After Christmas Children's Sunday School Lessons

The holiday is over… or is it? We still have plenty to talk about when it comes to the Christmas season! In this collection of 3 Sunday School lessons, you find:

• Jesus Presented in the Temple – Simeon teaches us what our greatest desire in life should be
• Visit of the Wise Men – What can we give Jesus?
• Jesus Stays Behind at the Temple – Why is it important for us to be in church?

If you missed it, look for my Advent and Christmas Lessons as well as my Holidays Children's Sermons (Coming Soon) for more ideas on teaching during the Christmas season.

Recommended Extras Try adding these ideas to your lessons for increased learning. They include low-cost and free videos, books, and activity pages.

Paid Resources These are the most cost-effective tools I've used to supplement this set of lessons. Keep them to use every year.

Videos

Showing videos of the Bible stories are one of the best ways to help kids connect with the characters and understand what's happening. They see the Biblical setting, connect the characters with a real person, and can understand the flow of the story easily as it plays out in front of them. You can pause the video and talk about as you watch or wait until the entire episode is finished. I recommend using them either instead of the Bible stories I've written or as a review the week after you teach the lesson. image="miracle-children-a -Sunday-school-lessons-by-rev-steve-wilson.jpg" side="right"

If you're not familiar with Superbook, the series tells the story of Chris and Joy who meet a Professor with a time machine and a robot named Gizmo. Every episode, they travel back in time to witness a different Biblical event. In this one, they see Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem all the way through their flight to Egypt. Use it as a review of the story so far and as an introduction to the story of the Wise Men.

This is a similar series that's just a few decades older. You'll probably have the most luck finding it available for streaming rather than on DVD. Three teenagers are suddenly pulled back in time to witness the events surrounding Christ's birth. Though it's older, I still recommend this series because of the realistic art style common to 80s cartoons. To me, it gives a more accurate depiction of the setting.

This is the full series hosted by Charlton Heston (you know, Moses from The Ten Commandments?). There are no time-traveling kids in this series if you object to the fictional concept. The art style also appeals more to kids with its slightly cartoony look.

All three of these videos show the main events surrounding the Christmas miracle. If you like, you can even show more than one to give your kids a broader perspective.

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For the Classroom

This is a beautiful book that puts a new spin on the classic poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.' Glenys Nellist follows the rhythm of the poem perfectly as she writes new lines to tell the real Christmas story. And the art of Elena Selivanova is mesmerizing. I recommend letting kids browse through this book as they arrive or reading it aloud instead of showing a video or telling the Bible stories presented in the lessons.

Kids, and boys especially, still love comic books. There's something about the middle ground between reading and visuals, writing and art, that grabs and holds their attention. Keep this in your classroom or make it available to lend to families for kids to read on their own time.

Kids love playing Bingo, especially if you give them a small prize for winning. Of course, the real prize is that you're reinforcing what they're learning by having them match pictures from the Bible stories. You'll get 24 cards and sets of place markers with this set. Kids will love the artwork, and you'll enjoy not having to make your own cards. Use these any week you have time as a review of the story as a whole.

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For Home

(Discover 4 Yourself Series) – This is an in-depth Bible study book for your older elementary and middle school kids to do at home. If you're teaching an older group, you could also certainly use it in the classroom. It complements this set of lessons by starting in John 1. Give it to your older students or recommend it to parents for use as a family or independent devotional.

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Free Resources

I like this coloring page of Simeon because it's so detailed, but this one shows Simeon and Anna .

This children's sermon on the Wise Men shows kids why it's important to listen to their pastors and Sunday School teachers. They're leading them to God like the star led the Wise Men. You'll also find coloring and activity pages for the story of the Magi.

And, finally, here's a coloring page of the boy Jesus talking to the teachers in the Temple.

Hand these coloring and activity pages out at the end of every lesson. Encourage kids to complete them during the week and bring them back for a prize the next week. It will get them in the habit of thinking about and engaging with the Bible stories on their own time.

Jesus Presented in the Temple Children's Sunday School Lesson

Purpose: Use this children's Sunday School lesson about Simeon and Anna to teach kids what our greatest desire should be.

Needed: Volunteer to play Simeon, pieces of paper with phrases from Luke 2:29-30 written on them, poster board or drawing paper, crayons or colored pencils

Review Activity: Creative Storytelling – Remind students that angels appeared and told the shepherds about the birth of Jesus. Split the students into groups of three and tell them they have to tell the story of the angels and shepherds in a new way. They can act it out, make up a song or rap about it, tell a joke about it, or anything else they think of. Give them a few minutes to plan and rehearse, and then, each group will present to the class.

Lesson: Ask students, If you could have anything, what would it be? What is your greatest wish in life?

Have any of you ever had to wait for something? What's one thing you had to wait for?

(The leader should share a story of a time they had to wait for something.)

Well, there was a man in the Bible who had to wait a really long time for something. Let's meet this man now and hear his story.

Ask "Simeon" to come in. He'll tell the following story based on Luke 2:22-40 .

Simeon: Hello, everyone! My name is Simeon and I want to tell you about the best day of my life. It was the best day of my life because I got my greatest wish on that day. You see, the prophets in the Bible had been telling us for hundreds of years that Jesus was going to come. Oh, they didn't call Jesus by name. They would just say the Messiah was coming or the Savior or something like that. And they kept giving us hints of what this Messiah, this Savior, this Jesus, would be like and they kept giving us hints about what He would do and how He would save us.

Well, my greatest wish was to see Jesus, the Messiah and Savior, and when I was an old man, God promised me that I would see Jesus. God told me I wouldn't die until I saw the Savior. So, I just kept waiting. And then, one day, it happened! God suddenly told me to go to the Temple, the church of those days, and I did. And do you know what happened? In walked Mary and Joseph, carrying baby Jesus! Jesus was only eight days old, but I knew He was the one. I knew that He was the Savior.

I ran over to Him and picked Him up in my arms and I said, "Praise God! I have seen the Savior! I can die a happy man because this was my greatest wish."

But I wasn't the only one there that day who was waiting to see Jesus. A prophetess named Anna, a very old woman, who was always at the church, came up and started talking to all the people and telling them about Jesus and what He would do. It was a very special do for both of us.

(Have students thank Simeon for sharing his story and then review their learning with the following questions.)

Review Questions:

What did Simeon want most in the whole world? What was his greatest wish? (To see Jesus.)

And that should be our greatest wish, too. We should want more than anything to see Jesus. And God promises that if we believe in Jesus, we will see Him one day because if we believe in Jesus, we will die and go to Heaven and then, we will see Jesus every day because we will live forever with Him and God in Heaven.

What did Anna do in this story? Do you remember? She was an older prophetess, waiting in the church, and when she saw Jesus, she did what? (She told everyone who was there about Jesus.)

Why is it a good thing to tell people about Jesus?

Because God has said that anyone who does anything wrong, anyone who sins, has to die and go to Hell for their punishment. But, if we believe in Jesus, Jesus is our Savior, who saves us from going to Hell when we die because Jesus already died for our sins and went to Hell for us when He died on the cross. Now, if we believe in Jesus, we don't have to go to Hell when we die. Instead, we can go to Heaven and live with God and Jesus forever.

But if we don't tell people about Jesus, then they can't believe in Him. And they have to believe in Him to be able to go to Heaven and not Hell. So, that's why we have to tell people about Jesus, like Anna did. We want to help people believe in Jesus and go to Heaven when they die.

Game: Finding Our Greatest Wish – Write our print out Luke 2:29-30. Then, rip them into phrases and hide the different pieces of paper around the room. Students have 5 minutes to find all of the pieces and assemble the verses in order.

Quoted here in the NIV: "Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation…" Luke 2:29-30.

When students finish, explain that Simeon was telling God that he was ready to die because He had seen Jesus.

Re-hide the pieces and play again if you wish.

Optional Game: Anna Telephone or Anna Tag – If you have time, play one of the games from last week's lesson, substituting Anna and her example of sharing about Jesus for the angels and shepherds.

If you play Anna telephone, you could start with messages, like:

• Jesus is the Teacher we all need to listen to.
• Jesus will die on the cross for all of our sins.
• Jesus will die one day, but then, God will bring Him back to life.

Classroom Craft: Who Needs to Know? – Hang up a poster board or a grouping of drawing paper sheets in your classroom. Remind students that the shepherds told people about Jesus and Anna told people about Jesus. We also need to tell people about Jesus so that they can go to Heaven when they die.

Ask them to think about people they know and maybe even groups of people they don't know and have them write or draw those persons on the board. Suggestions could be family members, friends, neighbors, the workers at stores they go to, and people in other countries.

When they're finished, say that you're going to pray for the people on the board.

Closing Prayer: Lord, You are the best thing we could ever ask for. Like Simeon said, we just want to see You one day. And right now, we want to pray for anyone who doesn't know You. Please be with the people on our board today and help us to tell them about You whenever we get a chance. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Visit of the Wise Men Children's Sunday School Lesson

Purpose: Use this children's Sunday School lesson about the Wise Men to teach kids how they can give their own gifts to Jesus.

Needed: gift box with mirror in it, flashlight, baby doll, candy, wrapping paper, drawing paper and crayons or colored pencils

Lesson: Let's review. So far, we've met Zechariah and Elizabeth, John the Baptist's parents. You remember that the angel Gabriel told them that John was going to born even though Elizabeth was too old to have babies and he said that John was going to be a great preacher for God.

Then, we met Mary, Jesus' mother, who was willing to listen to and do whatever God told her to do, right?

And we met Joseph, who adopted Jesus and took care of Jesus like Jesus was his own son, even though Joseph knew that Jesus was really God's Son.

And we met one of the Shepherds, who came and saw Jesus when He was born. The shepherds then went out and told everyone about Jesus the Savior being born.

And last time, we met Simeon, an older man who had been waiting his whole life to see Jesus.

Well, today, we're going to see meet another person who came and saw Jesus.

(Ask the "Wise Man" to come in. He'll tell the following story based on Matthew 2 .)

Wise Man: Greetings, everyone! I am a Magi. That means I study the stars and the planets. Well, one day, I was looking up into the sky, and do you know what I saw? A new star had appeared! And it was very bright. I knew that a new star that was so bright could only mean one thing; a new king had been born!

So, my friends and I left our country and followed the star to the land of Israel. When we arrived in the capital city of Jerusalem, we started asking people, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw the new star God made for Him and have come to worship Him."

But when the evil King Herod heard us asking about this new king, he was very afraid and angry. He was afraid that the new king would take over the kingdom and not let him be king anymore. So, he asked the priests where the new king was supposed to be born, and they told him that the Bible said the king was supposed to be born in Bethlehem.

"Go find the new king," Herod told us, "and when you find Him, come back and tell me where He is so that I can go worship Him too."

Well, we went to Bethlehem and we did find the new king. He was a little baby named Jesus. And we bowed down and worshipped Him and we gave Him gifts of gold, and of good-smelling incense, and of myrrh. But we didn't go back to Herod to tell him where Jesus was because an angel warned us in a dream not to. Instead, we left Israel in secret and went back to our own country.

That same night, Joseph, Jesus' adopted father, also had a dream. An angel told Joseph to hurry up and take Jesus and His mother, Mary, and run away to Egypt because the wicked King Herod was going to come and try to kill Jesus. So, when Joseph woke up, he did exactly what the angel told him to do. He took Jesus and Mary and left right away for Egypt.

In the meantime, Herod was so mad that we hadn't gone back to tell him where Jesus was, that he sent his army to Bethlehem and told them to kill every baby boy they found there who was two years old or younger. Can you imagine someone doing that? Killing little babies? But Herod thought that if he did that, then he would be able to kill Jesus too, since Jesus was supposed to be in Bethlehem.

But you remember that Joseph had taken Jesus and Mary to Egypt, right? So, they escaped. And once the evil King Herod died, an angel made Joseph have another dream and told him it was safe to take Jesus and Mary back to Israel. Then, Joseph and Mary and Jesus left Egypt and came back to live in their own country.

(Have the students thank the Wise Man for sharing his story. Then, review their learning with the following questions.)

Review Questions:

How did the Wise Men find Jesus? (God sent a star to show them the way and they followed the star.)

Why did King Herod want to kill Jesus? (He knew that Jesus was going to be a king and he was afraid that Jesus was going to take over his kingdom.)

Is Jesus a King? (Yes, in two ways.)

Jesus is the great-great-great-great-great-grandson of the Kings of Israel. The son of the king is supposed to be the next king, so Jesus is the rightful king of Israel. More than that, Jesus is a part of God, born in a human body. Because Jesus is also God, as well as a human, Jesus is King of the whole world because God is King of the whole world.

What did the wise men do for Jesus when they came to see Him? (They brought Him gifts.)

Do you have any gifts you could give Jesus?

(Show students your wrapped gift box. Open the lid and show them the mirror inside. When students see their reflection, tell them that they are the gift that they can give to Jesus.) When we believe in Jesus and love Him and do the things that He wants us to do, that is the best gift we can give Him.

Did King Herod kill Jesus? (No.)

How did Jesus get away? God sent an angel to tell Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and run away.

What happened to King Herod? (He died.)

Game: Following the Star – Shine a flashlight on the wall or on the floor. Make it go different places. Tell the students that they have to follow the light. The last one to reach a new spot is out. The last place that the light stops is where a baby Jesus and a bag of goodies are hidden. The student who finds the goodies has to share with the rest of the class.

Game: Wrapping Paper Shuffle – Have students split into pairs and give them each a roll of wrapping paper. The goal is for one student to wrap the other as quickly as possible. The wrapped student must make it to the other end of the room without ripping their wrapping paper. Once they get there, they tear off their wrapping paper and use the second roll to wrap their partner. The second student then shuffles back to the starting line and rips off their wrapping paper. The first pair to complete the race without ripping their paper before they reach their individual starting lines wins.

Afterward, remind students that the Wise Men brought Jesus gifts. The gift he wants from us is us! He simply wants us to love and follow Him.

Craft: Giving Ourselves to Jesus – Give students drawing supplies and ask them to draw or write about one way they can give themselves to Jesus. Suggestions include giving their heart to Jesus, spending time with Jesus, doing something for someone else because it would make Jesus happy, or using their gifts and talents for Jesus.

Closing Prayer: Jesus, we thank You for the example of the Wise Men, who came to give You gifts when You were born. Help us to give You our hearts, our souls, our minds, and everything that we do because we love You. Amen.

Jesus Stays Behind at the Temple Children's Sunday School Lesson

Purpose: Use this children's Sunday School lesson about Jesus being left behind at the Temple to teach children the importance of being in church.

Needed: (Optional: a copy of the script for each of your characters)

Review Game: Putting it in Order – On strips of paper, write or print out the following sentences. Hide them around your room. See how quickly students can find the papers and put the events in order.

• The angel tells Zechariah and Elizabeth that they will have John the Baptist.
• Gabriel tells Mary she will give birth to God's Son.
• Joseph agrees to adopt baby Jesus.
• Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem for the census.
• Angels tell the shepherds that Jesus is born.
• The shepherds tell the town about Jesus.
• Simeon can die happy because he saw baby Jesus.
• The prophetess Anna tells people in the Temple about Jesus.
• The Wise Men follow a star to bring gifts to Jesus.
• King Herod tries to kill Jesus, but Joseph and Mary take Him to Egypt.

Once students complete the order, re-hide the strips of paper and have them play again.

Lesson: So far, we know all about how Jesus was born. The angel Gabriel came and told Mary that she was going to have a baby named Jesus and that Jesus was going to be God's Son.

Joseph, the man who married Mary, adopted Jesus and took care of Jesus like Jesus was his own son, even though he knew Jesus was really God's Son.

And when Jesus was born, He was born in a barn, and the angels told the shepherds to come see Him.

Then, when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple-church, two older people named Simeon and Anna saw Him and thanked God that they finally got to see Jesus, the Savior.

Then, the Wise Men can and brought gifts to the baby Jesus, but the wicked King Herod tried to kill Jesus. God told Joseph to escape with Mary and Jesus and run away to Egypt. When Herod died, Joseph and Mary and Jesus came to live in their own country of Israel. And that's all we know about Jesus until He was 12 years old.

Let's find out what happened when Jesus was twelve.

(Act out the following play with your students, asking questions about the lesson as you go. You can give your student characters a script and let them read their lines or you can narrate the entire script yourself and simply instruct students to mime the appropriate actions as you read. This script is based on Luke 2:41-52.)

Characters: Narrator (Leader), Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Teachers (everyone else)

Narrator: Every year, Jesus and His parents went to Jerusalem for the holiday called Passover. One year, when Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph said,

Joseph: It's time for Passover! Let's go to Jerusalem.

Jesus: Yay!

Narrator: Jesus shouted. The Passover was such an important holiday, that almost everyone in the whole country went to it. It would be like if America were having a really big holiday and everyone in the whole country went to Washington, D.C. to celebrate. (Joseph, Mary, and Jesus walking to Jerusalem). After the Feast was over, while His parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without Joseph and Mary knowing about it. (Joseph and Mary walking away, Jesus stays behind, sitting with the Teachers) Joseph and Mary walked for a whole day before they realized Jesus wasn't with them! (Mary and Joseph stop walking.)

Mary: Joseph, have you seen Jesus?

Joseph: No, I haven't. He must be with some of our other family members.

(Joseph and Mary keep walking).

Narrator: After a while, when they still hadn't seen Jesus, Joseph and Mary began looking for Him among their friends and relatives. (Joseph and Mary looking for Jesus, asking random people, "Have you seen Jesus?"). When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him.

Mary: Joseph, I can't find Him.

Joseph: Me either. We better go back.

(Joseph and Mary walk back to where Jesus is.)

Narrator: After three days, they found Jesus in the Temple-church, sitting with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Jesus was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished (Joseph and Mary have astonished looks on their faces). His mother said to Him,

Mary: Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been so worried, looking for You.

Jesus: Why were you looking for Me?

Narrator: Jesus asked.

Jesus: Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?

Narrator: But Joseph and Mary did not understand what He was saying to them. (Joseph and Mary shrugging their shoulders with confused looks on their faces.) Then, Jesus went home with them and was obedient to them. (Joseph, Mary, and Jesus walking home) But His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and in height, and in favor with God and men.

(When the play is finished, review the student's learning by asking the following questions.)

Review Questions:

Jesus stayed behind at the Temple-church because He said that He had to be in His Father's house. Who was Jesus' Father? God.

And what was He talking about when He said He had to be in His Father's House? What is God's House? (The church.)

We know that God is everywhere and we can pray to God wherever we are, but we usually say that God's house is the church.

And what was Jesus doing at the church? (He was talking to the teachers.)

Jesus was talking to the teachers, just like you're doing. You're here at church, talking to us, your teachers, and God is happy when we come and talk about Him and learn about Him. He wants us all to learn about Him so that we can know Him better and better, just like Jesus was doing.

Game: Acting It Out - Divide students into groups of three or four. Have each group decide on and act out one part of your church service. After each group, briefly discuss what we're supposed to learn about God during that part of the service.

Game: Finding Jesus – Show students one object that will represent Jesus for your game. Have them close their eyes. Then, hide the object. Remind them that Mary and Joseph had to look for the boy Jesus. When you say, "Go!" kids race to find the object. The first one to find it gets to hide it for the next round.

Closing Prayer: Father, thank You for the example of Jesus spending time at the Temple-church. Help us to know that spending time in church is important. Help us to learn as much as we can about You so that we can love and serve You better. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Jesus Stays Behind at Temple Student Script

Characters: Narrator (Leader), Joseph, Mary, Jesus, Teachers (everyone else)

Narrator: Every year, Jesus and His parents went to Jerusalem for the holiday called Passover. One year, when Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph said,

Joseph: It's time for Passover! Let's go to Jerusalem.

Jesus: Yay!

Narrator: Jesus shouted. The Passover was such an important holiday, that almost everyone in the whole country went to it. It would be like if America were having a really big holiday and everyone in the whole country went to Washington, D.C. to celebrate. (Joseph, Mary, and Jesus walking to Jerusalem). After the Feast was over, while His parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without Joseph and Mary knowing about it. (Joseph and Mary walking away, Jesus stays behind, sitting with the Teachers) Joseph and Mary walked for a whole day before they realized Jesus wasn't with them! (Mary and Joseph stop walking.)

Mary: Joseph, have you seen Jesus?

Joseph: No, I haven't. He must be with some of our other family members.

(Joseph and Mary keep walking).

Narrator: After a while, when they still hadn't seen Jesus, Joseph and Mary began looking for Him among their friends and relatives. (Joseph and Mary looking for Jesus, asking random people, "Have you seen Jesus?"). When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him.

Mary: Joseph, I can't find Him.

Joseph: Me either. We better go back.

(Joseph and Mary walk back to where Jesus is.)

Narrator: After three days, they found Jesus in the Temple-church, sitting with the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Jesus was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished (Joseph and Mary have astonished looks on their faces). His mother said to Him,

Mary: Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been so worried, looking for You.

Jesus: Why were you looking for Me?

Narrator: Jesus asked.

Jesus: Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?

Narrator: But Joseph and Mary did not understand what He was saying to them. (Joseph and Mary shrugging their shoulders with confused looks on their faces.) Then, Jesus went home with them and was obedient to them. (Joseph, Mary, and Jesus walking home) But His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and in height, and in favor with God and men.

And that's all we know about Jesus' life before He went to visit John the Baptist for His baptism. I hope you've found these lessons useful in your ministry.

If you'd like to become one of my Patreon ministry partners, you can download these lessons and any extras I've created to go with them in a printable, editable Word document. You'll also gain access to all of my resources published on Bible Helps . You can partner with me for as little as $1 per month.

You can also find these lessons for your Kindle or in paperback in my book.

Continue your teaching on the life of Jesus or take a break and do a short couple of weeks on the Old Testament. These two lessons on Jacob and Esau or a lesson on the Tower of Babel or Job are perfect for filling out your teaching for a week or two before you launch a new series.

May God's Spirit be with your spirit as you prepare and teach this week! - Steve