men from the East came to see baby Jesus, bringing him gifts fit for a king. But the greatest gift of Christmas was the birthday boy in the manger.
OBJECT LESSON:
Candy Cane
Hand out candy canes to the kids before beginning the lesson.
How many candy canes do you guys think you will eat this Christmas? My guess is everywhere you go this Christmas - parties, Christmas concerts, visiting Santa at the mall - you’re going to get candy canes. Candy canes are an inexpensive treat, and they come in all sizes. They come in all colors too, but nothing says Christmas like the classic red and white.
Candy canes probably aren’t on your Christmas list, mostly because they are everywhere you go, but candy canes are a good reminder of the most important gift you could ever receive. Turn the candy cane upside down, and what do you have?
It’s the letter J - the first letter of the name Jesus!
The red stripes in the candy cane are a reminder of the blood Jesus shed on the cross, and the white stripes remind us that through the blood of Jesus, we can be washed white as snow. Our sins can be forgiven, and we can have a new life in Jesus.
It’s easy to overlook the humble candy cane, but every time you see one, I hope it reminds you of what Christmas is all about. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift ever given. Because Jesus was born, we can have a new life. That’s a gift far sweeter than any candy cane!
LARGE GROUP LESSON
INTRO
There are two holidays that bring all of us more joy than any other - Christmas and our birthday. I don’t think anyone would dispute that next to Christmas, your birthday is the best day of the year for a kid. Adults may not like them so much, but birthdays are great when you are a kid. Birthdays mean parties, dinner wherever you like, and best of all... presents!
About the only people who don’t enjoy their birthday so much are those who are lucky - or unlucky - enough to have a birthday on Christmas. When your birthday falls on Christmas, a lot of friends and relatives give you one present instead of two. Kind of cheats you out of a birthday, doesn’t it?
Interestingly enough, one of the reasons we exchange presents on Christmas is because Christmas is a birthday celebration. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God’s only son, and the Bible tells us that on that first Christmas, three men came from far away to give gifts to the birthday boy.
Matthew, who wrote about these men, calls them Magi, but many people refer to them simply as the wise men. These were scholars who knew the ancient writings of the Jews, and when they saw the Christmas star, they knew that meant a new king was born in Israel. The men set out for Israel bearing some very expensive gifts, but these men knew they were going to witness something far more valuable than any gift they brought with them!
READ Matthew 2:1-12
MAIN POINT
The Magi brought three gifts - gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Everyone knows what gold is. It’s a valuable, precious metal, a gift fit for a king. Believe it or not, gold was not the most expensive item they brought.
Frankincense is both a perfume and an incense, noted for its sweet smell. Like gold, it was a gift valued by kings. It was also one of the spices used in the temple of Jerusalem in the worship of God. Myrrh is an oil used for anointing and also used as a perfume. Both Frankincense and Myrrh could be equal to or more expensive than gold!
So why did these three men bring gifts for a king to a lowly carpenter’s son? Because they knew this child was a king. He was not an earthly king, but the King of kings, the Son of God, sent to save the world. These men knew the writings of prophets like Isaiah and Daniel, who said that God would send a king to save the whole world.
These men were not just bringing presents to a baby on his birthday. They were paying tribute to the true gift of Christmas - not gold or spices, but the baby in the manger!
DRIVE IT HOME
The Magi understood something that even the people of Israel had missed. All throughout the Old Testament, God had promised he was going to send a special gift to save the world. From the day Adam and Eve sinned and were thrown out of the Garden of Eden, God planned and prepared that gift. It was his son Jesus, who would become the perfect sacrifice for our sins once and for all. Jesus did for us what we could never do, and Jesus offers us something we could never earn - eternal life.
This Christmas, I hope you get everything you ask for. I hope you have a blessed day full of good times that will become good memories. But more importantly, I hope you and your family will take a break from exchanging gifts to remember the greatest gift ever given at Christmas time. It’s not a Christmas gift, but a birthday gift - a gift from the birthday boy to every one of us!
Christmas is the birthday of our Savior. It is a day for giving gifts the same way the Magi brought gifts to Jesus. It is also a day to remember that the greatest gift of all was the baby born that first Christmas. Christ has come to save the world. Let us celebrate his birth, and let us share the good news with everyone this Christmas!
CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER
Dear God,
Thank you for your amazing love, and thank you for sending Jesus to die for our sins. Help us to share that gift with others this Christmas.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
MEMORY VERSE:
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:2b (NIV)
“Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? When we were in the east, we saw his star. Now we have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:2b (NIrV)
LARGE GROUP MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Put the verse on the big screen and read it aloud with the kids.
SMALL GROUP MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:
Put each word of the memory verse on a card. Have the kids rearrange the cards and put the words in order.
CRAFT IDEA:
LARGE GROUP GAME:
ALL WRAPPED UP
ITEMS NEEDED:
Three equal strings of garland
Christmas candy or another prize
INSTRUCTIONS:
Choose three kids for this game. The kids will have a race to see who can completely wrap themselves in their garland the fastest by spinning around and around. Winner gets a prize - Christmas candy!
VARIATION:
For younger kids you can have someone hold the garland to make it easier for them to spin and wrap themselves up.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)
ICEBREAKER:
What did you get for your parents this Christmas?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Read Matthew 2:1-12
Who brings gifts to see the baby Jesus?
How did the Magi know that Jesus had been born?
Who did the Magi go to see first?
What gifts did the Magi bring?
Why is Jesus the best gift given that first Christmas?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Thank you for the many gifts you have given us, and especially Jesus. Help us to share that gift with others as we celebrate your birth this Christmas.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)
ICEBREAKER:
What did you get for your parents this Christmas?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Read Matthew 2:1-12
Who were the Magi?
What gifts did the Magi bring to Jesus?
Why did the Magi bring such expensive gifts?
What is the greatest gift that was given that Christmas?
What makes Jesus the most important gift anyone could ever receive?
SIMPLE PRAYER:
Dear God,
Thank you for the many gifts you have given us, and especially Jesus. Help us to share that gift with others as we celebrate your birth this Christmas.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Christmas Children's Church Lesson (just click the link). Saddleback Kids has posted this Christmas video on Youtube if you are looking for a Christmas video for Sunday School.
You can also find additional Christmas Sunday School Lesson Ideas from these websites: