Use this Christmas Sunday school lesson: Jesus Is Born to celebrate Jesus’ birth with kids. Find more great Sunday school lessons to help kids grow in their faith.

Christmas Sunday School Lesson: Jesus Is Born

1. Plan It!

Say: When Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem, there was a celebration that topped all celebrations. God had been planning it for all eternity.

We celebrate Jesus’ birth. Imagine that you’re part of the planning committee for the Very First Christmas Celebration. Everything you need to know about this special event is in Luke 2:1-20.

Have kids work in small groups. Set out paper, markers, crayons, pencils, and Bibles for each group.

Then explain that kids will read Luke 2:1-20 in their groups. Using the information they discover, groups will first create a guest list of those who attended the first Christmas celebration. For example, kids might think of Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds, and animals. Then they’ll make an invitation to the celebration. Kids could include items such as what, who, where, when, and why. After that, they’ll advertise the event. Kids could draw posters or create jingles to tell one or more parts of the passage. When kids have finished those tasks, review the Bible passage by having teams share their celebration plans.

Ask:

• What makes Jesus’ birth worth all that celebration?
• What do you think of the way God chose to celebrate Jesus’ birth?
• Tell about your favorite ways to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

Say: Jesus’ birth itself wasn’t all that fancy. He was born in a barn. But the angels and shepherds made a big show of it! Like them, we celebrate Jesus’ birth.

2. Share It!

Say: Nobody wants to miss a great party, right? If you’re invited to your best friend’s birthday party or a fun holiday celebration, you really look forward to it.

Invite kids to share their favorite parties or family gatherings that they’ve attended.

Ask:

• What made the party fun and memorable?

Say: When we go to a friend’s party, we’re ready to have fun and celebrate. But at Christmas, we celebrate the most exciting birthday of all. We celebrate Jesus’ birth. Let’s celebrate now by singing.

Then invite a willing child lead kids in singing  “Glory to God” (Luke 2:11). If no one wants to lead the singing, encourage kids to make up motions and sing any words they know.

“Glory to God” (Luke 2:11) by Jay Stocker.
© 2006 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sing:

The Savior—
Yes, the Messiah, the Lord—
Has been born today.
The Savior—
Yes, the Messiah, the Lord—
Has been born today in Bethlehem.

And the angels sing:
Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest!
In the highest!

(Repeat from the beginning.)

Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to God in the highest!
In the highest, in the highest, in the highest!

Ask: 

• What does the angels’ message of “glory to God” mean?
• What’s the best part about Christmas?

Say: When the angels announced Jesus’ birth, they shared the message we just sang. They wanted everyone to know that Christmas is about bringing glory to God. That’s why we celebrate Jesus’ birth.

3. Reflect It!

Distribute Bibles. Have kids turn to Luke 2:1-20 and scan it quickly.

Say: Pick one person or object in this passage that you most identify with. For example, maybe you feel like the angels because you love to loudly tell people about Jesus. Maybe you’re like the shepherds, full of wonder. Maybe you feel like one of the animals—like you see Christmas but you’re not really participating. Or maybe you’re the star, or the manger, or the hay…whatever you can think of. Pause.

Got it? Now strike a pose somewhere by yourself that reminds you of the person or object you chose. Then take some time to talk to God about Christmas, bearing in mind the role you’re playing. Allow a few minutes for prayer and reflection. After the quiet time, gather everyone together to discuss the following questions.

Ask:  

• Talk about the role you chose, and why you identified with that person or object.
• How does the role you identified with impact how you celebrate Christmas?
• Is there a different role you’d like to identify with more? Talk about that.

Say: Today we celebrate Jesus’ birth by remembering that first Christmas. No matter what role you identified with, Christmas is worth celebrating. Believing in Jesus gives us the gift of eternal life in heaven. I can’t think of a better Christmas present than that!

4. Play It!

Ask:  

• What makes a celebration special?

Say: Sometimes a special celebration requires special music. Today we’re having fun because we celebrate Jesus’ birth. That really is something to celebrate!

Let’s pretend we’re the best-ever air worship band, practicing to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Pick an instrument to play, and decide how to silently act out playing that instrument. Maybe it’s a piano, a guitar, a trumpet, or a drum. While I get the music ready, you can think.

“Joy to the World” by Jay Stocker.
© 2006 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Play  “Joy to the World!” Encourage kids to star in their own personal music video as they play their imaginary instruments. For extra fun, play the song again, but stop it periodically. When you stop the song, have kids switch “instruments.”

Ask:

• How did people show joy the night Jesus was born?
• Why did Jesus’ birth bring joy to the whole world?
• What have you done to show Christmas joy?

Say: Jesus’ birth brought joy to the world! That’s why we celebrate Jesus’ birth.

5. Give It!

Hand out paper and markers. Then say: Let’s imagine that you have an unlimited Christmas budget. You could spend millions of dollars on Christmas gifts for your family and friends. Pick out just one gift for each person that you’d buy if you had all the money you needed. When you’ve picked out what you want to get, draw each present on a separate piece of paper. Be sure to write “to” and “from” on it.

As kids draw, tape yarn in the shape of a Christmas tree on the wall. You could even decorate it with smaller balls of yarn. Then have kids stack their present pictures under the tree. Have kids take turns selecting a paper that’s not their own, and reading who the present is to and from. The artist can share what the drawing is and why he or she chose that gift for its recipient. Then everyone else can vote on whether they think it’s a gift they’d want to receive. Continue for several minutes, but you can stop before you get through all the presents.

Say: Wow, with that much money, we could get some pretty amazing presents!

Ask:

• What makes those presents so great?
• How can those presents help people handle problems?
• How can those presents bring you closer to God?

Say: Our expensive presents sounded great, and most people would love to get them! But there’s one gift money can’t buy—a relationship with God. Only Jesus can give that. That’s what makes Jesus the best gift of all, and that’s why we celebrate Jesus’ birth.

Check out this article for more lessons with Christmas songs. You can also check out all our other Christmas posts here!