YEA Lesson Library
A Special Baby is Born
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.
Scriptures
Isaiah 7:14, 9:6
Matthew 1:20
Luke 1:26-35, 2:1-20
Luke 2:14
John 7:42
Words to Know
STABLE - a barn where animals are kept
SWADDLING CLOTHES - cloth used to wrap a new-born baby
SHEPHERD - a man who takes care of sheep and protects them from wild animals
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Luke 1:26-27
Monday - Matthew 1:20
Tuesday - Luke 2:8-10
Wednesday - Luke 2:13-14
Thursday - Isaiah 9:6
Friday - Isaiah 7:14
Saturday - John 7:42
YEAH — At-Home Activity
Storytelling: There’s something very powerful about telling a story. When you make eye contact, you are pulling the children into your words. Familiarize yourself so much with the details of this story that you can tell it, not read it.
Sheep: The YEA lesson already includes directions for making a paper bag and cotton ball sheep, as well as a suggestion for making sheep out of clay. You may also want to make some sheep out of cauliflower and toothpicks. Use the sheep as the springboard to talking about the birth of Jesus - the announcement made to the shepherds. (Isn’t it amazing that our God would choose to announce the One who would become the Lamb of God, who would become the Good Shepherd, to those who were caring for physical sheep?!)
Treasure Hunt: After telling the story, take the kids on an I Spy treasure hunt looking for elements of the story: a sheep tucked away here, a donkey there, a star, a manger, straw, a map/globe. Each time they find something they have to tell you how it relates to the story. Use the coloring page in the student book for them to color as a finishing activity.
Good News: Ask the children if they’ve had any really good news lately. You may have to “prime the pump” by telling them some of your good news. Ask them how they would share that good news with someone else: telephone, letter, yelling, jumping up and down. God spread His good news with an angel and a bunch of shepherds. Tell the story with the emphasis on the best news ever. Have some stickers they can paste on a pastoral scene after coloring it.
The Letter B: The REACH activities focus on the letter “B” for this lesson. Have a big piece of poster paper. As you tell the story, have the children listen to pick out the words that begin with B: Bethlehem, baby, born, big, bright, blessing. Have them color in a bubble letter B.
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Name the town where Jesus was born.
Recite the names of Jesus’ earthly parents.
State that the birth of Jesus was one of the greatest events that has ever happened.
Recite their memory verse.
Topics & Themes
Angels
Bethlehem
Feast of Tabernacles
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Jesus, Birth of
Mary and Joseph
Shepherds
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students’ and Teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse charts, gold and silver stars, unbreakable nativity scene, crayons, simple toys, blocks and clay, white lunch-size paper bags, cotton balls, glue, white construction paper, songbook, CD, CD player
Preparation
Arrive early enough to set up the room with a table that has toys, blocks and clay on it, and small chairs arranged in a semicircle in a different area of the room.
Before class, either buy or make attendance and memory verse charts, write each child’s name on them, and dates at the top. If you elect to make the attendance and memory verse charts, draw lines down from each date and across from each name to form squares. Tack the charts on the wall low enough for the children to reach.
As the children arrive, greet them warmly, calling each one by name. Give each child a silver star to put by his name on the attendance chart. Then have them go to the table to play with the toys and other children. Encourage children to shape their clay to form a sheep or a star. As they play, ask questions that will lead into the lesson such as: Do you know who Jesus is? Did you know that Jesus was once a little baby? Did you know that His birth was so special that God put a very bright star in the sky?
Allow time after children arrive for them to play with the toys and clay until they reach their comfort level in class. Then let them recite their memory verse. Praise them for knowing it and give them a gold star to put by their name on the memory verse chart.
Now say, “One, two three, it’s listening time for you and me.” Move the children to small chairs if they are available, or have them sit on the floor in a semicircle. Make sure that you sit at their eye level as you teach the lesson. Remember that the attention span of three to five year old children is very short. To captivate and hold their interest they must be involved each step of the way.
Children are great mirrors of your attitude and enthusiasm. The lesson should be so familiar that you can tell it with enthusiasm, vocal variety, gestures, and drama. Before you begin, give each child one or more pieces (depending on the size of the class) of the nativity scene and ask them to hold their piece until you ask for it. As you go over the narrative, ask for each piece as needed.
Review Questions
Use the nativity figures to help the children remember and answer the review questions.
What was the name of the city where Jesus was born?
What are the names of Jesus’ earthly parents? (Hold up figures of Mary and Joseph.)
How did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem? (Hold up the figure of donkey.)
Who was out in the field watching sheep?
What was the most important thing that happened?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Enlarge and duplicate the sheep patterns onto white construction paper for each child. Help the children to cut out the pieces. Allow them to glue the pieces onto a white lunch-size paper bag (as shown in the picture). They can color the nose and legs of their sheep. Finally, have them glue cotton balls to the body of their sheep.
REACH Activity
Letter: B
Words: born, baby, Bethlehem, bright, box, bed
Sentence:
THE BABY WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM.
THE BABY’S BED WAS IN THE MANGER.
Song
“Go Tell It on the Mountain” is on page 61 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, Thank you for giving us Jesus to be our Savior. He is our best Friend and the greatest gift of all. Help us to please Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Printable Pages
