As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season surrounds us, we must be intentional with our children to ensure that Jesus remains the true reason for the season. Today, we will learn practical applications for fostering a child’s relationship with Jesus at Christmastime and the why behind the power of these wholesome practices. While intended to grow a child’s understanding and love for Jesus, you will find that they also strengthen your own love for Him too.
Christmastime provides many opportunities to create a setting that helps prepare the way for children to develop a love relationship with Jesus. Relationships between caregivers and significant people in a child’s life from birth onward, as well as the experiences and environment a child is exposed to, do indeed influence what a child begins to understand about his or her relationship with God and the world. Christmas activities and rituals provide wonderful opportunities for children to learn who Jesus is and how we can relate to him.
The Power of a Faith Community
A person’s perception and beliefs about Jesus are influenced by their faith community. The people one spends time with, the activities one participates in, and the ideas one is exposed to ultimately influence a person’s thoughts, feelings, and responses toward Jesus.
In his book Too Small to Ignore: Why Children are the Next Big Thing, Dr. Wess Stafford describes how heaven and hell both have intentions for every child from the moment of birth. A spiritual life begins at conception. Therefore, those of us who parent, care for, or work with little ones and big kids are not just filling time but are part of God’s strategic plan in the spiritual formation of a child.
Activities for Fostering a Child’s Relationship with Jesus
Here are a few things you can do as you prepare for and celebrate Jesus’ birthday in your home or at school to build kids’understanding of Jesus and foster a saving relationship with him. I have broken them into activities by age and provided insights into why these practices are fostering a child’s relationship with Jesus.
Babies & Young Toddlers
Babies and young toddlers interact with their world through their senses: what they feel, taste, hear, see, and smell. Mimicking movements of those around them is a primary way to learn.
Therefore, learning environment should be language-rich and action packed. Try introducing the people and the story of Christmas by reading board books or picture books, especially those that include textures or pop-up flaps. The First Christmas by Holly Berry-Byrd, and The Nativity by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells are delightful options for the littles. See Kristin Wynalda’s blog for more suggestions.
Use music with very simple rhythms and melodies as you sing or play recordings of Christmas carols such as Joy to the World or Away in the Manger to babies and toddlers. Include clapping, swaying, or simple actions that match the beat of the music. The patterns of music or clapping cadences help transfer the ideas to long-term memory.
Children Ages 3-7
Experiencing faith is the primary way preschoolers, as well as children in early elementary grades, develop worldview and grow spiritually. Faith is something to be experienced and becomes stories told and rituals practiced. Perceptions and feelings are the primary mechanisms that create long-lasting images associated with Jesus and Christmas. Using toy figures designed for little ones, act out the events or help them imagine what Bible characters might say or do if they could meet them.
For the kids between ages 3-7, it is a great time to allow for hands-on practice of faith while establishing family traditions related to Christmas. Encourage children to practice their faith language and habits while involving their senses during worship, prayer, and other Christmas activities. This year, my husband and I gave our grandchildren an advent calendar that included a nativity playset made for toddler’s hands. Each day a box containing a different Bible character from the Christmas story was opened. As the character was used to create the stable scene where Jesus was born, the family could talk about that character’s role. A Christmas tradition has begun as the family can recreate the story told in Luke 2 each year.
Children Ages 7-11
Once children reach the age of 7-11, they can see things from different points of view and see themselves as separate individuals. However, thinking still tends to be tied to concrete reality, or in other words, what children can touch or experience. Story is an important forum for learning at this age. Children generally accept the faith-related rituals and stories told to them by their faith community but tend to understand them in very literal ways. A few recommended books for elementary kids are Itsy Bitsy Christmas by Max Lucado, and Small Camel Follows the Star by Rachel W. N. Brown. These chapter books are good options for older kids: Light in the Darkness: Discover Christmas as You’ve Never See It Before by Alex Webb-Peploe or The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder.
Offer shared family faith experiences that provide for sharing of intergenerational faith participation. One easy way to involve family members of different generations in a faith experience is by initiating dinnertime discussions. While gathering for a traditional family dinner use Christmas conversation cards to prompt others to share memories, and meaningful times associated with Christmas. Create opportunities for the family to participate in gift-giving to others in need, such as serving at a food kitchen, or purchasing gifts for shut-ins and single-parent families. Explain the reason for the gift giving, which is to model how God “gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).
Teenagers
For teenagers 12-17, faith development occurs as a person’s experience of the world goes beyond the family. Images of God are extensions of interpersonal relationships. Faith and the concept of God is experienced in how coherent these concepts are with other involvements. Relationships are important. The young person is concerned about forming an identity and is concerned about the validations and feedback from significant others in his life. Fowler (1981) nicknames this stage the conformist stage because faith is structured by expectations and judgment of significant others, as the person lacks an independent perspective of identity and judgment. Social media has a strong attraction because teens can take on the identity they desire.
With teenagers, it is important to keep the lines of communication open. Good conversations also lead to a bond, helping adults keep the heart connection with teens. Invite kids to come to you with questions, doubts, and confusions. The dinner-time discussions with conversation starters are useful with teens, too. Perhaps family members could ask a faith-based question regarding ideas they were wondering about.
The adolescent wants to have a God who knows him personally and values him deeply. Rooted, a youth ministry organization focused on teens, put together Devotions for Teenagers at Christmastime that considers real concerns and issues teens deal with on a regular basis. This set of devotions could be completed individually by family members and then discussed later one-to-one or while driving to school, a sports practice, or church.
Keeping a family prayer request chart posted in the kitchen is a way for family members to post prayer requests for themselves and others. Then, to watch and wait patiently to see how those prayers might be answered. Gratitude Journaling is another way to grow a teen’s faith and associate it with Christmas as it serves to focus kids on what they have versus what they don’t have and remembering God’s faithfulness in their lives.
Teach teens how to interpret the messages they are confronted with. They are informed through technology. Teach how to think and analyze the information. Allow teens to have input into how they will demonstrate their Christian values. Support and encourage them to take part in worship, and as with the younger kids, look for opportunities for intergenerational learning experiences. Allow them to share faith experiences and allow teens to teach the younger students in faith contexts.
Never Underestimate Your Influence in the Life of a Child
Any person who interacts with a child over time, no matter the age, will influence the development of that child’s worldview and how they grow in Christ. Christmastime provides many opportunities to create a setting that helps prepare the way for children to develop and deepen a love relationship with Jesus. As you decide how you can intentionally influence a child for Jesus, don’t feel like you need to do a lot. Start small and pick one thing to try.
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References
Fowler, J. W. (1981). Stages of faith: The psychology of human development and the quest for meaning. New York: Harper and Row.
