Christmas Card Toss

December 12, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Christmas Cards or various sizes and shapes and an open box wrapped to look like a Christmas gift.

Activity
1. Get 10 Christmas cards of various sizes and shapes.
2. Place the open box, wrapped like a Christmas present about six to eight feet away from the participants. (Vary your distance and size of the box according to the difficulty you desire for the game.)
3. Have each participant stand at a specific place and toss the Christmas cards into the box.
4. The person who gets the most cards into the box wins the game. This is more difficult than it first seems.

Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!
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Game Ideas

Do-it-Yourself Snow Man

December 12, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Items for the creation of snowmen: You can use marshmallows, and a variety of candy corn, jelly beans, toothpicks, and other items.

Activity
1. Divide the group into teams and give each team supplies to build a snowman.
2. Each team must create their best “snow man.”
3. Award the best snowman.

You can also have other categories such as
“Most Creative”
“Biggest Snow Man”
“Most likely to survive the winter”
“Most unlikely to survive this meeting.”

Variations
1. Use Playdoh
2. Build the snowman in someone’s mouth
3. Play the “Snowball Fight” Game and then transform one of your team members into the best snowman. Use the wadded up newspaper to fill a couple white sheets wrapped around a person to make the snowmen round!

Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

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Game Ideas

Rudolph Dodgeball

December 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A red ball (Rudolph’s nose) that is easily thrown, but made out of a soft material similar to a nerf ball or other material that would not hurt a person who was hit by it.

Game Preparation
1. Divide the group into equal teams made up of five or more youth
2. Choose one team to go first by being “Santa and his Reindeer”.
3. Reindeer form a line by holding the waists or the shoulders of the person in front of them. They may not let go. This will leave only the front person with his hands free. This person is designated Rudolph.
4. Only Rudolph is able to block the red ball (Rudolph’s nose).
The person at the other end of the reindeer team is Santa.
5. All other teams join together to form a large circle around Santa. Leave room for Santa and his reindeer to move about inside the circle.

Game Play
1. The idea is for the people in the circle to try to hit Santa with Rudolph’s nose.
2. Once hit, that person leaves the sleigh team and sits out until either time is up or everyone has been eliminated from the sleigh.
3. When Santa is eliminated, the next person in line becomes Santa. Only Santa can be eliminated when hit.
4. The strategy for the reindeer is to hide or protect Santa by moving around and having the lead person try to block throws so Santa doesn’t get hit.
5. Set a time limit (2 minutes?) and count the number of Reindeer left in the sleigh team at the end of the time.
6. Let each team take a turn at being Santa and his Reindeer. The winner is the team who had the most reindeer attached to the sleigh.

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Game Ideas

Place Jesus in the Manger

December 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Drawing of a manger scene with animals, wisemen, Mary and Joseph, etc. and a small drawing of baby Jesus big enough to fit in the manger for each participant. You will also need a means for the baby to stick to the baby Jesus to the wall (i.e. pins, thumbtacks, double sided tape, or blue tack.)

Game Preparation
In this Christmas variation of “Pin the tail on the Donkey”, create a complete Nativity scene that participants will use to try to place Jesus in the manger. Make sure you draw an outline for the baby Jesus, but don’t complete it. Place the picture on a wall or flat surface. If you are using pins or thumbtacks add a cardboard backing. You’ll also need to number each baby Jesus to be placed on the picture.

Game Setup
Each participant is given a baby Jesus. Blindfold the first person and spin them around 3-5 times, (so they are a little dizzy) and point them in the direction of the Nativity scene (2-3 feet in front of it). Tell them to walk forward and place the baby in the manger. Remove the blindfold and repeat the process with the next participant. The one closest to the actual outline of the baby Jesus wins!

Variation 1
Pin the star on the Christmas Tree – Use a Christmas star or angel instead of the nose The person who places the star closest to the point on top of the tree wins.

Variation 2
Place star above the Manger – Use the same nativity scene. The person who places the star closest to the correct position wins.

Variation 3
Pin the nose on the reindeer (or Rudolph). Use a picture of a reindeer. The person who places the nose closest to the correct position wins.

Variation 4
Pin the carrot on the snowman. Use a picture of a snowman. The person who places the carrot closest to the correct position wins. If you have real snow you can build a real snowman and then play the game with a real carrot.

Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

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Devotional

Mary’s Song

December 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Read out loud Luke 1:46-55.

Mary certainly knew the scriptures.
By any count, in this short hymn of praise to her Lord, Mary quotes from at least eight Old Testament passages, and alludes to about a half-dozen others. In addition, Mary’s heartfelt expression reflects the attitude of several other scriptures. You might say Mary’s song is virtually saturated in scripture. Yes, Mary certainly knew the scriptures.

But who was she saying these scriptures to?
Who were you speaking to as you read these verses? It is important to reflect not only on Mary’s knowledge of scripture, but on her knowledge of the Lord. “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” You can’t help but be struck by the impression as you read these verses that Mary was speaking directly to and personally with “the Mighty One” who had done great things for her.

A. W. Tozer warned, “Scientists have lost God amid the wonders of his world; Christians are in danger of losing God amid the wonders of His word.”

Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my soul rejoices in God my Savior.”
May all our spirits soar so freely this Christmas!
Praise God, the Mighty One of Israel!

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

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Game Ideas

Christmas Candy Relay

December 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Large bag of candy appropriate for the holiday and a roll of paper towels. For Christmas, use Christmas related candy like small candy canes of different colors.

Game Preparation
1. Form two teams and assign each team one or two colors of candy. For a Christmas, one team will be assigned green, and other team is assigned red. You can have as many teams as you have colors of candy.
2. On the floor at one end of the room, unroll a several foot long strip of paper towels. Spread the candy randomly over the entire length of paper towels and then have the teams line up at the other end of the room.

Game Play
1. The objective is to be the first team to remove all the candy of their assigned color.
2. One at a time, team members rush to the paper towels, and bend down and use their teeth to pick up one piece of candy (team colors only and no hands allowed).
3. Once they have a peice of candy in thier teeth, they stand back up, run back to their team.
4. They must then show the candy in their mouth to the next person in line, who shouts out the color. If the color’s wrong, the person must eat the candy and then go back and get another peice of candy of the correct color.
5. When the color is correct, the person eats his/her candy and the next person goes to the paper towels and repeats the process.

Christmas Collection
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Teaching Illustrations

Why Jesus is Better than Santa Claus

December 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh.
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year.
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies.
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited.
JESUS stands at your door and knocks, and then enters your heart.

You have to wait in line to see Santa.
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap.
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl,what’s your name?”.
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly.
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO.
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

While Santa says “You better not cry”.
JESUS says “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.”

Santa’s little helpers make toys.
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree.
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

Its obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Author Unknown

Teaching Illustrations

His Name At The Top

December 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

I had the nicest Christmas list,
The longest one in town,
Till Daddy looked at it and said,
“You’ll have to cut it down.”

I knew that what he said was true
Beyond the faintest doubt,
But was amazed to hear him say,
“You’ve left your best Friend out.”

And so I scanned my list again,
And said, “Oh, that’s not true!”
But Daddy said, “His name’s not there,
That Friend that died for you.”

And then I clearly understood,
‘Twas Jesus that he meant;
For Him who should come first of all
I hadn’t planned a cent!

I’d made a Christmas birthday list,
And left the Saviour out!
But, oh, it didn’t take me long
To change the list about.

And tho’ I’ve had to drop some names of folks I like a lot,
My Lord must have the most-because HIS NAME IS AT THE TOP!

-Author Unknown

Teaching Illustrations

The Christmas Tree

December 11, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

A father and daughter were out shopping for a Christmas tree. The father wanted just the right tree, and pulled out 2-3 for his daughter to consider. After several false starts, the little girl ran up to her daddy all excited, saying, “Daddy, I found the perfect tree!” She led him over to it, and to his disappointment, he saw a small, wilted, almost lifeless tree. He said to her, ‘Honey, this tree is pathetic! It’s not anywhere near as pretty as the other trees.” To which his daughter replied, “I know, Daddy, but we can take it home and make it beautiful.
”

Icebreakers

Christmas Hoax

December 10, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
None

Game Play
Each person in the group writes answers to four Christmas questions. Three of the answers are to be true and one is to be a hoax. Questions should center around Christmas.

For example, the following are suggested questions for Christmas:
1. What is the most unusual Christmas gift you ever received?
2. What is the most meaningful thing that happened to you during a Christmas Holiday?
3. What is your favorite Christmas food?
4. What is your favorite Christmas tradition or symbol?
ETC

Each individual reads his or her answers to the group. The others guess which one is a hoax. After all have guessed, the person tells which answer was the hoax.

Variation
Toss all the answers in a bowl and have people read the responses, guess the person and guess the answer which is a hoax.

Holiday Collection
Games and Activities in Celebration of common Holidays.

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween or Fall Festival, and Thanksgiving event. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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