The Christmas holidays are a great time to interest kids in Sunday School. They are especially attuned to the feelings of charity and service, which help them to remember Jesus more often. But coming up with meaningful Sunday school lessons about Jesus can be difficult, especially when the Christmas church curriculum can feel repetitive year after year.
Here is a list of the top-rated kid-centered Church curriculum that can help you take a fresh, meaningful take on the Christmas season. These recommendations include parts of a more extensive curriculum, stand-alone Christmas lessons, and paid and free options.
Orange
The Orange curriculum centers around kids understanding their inner light. They have an excellent media package that reaches kids both in your classroom and at home, including lessons adjusted by age group.
Their age groups include FirstLook for preschoolers, 252 Kids for elementary and teenage kids, and other subgroups within the curriculum. In addition, you can use any bible version with their lessons, making it a very flexible option.
Orange is a paid subscription, but you can try any lesson for free before purchasing. You can customize by the level of curriculum you want, as well as the number of kids attending your Sunday School. Need to include Spanish-speaking homes in your ministry? Orange’s curriculum has you covered there as well! Christmas is a great time to try out the curriculum for free, not only to have access to their holistic lessons but to prepare for the New Year. And remember you can use Playlister for free with your Orange Jingle Jam.
Lifeway
The Lifeway project offers a few different Bible-centered curriculum - each of their three programs adapt the Bible to make it easily relatable for kids. Their programs include The Gospel Project, Bible Studies for Life, and Explore the Bible. In addition, their website makes it easy to search for the curriculum for your target age and season.
In fact, their curriculum comes in seasonal kits, so you can try before you buy. They even have a study assessment to help you know which of their curriculum sets is best for you. Lifeway kits range from $75-$135 each, making them an affordable option for your Christmas curriculum refresh.
Hillsong Kids BiG+
Hillsong is a very popular Christian group with lessons focused on uplifting music with styling perfect for kids. Not only do they have the general curriculum for the entire year, but they also have a 4-week standalone series centered around Christmas!
The Hillsong Christmas series shows the three Wise Men’s perspectives as they search for Christ by following the star. The Christmas series is a low $180, a flat rate regardless of the number of youth participating. Their standalone series is excellent for a Christmas lesson refresh without committing to a whole new curriculum provider.
Hillsong kids’ ministry curriculum was professionally developed for children ages 5 to 12 years old by the Hillsong Children’s Ministry Team. Their global reach will help you focus on Jesus at Christmas and help the children feel connected to the greater reach of Christianity worldwide.
GO!
GO!’s curriculum focuses on turning Bible accounts into relatable storytelling. Since their lessons are chronological and coincide with the school year, you can easily find the Christmas stories lined up with the December lessons while including context to the larger history of the Bible. The curriculum picks up in January with Jesus’ life, helping children connect the miracle of his birth with his ministry.
Their mission is to keep the curriculum centered on God, helping kids understand how God’s influence and plan make everything possible. GO! Keeps a focus on a real-world application so that Christmas Bible stories partner with life experiences. You can get a demo before purchase, as well as a free trial!
Childrensministry.com
If you’re simply looking for help with the Christmas curriculum and want a free option, check out Children’s Ministry. They have compiled four free downloadable Sunday school lesson plans. These plans are broken into topics, including covering prophecies of Jesus’ birth, the angel appearing to Mary, the miraculous birth, and how Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas.
Children’s Ministry includes scriptures in each lesson and a variety of fun activities to help kids connect with the story. Family is also included as children are invited to share what they’ve learned after class with their loved ones. In addition, kids will plan a birthday party for Jesus, create celebratory music, make nativity ornaments, and talk about the ways that God uses ordinary people to participate in miracles.
Take Christmas Lesson Plan Stress Out of Your Christmas Season
December is a wonderfully spiritual time of year - kids are instinctively drawn towards the feelings of love, service, and charity. Through these curriculum options, you can avoid the stress of the holiday season and help the kids in your ministry meaningfully connect with Jesus.
As you try out these options, you may find a new curriculum for the rest of the year as well! No matter what lesson plans you choose, remember that the most important thing is to help children grow in their faith and relationship with God and Jesus. Merry Christmas!