Christmas with kids has a way of peeling back all the layers and taking the story of Jesus straight into the tender places of the heart. When Scripture is opened in the middle of crayons, cookie crumbs, and giggles, Christmas becomes less about “getting it right” and more about watching God’s love land on little hearts in real time.
This year we have watched several Christmas movies but the ones who have moved our hearts the most are the ones that point to Christ.
Seeing Christmas through their eyes
Children do not overcomplicate the nativity; they simply receive it.
- When they hear that God came as a baby in a manger, they feel the wonder before they feel the theology.
- When they see shepherds and angels, they picture a God who notices ordinary people and comes close in the dark.
As adults, hearts often carry exhaustion, regret, or quiet grief into December, but kids invite the family back into awe, back into a story where God moves toward His people with tenderness, not distance.
They in ice is into the simplicity of the story and all that God is doing through long waits and simple moments. That delayed answer to prayer? It really is God setting it up to be the perfect story and fulfill all that His word will accomplish. Did His forget Zachariah and Elizabeth? no! he had a wonderful plan for their child to be the front runner, announcing the way Of Christ. And Jesus declared Him to be one of the greatest to ever live, yet he was the least of these. These moments can speak to us, and show us how to keep trusting God even when the circumstances don’t reveal what God is doing. We can move forward knowing that all things work out for our good and His glory. That we are increasingly being transformed into his image. That fire? We won’t even have the smell of smoke on us as we walk through it with Him. So do we give up? No! We keep walking and trusting in His plan.
Making the Bible feel like home
The goal is not just to “get through” a Christmas unit, but to let Scripture become part of the family’s shared language.
- Reading the nativity story from a children’s Bible or a simple family devotional helps kids see that the Bible is for them, not just for church.
- Short, honest conversations:
- “How do you think the shepherds felt?” “What would you say to baby Jesus?” turn lessons into heart-level connections. God will speak through even the smallest moments.
Over time, these moments tell a quiet truth: God’s Word is a safe place where questions, fears, and joys can all sit together.
A simple Christmas Bible rhythm
An emotional, Christ-centered Christmas “unit” at home can be beautifully simple.
- Pick one passage each week (the angel’s announcement, Jesus’ birth, the shepherds, the wise men) and read it together, even if it’s just a few verses.
- Add one hands-on response: acting out the scene, drawing a picture, or placing a new piece in the nativity as you read.
- Close with a short prayer: “Jesus, thank You for coming close to us. Help our family to love You and others today.”
This gentle rhythm helps kids see that the Bible is not a holiday prop but the story the whole season hangs on.
Whatever you do, the important thing is to do something. Remind your children, and yourself, this season is about Him and not anything else.
Holding their hearts, not just their attention
Christmas can stir up big feelings in children from excitement, disappointment, jealousy, even sadness.
- Talking about Jesus as the greatest treasure helps kids see that gifts are good, but God’s love is what truly lasts.
- Naming emotions “It’s okay to feel upset” or “It’s normal to feel left out” and then pointing to the God who is with us in every feeling anchors them in grace, not performance.
- God has picked us before time, we are never left out with Him and He came so that we could feel His love forever!
When kids learn that Jesus’ coming means they are seen, wanted, and never alone, Christmas shifts from a day on the calendar to a steady place of belonging.
When the story sinks in
One day, the crafts will be recycled, the Advent calendars will be gone, and the toys will break.
- What will remain is the memory of a home where the name of Jesus was spoken with love, not just obligation.
- What will remain are the quiet nights when a child fell asleep knowing that the baby in the manger grew up to be the Savior who loves them right now, exactly as they are.
This is the hidden miracle of a Christmas Bible unit with kids: as they learn the story, the story is also gently rewriting the hearts of the adults who read it with them.
merry Christmas Friends!
