BIG IDEA: Jesus is the greatest gift.
This free Bible lesson, The Greatest Gift, will teach preschool and elementary students that Jesus is the best Christmas gift anyone can ever receive. Jesus Christ’s birth is the true reason we celebrate at Christmas time.
FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-21
All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.
Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.
PREP & SUPPLIES
- printed & trimmed “Mystery Gift” pictures
- printed & trimmed “Christmas Story” cards
- 10 small wrapped gift boxes or bags with the “Christmas Story” cards inside
- 10 gift tags
- printed “Christmas Story Rings” for each student (5 pages)
- scissors and hole punches
- binder rings or ribbon/string
- coloring supplies
LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY
Before we read our Bible story today, we are going to play a game with some mystery gifts.
LEADER NOTE: This activity is designed to give students a “choice” in which gift they want to “receive”. Each slide has 3 options, but the gift is predetermined according to the following slide. Students will “choose” one of the three mystery gifts that they want to “open”. The gift will be revealed on the following slide. Then, a leader will give the student a picture of the revealed gift to hold onto until the end of the activity. At the end of the activity, all students will vote on which of the mystery gifts is the “greatest gift”.
EXAMPLE: Student 1 chooses mystery gift 1. The leader reveals the gift of a puppy on the
next slide. A leader gives Student 1 a picture of a puppy. Student 1 stands at the front of the
classroom holding the picture of the puppy. The puppy is the mystery gift no matter which
mystery gift choice the student chooses.
Lead students through the activity with the provided slides. Each gift choice has 2 slides.
Mystery Gifts: (1) puppy, (2) bike, (3) teddy bear, (4) books
After all of the mystery gifts have been revealed and students are standing at the front of the classroom holding the pictures of each gift, lead students in a vote for which gift they think is the greatest/best.
It is almost Christmas. Does anyone know why we give and receive gifts on Christmas? (allow responses)
Today, we are going to learn about the true meaning and reason for Christmas and understand the meaning of the greatest gift we could ever receive.
BIBLE LESSON
(SLIDE) The world teaches us that Christmas is all about Santa Claus, elves, magic, and getting a lot of gifts for ourselves. Those things are fun and exciting, but what is the true meaning of Christmas? (allow responses and discussion)
(SLIDE) The true meaning of Christmas is Jesus! As we are celebrating during the Christmas season, we need to remember that the true reason that we celebrate this time of year is to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.
We can give and receive gifts to celebrate Jesus, but we should always remember that the best gift that we could ever receive doesn’t come wrapped in a box and placed under the Christmas tree.
(SLIDE) Big Idea: Jesus is the greatest gift.
Jesus is fully God, but He came to Earth to live as a human and be tempted to sin just like we are tempted every day.
What is sin? (anything we think, do, or say that is against what God wants for us; doing things our own way instead of God’s way)
Did Jesus ever sin? (no)
Jesus never sinned! He lived on the Earth as a human. He was tempted just like we are, but Jesus never sinned. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life so that He could pay for our sins by dying on the cross.
(SLIDE) We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time and we celebrate the sacrifice that He made for us by dying on the cross and raising back to life at Easter time.
Today I am going to ask you to help me tell the Christmas story. (Large Group Activity is combined with the Bible Story Lesson)
You will need the wrapped gifts numbered 1-10 and ten student volunteers to participate in telling the Christmas story. Each wrapped gift includes a part of the Christmas story. A coordinating slide is also included, as well as discussion prompts for each part of the story.
There are 10 wrapped gifts. Each gift has a number on it. Each person who is holding a gift will open the gift when I tell you to so that we can read about the Christmas story in the correct order.
You can choose to have the student read the card/slide OR you can have them open it and give it to you to read.
Either way you choose to read the story, it is important that you allow time for discussion and reflection of each part of the story. *Prompts are provided below and on the following pages.*
Story Discussion Prompts:
(SLIDE) Card 1: Isaiah 7:14
This verse is an Old Testament prophecy. What is a prophecy? (allow responses)
A prophecy is a prediction of future events. The prophet Isaiah said that a baby would be born to a virgin mother. He was referring to Jesus. For a baby to be made and placed inside of a mother’s womb, there must be a mother and a father. But God promised that Jesus would be born to a virgin mother. This means that Jesus was born to a mom without a dad.
What does the name “Immanuel” mean? (allow responses)
“Immanuel” means “God with us”. What does this mean? (allow responses)
Jesus is fully God. When He came to Earth to live as a human, He was Immanuel, “God with us”, or God living with us here on Earth as a human.
(SLIDE) Card 2: Luke 1:26-35
This verse is the announcement of Jesus’s birth to His mother, Mary. God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of the Son of God!
The angel tells Mary not to be afraid. Why do you think she was afraid? (allow responses and discussion)
Remember that God had promised King David that Someone from David’s family line would rule as King forever. Jesus is that King. The angel Gabriel told Mary that God will make her Son a King like David. Both Mary and Joseph were from the family line of King David, which was the royal family line.
The Holy Spirit put Jesus into Mary’s womb. Jesus is fully God, but He came to Earth to live as a human. Jesus did not have an Earthly father by blood, because The Holy Spirit placed Him in Mary’s womb. That is why He is called The Son of God.
(SLIDE) Card 3: Matthew 1:18-21
This verse is the announcement of Jesus’s birth to His Earthly father, Joseph. Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married so when Joseph saw that Mary had become pregnant with a baby it worried him because he knew that the baby was not from him.
An angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him that Mary had become pregnant through the power of The Holy Spirit. The angel told Joseph to name the baby Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. What do you think the name Jesus means? (allow responses and discussion)
The name Jesus means “Savior”.
Why do people need a Savior to save us from our sins? (allow responses and discussion)
Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience when they ate the forbidden fruit. Sin separates us from God because He is perfect and cannot be in the presence of sin. Jesus came as our Savior to die on the cross in our place, taking the punishment for our sins so that we can have a friendship with God and live in Heaven with Him forever.
(SLIDE) Card 4: Micah 5:2
This verse is another Old Testament prophecy of a prediction about where Jesus would be born. God told the prophet Micah that a “ruler” would come out of the small town of Bethlehem. The “ruler” Micah was talking about was Jesus. The next verse we are going to read will tell us about how Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem.
(SLIDE) Card 5: Luke 2:1-5
At the time right before Jesus was born, the ruler of the nation was named Caesar Augustus. Caesar made a law that required all families to return to the town they were from to be counted in a census. Joseph was from Bethlehem but had moved to Nazareth. Following the law, Joseph returned to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. He took
Mary with him and that is where Jesus was born.
(SLIDE) Card 6: Luke 2:6-7
Jesus was born in Bethlehem but He grew up and lived in a town called Nazareth. After Jesus was born, Mary wrapped Him in strips of cloth and placed Him in a manger. Does anyone know what a manger is? (allow responses)
A manger is a raised wood or stone container that farm animals eat from. The Bible tells us that there was no guest rooms in the town of Bethlehem for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to stay.
(SLIDE) Card 7: Luke 2:8-12
An angel came to a group of shepherds the night that Jesus was born. Just like Mary was afraid, the shepherds were also afraid. But the angel told the shepherds not to be afraid. The angel told the shepherds that the Savior had been born and was lying in a manger in the town of David, which was Bethlehem. The Jewish people had been promised that a Messiah, a Savior, would be coming to save them. This announcement to the shepherds was the fulfillment of that promise.
SLIDE) Card 8: Luke 2:13-14
This verse is telling about the group of angels who came to praise God. What were the angels praising God for? (allow responses and discussion)
The angels were praising God for sending Jesus! God had promised through prophets that He would send a Savior to Earth to save the people. Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise to the world. The angels brought a message of peace to all who are faithful to God and all who believe in Jesus as the Savior.
(SLIDE) Card 9: Luke 2:15-16
After the angels went back into heaven, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and saw baby Jesus. How amazing would it have been to be those shepherds?
Many of the people didn’t trust that Jesus was the promised Savior, but these shepherds believed and they got to see Him lying in a manger as a baby.
(SLIDE) Card 10: Luke 2:17-18
The shepherds believed in Jesus and they spread the news all around. Why do you think they felt like they wanted to tell everyone? (allow responses and discussion)
They were amazed at Jesus, just like all people who trust and believe in Him. Their amazement made them want to share the good news with everyone around them.
We haven’t seen Jesus with our eyes like the shepherds did, but we can feel Him by praying to Him, by reading our Bible, and by learning more about Him. How can we share Jesus with others? (allow responses and discussion)
We can tell others the good news about Jesus and what He has done for us. Jesus came to Earth to live a sinless, perfect life. He died on the cross to take away our sins, and He rose back to life. Now He is in Heaven preparing a place for all of the people who love, trust, and follow Him to live forever.
(SLIDE) The Bible tells us that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” [John 3:16 NIrV]
Jesus is truly the greatest gift that anyone could ever receive. He came to Earth to be our Savior. Anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved. Our bodies will still die physically, but when we believe in Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation we live forever, spiritually.
The spiritual life that Jesus offers is “new life” just like being “reborn”, or “born again”. All we have to do is believe in Jesus and follow Him to receive this new life.
(SLIDE) This means that when you BELIEVE in Jesus, and you BELIEVE that He came to the earth to live a sinless life, you BELIEVE that he died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and that He was raised again to life on the third day, and you ASK Him to forgive you and SAVE you from your sins, He will! And you will have eternal life, forever with God!
Dear God,
Thank You for the true story of the birth of Jesus. Please help us to remember the true meaning of Christmas as we celebrate this year, and please help us be bold enough to share the good news of Jesus with other people. Thank You for the plan You made to save us from our sins by sending Jesus to die on the cross and take away our sins. Please help us to understand these Truths and ask questions when we don’t understand completely.
We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Today, you are going to get to make your own “Christmas Story” booklet to take home with you.
You will be able to use the pictures and words to remember what you learned today AND to teach others about the true meaning we celebrate Christmas.
Due to the length of the large group lesson today, you may choose to pre-assemble the “Christmas Story Rings” for students to take home and color.
If booklets are pre-made, you can allow students to color as time allows.
If booklets are not pre-made, instruct students to cut, hole punch, and assemble in the correct order. They can color as time allows.
BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.
Discussion Prompts for Leaders:
- Ask students to recall the story as they read through the mini booklet.
- Why is Jesus the greatest gift that anyone can ever receive? (He saves us from our sins and offers eternal life)
- What are the differences in the true reasons we celebrate Christmas and Easter? (Christmas = Jesus’s birth; Easter = Jesus’s death, burial,and resurrection)
- How did some of the people in Jesus’s day know to be looking for His arrival? (prophets told them God was sending a Messiah to save them)
- Why did Jesus come to Earth? (to live a sinless life, to die on the cross to take away our sins, and to raise back to life; to save us from our sins; to make a way for us to have a relationship with God)
- What do we need to do to have Eternal Life? (believe in Jesus, and what He did for us on the cross, and ask Him to forgive and save us from our sins)
- Prompt students to pretend they are telling another person the good news about Jesus. Offer suggestions of how they can start the conversation and what they can say during the conversation.
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
- Use any extra time to discuss the lesson and/or the memory verse.
CLOSING REFLECTION
We learned that Jesus is the true reason that we celebrate Christmas. When we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, we are remembering the birth of Jesus, the promised King and Savior sent from Heaven to Earth to live a sinless life, die on the cross to take away the sins of people who love, trust, and follow Him, and raise back to life on Easter morning. When we believe in Jesus, and believe that He is God, ask Him to forgive and save us, He will. Then we can follow Him in all that we do and live with Him forever spiritually in Heaven.
Reflection Questions:
- In one sentence, what is the true meaning of Christmas? (Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus as the promised King and Savior.)
- What is the greatest gift anyone could ever receive? (Jesus; the free gift of salvation from Jesus)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
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