Keep Kids Focused On Baby Jesus
Five Ways You Can Celebrate Jesus' Birthday With Your Kids
Five easy ways to remind kids that Christmas is about Jesus.
From Santa to Rudolph and presents to "holiday" parties, it's easy to forget that kids need guidance to focus their attention on why Christmas is so important. While stories and lectures work for some kids, here are five easy ways to help kids have tangible reminders why we have Christmas at all.
Birthday cake: Make or purchase a birthday cake the week before Christmas. Write on the cake "Happy Birthday Jesus." Leave it on the dining room table or kitchen counter and let your kids see it. Tell them that on Christmas, you'll all light candles and sing "Happy Birthday," to Jesus. Toddlers and slightly older kids love birthdays and this will make Jesus a living being to them.
Birthday presents: Talk about presents you can give to Jesus. Did your child listen to you today? Did he help you with the groceries? Did he put his toys away? These are all presents to Jesus. Write them down, fold them up and have your child give them to Jesus in a special place, box or in front of the manger.
Crèche or Manger: You can go as expensive as you like on this one, but having one that kids can actually play with will go a long way. Think about letting them have their own set you only bring out during Advent. Fisher Price makes a toddler friendly version. Introduce your kids to the characters, tell them the story of baby Jesus, the three wise men, the little drummer boy, the shepherds and then let them have fun.
A Mass just for them: Does your parish have a children's Mass on Christmas day or Christmas Eve? Most do and although they are the most crowded and by far the loudest, it's worth it to bring your child. Most have pageants in which your child's peers are involved. This is another way to make Christmas relevant to them.
Pray together: While this is a prayerful season, don't forget that little ones may not know exactly what to say during those "silent" times. Pray out loud. Perhaps before your little one goes to bed, gather in front of the manger or the Christmas tree and talk about why we celebrate Christmas. Then say an advent prayer together or pray out loud using your own voice and invite your child to tell God how he feels about baby Jesus. It doesn't have to be poetry; it just has to be real.
