Advent Resources for Children's Ministry

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Every time church attendance comes up, we talk about them :: Creastors. You know what I mean, people who attend church only on Christmas and Easter. We know this, yet do we do anything about it?

Is there a way we can capitalize on people’s seasonal interest and attendance and take them a step further in their faith walk?

Advent is a perfect time to help families connect and grow.

I found myself this year, more than ever, asking :: what can we do in children’s ministry to help families connect and grow during the season of Advent and Christmas?

Let’s start with what we teach on Sunday mornings.

I have to admit that in the past, I have not done anything as a children’s ministry director to change our Sunday morning children’s ministry curriculum for Advent.

Of course, changing the curriculum isn’t always necessary. The curriculum we regularly use ties our weekly lessons in nicely with the prophecies and fulfillment of Jesus’ birth. However, sometimes changing the format and focus for a brief period of time garners new excitement and enthusiasm.

When we spend 4-weeks altering what we do, making it different than the other 48 Sundays of the year in children’s ministry, people take notice.

In addition to helping to focus our hearts on Christ instead of commercialism, choosing a 4-week Advent curriculum creates

a change of pace for volunteers
a new opportunity for students to invite their friends to church
a “safe” invitation to invite new volunteers to “test out” serving in children’s ministry {they’re not locked in forever, after all, and we all know how contagious it can be once you begin to serve in CM!}
an opportunity to better equip and support parents in their roles as primary disciplers of their kids

So what can a children’s church or Sunday school or midweek children’s program use to help engage their students in better understanding and experiencing Advent?

If you’ve ever asked ::

How do we engage students in Advent?
What Advent curriculum can we use that will point kids to Jesus, not break the budget, or add undue stress to me or my volunteers?
How do we make the church and home connection easy for families this Christmas?
As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, how do we better support parents in what they are already doing or what they want to do at home?
How do we help those parents who haven’t yet started family devotions or weekly time in God’s Word together?

Let’s start with curriculum.

In looking for our curriculum this year, I was looking for

4-week length
Gospel-centered
church + home connection
easy to implement

Children’s Ministry Curriculum for Advent

Prepare Him Room {Celebrating the Birth of Jesus in the Classroom}

Prepare Him Room is written by Marty Machowski, author of the very popular family devotionals Old Story New and Long Story Short. This resource was new to me, and I was surprised by how much I loved it.

About the Curriculum ::

Length :: 4-week curriculum designed to be used the four Sundays prior to Christmas // 90 minutes of material (can be shortened as needed – our time with the children is approximately 60-75 minutes, and we will easily be able to condense the material as necessary)
Ages :: Prepare Him Room offers separate lessons for preK, lower elementary, and upper elementary
Format :: CD-rom with lessons you print on your own // The lessons are organized and color-coded per week (However, the CD-rom does contain B&W copies if you do not have a color printer.)
Lesson format :: Each lesson in all three age levels includes
- Teaching points and other information for teachers to prepare
- Bible story with Scripture to read, object lessons to enhance understanding
- Scripture passage for memorizing
- Christmas hymn
- Activities :: Preschoolers have a coloring page to complete each week, but the lower and upper elementary students’ activity is to color, cut, and assemble a piece of the nativity scene. By the end of the four weeks, students will have a complete nativity set to bring home.
Topics Covered ::
- Week 1 :: Gabriel Visits Mary
- Week 2 :: God Speaks to Joseph in a Dream
- Week 3 :: The Angels Visit the Shepherds
- Week 4 :: Three Wise Men and a Star

What I Like ::

This curriculum is Gospel-centered, exploring the prophecies foretelling the coming of Jesus and how they were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus and pointing to Christ’s second advent.
3 distinct age levels but all focusing on the same lesson, allowing families to talk about what they’ve learned regardless of the varying ages of their kids.
To further the family component, there is a clear church + home connection. Machowski has also written an Advent family devotional of the same name. It is excellent – you can read more about it here or purchase from Amazon or CBD.
Simplicity. This curriculum does not require a lot of prep. It is simple, but sometimes simple is exactly what the children {and teachers} need.
Inexpensive :: Currently, this curriculum is less than $40 on Amazon and CBD – and that includes the accompanying family devotional.

There is also a CD of the music referenced each week in the curriculum, but it is not included in the purchase. You can purchase the music here or here.

What’s in the Bible {Church Edition}

About the Curriculum :: What’s in the Bible provides a 52-week curriculum, covering Genesis through Revelation. In addition to the traditional curriculum, they offer a 4-week stand alone curriculum called “Why Do they Call it Christmas?” There is both a church curriculum edition and a home edition, so if you pick up What’s in the Bible to use at your church, make sure to purchase the correct one!

Length :: 4-week curriculum designed to be used the four Sundays prior to Christmas
Ages :: recommended for 1st – 4th grade
Format :: This is a large group/small group format and can be downloaded or purchased as a physical order that will be shipped to you.
Lesson format :: Each week’s lesson intersperses various video clips and games and activities to reinforce the lesson being taught. Each lesson in this curriculum includes
- Teacher preparation (including supply lists)
- Customizable lessons
- Student pages
- Video clips
- Activities :: printable games and activities available for each lesson
- Take-home cards
Topics Covered ::
- Week 1 :: The Big Questions of Christmas
- Week 2 :: Jesus’ Birth & a Serving Project
- Week 3 :: The Origins of Hanukkah & a Small Group Celebration
- Week 4 :: Emmanuel & the Christmas Story

What I Like ::

hands-on activities included in each lesson
in-depth material
variety within each lesson to keep the kids’ attention
ability to order a physical copy or download directly from the web {you know, if any one else can be a little last minute, ahem}
In addition to weekly take-home cards, there are a number of resources for parents to use.
- Why Do They Call it Christmas DVD OR Why Do They Call it Christmas Book (I love that there are two different options!)
- Everyday Emmanuel: A Family Advent Experience {LOVE this and so appreciate the ability to purchase a bulk license to download and print unlimited copies for the families in our church}
- Christmas Memory Book {also available in a bulk license} :: my kids used and loved this resource last year!

The Gift of Advent {Christmas Curriculum Kit}

From the GoFish guys, this Advent curriculum is a large group/small group format that includes multimedia and music. I have The Gift of Advent on order, so until I have it in my hands, the information below will be limited to what I’ve found through their website.

About the Curriculum ::

Length :: 4-week curriculum designed to be used the four Sundays prior to Christmas
Ages :: The website doesn’t specify, but it seems like this curriculum would be most appropriate for elementary students
Format :: This is a large group/small group format and comes with a CD-rom for all printable materials, a music CD, a DVD of all music videos, lyrics, etc., and a DVD-rom with all of the video files.
Lesson format ::
- Large group opening activity and Advent wreath
- Small group Bible lesson
- Accompanying worksheets and activities for each lesson
- Craft Idea for each lesson
- Music
- Additional Activities :: The Gift of Advent includes optional activities to expand the lesson for longer class times.
Topics Covered ::
- Week 1 :: The Gift of Hope
- Week 2 :: The Gift of Wisdom
- Week 3 :: The Gift of Love
- Week 4 :: The Gift of Joy

What I Like ::

This curriculum by the Go Fish Guys looks like so. much. FUN! Learning about Jesus and having a BLAST? What a fabulous combination!
The music is engaging, upbeat and meaningful. I love that we could use one of these lively songs to join in “big church” and help lead our congregation in worship.
Strong evangelistic message
I love that there is a music CD for parents to purchase {or for us to buy as gifts for families}, but I didn’t like that there isn’t a “home connection” piece with this curriculum. I do think, however, that typing up a supplement for parents to use throughout the week would be easy enough. If we end up using this curriculum and I type up a family resource, I’ll link to it here.

Truth in the Tinsel {Church Curriculum}

We have used Truth in the Tinsel as a family, but this is the first year I have seriously looked at the church curriculum. One of my favorite things about the church curriculum is that the Truth in the Tinsel eBook is already so popular with families. This curriculum is intended to be a family-church partnership, and discounted eBook packages are offered to help you resource the families in your ministry.

About the Curriculum ::

Length :: 4-week curriculum designed to be used the four Sundays prior to Christmas // approximately 60 minutes of material
Ages :: elementary
Format :: The format of this curriculum is flexible and can be used in a self-contained classroom, a large group/small group format, with lots of kids, or with just a few. The activities are created to be flexible and work for you. // This is a digital curriculum. You will need to download and print the material.
Lesson format :: Each lesson includes
- Main point
- Theme intro {either game, activity, or object lesson}
- Bible memory verse with game or activity to help the kids memorize
- Bible Story
- Application
- Small Group time with discussion questions, prayer prompts, and an activity or group craft
Topics Covered ::
- Week 1 :: Jesus is the Light of the World
- Week 2 :: Nothing is Impossible with God
- Week 3 :: Make Room in Your Heart for Jesus
- Week 4 :: Jesus is the Best Gift of All

What I Like ::

excellent church + home connection
supply list included
simple but effective
great application
small group question cards are helpful so volunteers aren’t flipping through a ton of papers

Question for You:

Does your children’s ministry do anything specific for Advent? What curriculum do you use and love?

Resources for You:

Advent Resources for Families 2014 edition
Advent Resources for Families 2012 edition
the best resources for Family Devotions
Keeping EASTER all about JESUS

Comments

Jenelle Chaney says

November 4, 2021 at 8:32 am

Hi! I have been using your guide here to pick an Advent curriculum for our church’s children’s ministry. I am very interested in Prepare Him Room and The Gift of Advent. I’m having issues finding the family guide to Prepare Him Room for less than $15, which I just can’t do that for at least 30 families. I really like the Gift of Advent, but need to have some kind of home connection as well. We have never done an Advent series, so coming up with my own church+home connection is an overwhelming thought for the first year. Did you happen to create one when you did the Gift of Advent? Did you enjoy that series? Thank you!

Kids Advent Resources for Children’s Ministry

Children’s Ministry Curriculum for Advent