The Why Do We Call It Christmas? Church Edition is the perfect Christmas Sunday School curriculum for your busy children’s ministry. Featuring rich video content from VeggieTales® creator Phil Vischer, the curriculum brings the modern traditions and timeless truths of Christmas together in one unforgettable ministry tool. From stockings to Santa Claus, from Christmas trees to angels heard on high, this 4-week Christmas curriculum will have your children’s ministry laughing, singing and learning through the whole month of December.
Highlights from the Christmas Curriculum
When we created the Why Do We Call It Christmas? curriculum, we focused on three main goals:
- Connecting the dots between modern Christmas traditions (like stockings and trees) and the real reason for Christmas – Christ’s birth! With his signature wit and creativity, Phil Vischer uses his beloved What’s in the Bible? characters to explain how and why we celebrate Christmas the ways that we do. The curriculum includes a powerful testimony of the Gospel in the last week.
- Making it as easy as possible for children’s ministry leaders during the very hectic holiday season! We know what Christmas means – fewer volunteers, more guests, and lots of energy from the kids! From the day we started writing, we knew our Christmas curriculum had to be simple, flexible and customizable. Highlights include activities in PowerPoint format for use in large groups and a customizable service project. The curriculum is also available on a mobile web site that can be accessed from a smart phone or tablet – you can even lead from your device!
- Creating a reflective atmosphere during a busy season. We know that Christmas can be overwhelming – for children’s ministry leaders, families, and kids. In between nonstop commercials, parties and events, church can be a place of rest and reflection – a place where kids can focus on Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. Our curriculum creates those beautiful spaces, asking kids to reflect on what Emmanuel – God with us – really means. (Of course, with a healthy dose of fun, active games … and even a Christmas party!)
Christmas Curriculum Scope & Sequence
The Why Do We Call It Christmas? curriculum is a 4-week curriculum package. You can check out the full scope and sequence here (http://whatsinthebible.com/curriculum/curriculum-scope-and-sequence/curriculum-christmas-volume-scope-sequence/), but here’s a quick rundown of the primary topics each week covers:
- Week 1: The BIG Questions of Christmas (Why do we call it Christmas? Why is it on December 25?)
- Week 2: Jesus’ Birth
- Week 3: The Origins of Hanukkah
- Week 4: Emmanuel & The Christmas Story
Reviews of the Why Do We Call it Christmas? Curriculum
One of the best features of the Christmas curriculum is its willingness to tackle the “tricky bits” of Christmas. We asked some leading children’s ministry bloggers to review certain sections of the curriculum and focus on the tricky bits it teaches. Read for yourself about the way we address the following topics:
Dale Hudson of RelevantChildrensMinistry.com reviewed Week 4 – Emmanuel and the Christmas Story, including who was Jesus and why did He come to earth at Christmas.
Jonathan Cliff reviewed the lesson about December 25 – was Jesus really born on Christmas Day?
In this review, Anthony Prince discussed the lesson where we learn why Christmas is called Christmas.
This is one of the trickiest topics of all! How do you explain Santa Claus in church? Jenny Funderburke tackles this big question in her review of Week 2.
Jared Massey reviewed the lesson about Christmas trees – why do we chop down trees and decorate them at Christmastime?
Sam Luce reviewed the lesson revealing the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of Jesus.
A Christmas curriculum that teaches about Hanukkah? What’s up with that? Henry Zonio dives into the lesson on Hanukkah and explains why it’s important to remember the Jewish holiday during Christmas.
How to Use the Christmas Curriculum Videos
As part of our commitment to making this Christmas curriculum as easy to use as possible for children’s ministry leaders and volunteers, we’ve created a series of videos to explain some of our favorite features of the curriculum, and also tips for how to use each activity! You can find those here:
In this video, creator Amy Dolan explains how to customize the Christmas curriculum to make it just right for your children’s ministry.
This video highlights the cutting-edge mobile capabilities of the curriculum. You can review the video and leader guides right from your phone or tablet – and even lead small groups from them!
Week 3 of the curriculum includes a small group celebration, with different stations of activities. This video explains how to host it!
Week 2 of the curriculum involves a service project that you can do around your church. Curriculum creator Lori Bethran explains some ways to really make this a special experience.
Week 4 has one of our favorite activities – kids are encouraged to draw on a “graffiti wall” (butcher paper) what “Emmanuel – God with us” means to them. This video shares how to make that experience very meaningful for everyone.
Lori explains how to use the provided power point slides to make the “Spot the Difference” game from Week 2 work for a large group.
This video shows how to play the Clues of Christmas game (in power point or with printed pieces) from Week 1.
The Bingo game for the Small Group Celebration in Week 3 is really fun! Lori’s video shows you how to play it.
You read that right – a kazoo choir! Amy shows you how to make kazoos and host your own kazoo choir performance in the Week 3 Small Group Celebration.
