Christmas Bingo

Christmas Bingo Cards

(Recommended for first through fourth grade)

What you will need:

	Christmas M& M’s
	Treats (enough for the whole class) You might want to get two different things: one for those who got a Bingo, and one for the rest of the class (example: Chocolate Santa’s, for those who got a Bingo, and another kind of treat for the rest of the class. Get something easy and inexpensive).
	Christmas Story / Bible
	You may want to recruit another mom to help you, especially to catch those who shout Bingo and to help pass out treats.
	Bingo cards (enough for the whole class)

A few ideas about the Bingo cards: You can copy them on white card stock and color the pictures in with colored pencils, or you can copy them on green card stock, or use red and green. Be as creative as you want to be.

Bingo cards: Christmas Card 1, Christmas Card 2, Christmas Card 3, Christmas Card 4, Christmas Card 5

How to use the Christmas Bingo cards to share the Christmas story:

Introduce your time together. You could say something like this:

I have a fun game planned today that will help us learn more about the Christmas story. How many of you know what Christmas is all about? Hands will go up and you can call on a few children and just let them share briefly. This just helps to set the tone and it communicates to the children that you are interested in them. The children love to contribute and talk.

Today I want to read to you the very first Christmas story that took place in history over 2000 years ago. I am going to read it to you from the Bible.

As I read the story, we will play Bingo... (Pass out cards)

Give Instructions:

1. As I read the story, I want you to look for clues.

1. Every time you hear something that matches a picture on your card, you can cover that picture with an M&M.

2. You will want to listen closely and quietly so that you won’t miss a clue.

3. When you get a Bingo (explain horizontal, vertical and diagonal), you can shout it out, but then I will continue reading until I finish the story.

4. There will be a lot of Bingo’s, so be sure to keep listening. Everyone will receive something special at the end.

Read story and have children play Bingo.

	After you finish the story (it won’t take long), bring to their attention that there are several spaces left uncovered.
	Ask, “What pictures remain?” Hands will go up and let them tell you which ones. Then you can transition into your explanation:
	These other pictures, (Santa, the Christmas tree, bells, a reindeer, and a snowman), all represent ways that we celebrate Christmas in our culture (or country).
	Ask, “How many of you have a Christmas tree? And stockings?”, etc.
	They will raise their hands. Go on to explain that in our country, we hang lights and bells, and we make the Christmas celebration fun and festive. You could explain here that when other people around the world celebrate Christmas they have other traditions, like wooden shoes, piñatas, advent calendars, stockings, etc.
	You may even want to ask if anyone has ever celebrated Christmas in another country. Chances are good that there is someone. Let him/her share about a tradition there. Go on to explain that all of these different traditions are fun and important to us, but it is important that we don’t confuse them with the historical events of the first Christmas, the birth of Jesus, and why He we celebrate Him.

Play Bingo again:

Say to the class: Let’s play the game again. And this time when we finish, I will ask you to describe what the pictures represent in the very first Christmas.

Read story and have children play Bingo again.

Ask the class:

	Who is Mary?
	Joseph?
	Who is King Herod?
	What does the story say about angels and kings?
	(And lastly ask) Why do we celebrate Christmas?

Transition here into JESUS, and ask:

Why do you think Jesus was so important to everyone?

How many different names did the story refer to Jesus?

What are some of those names?

Explain that :

	Jesus was important to the shepherds and to the kings and the reason the angels rejoiced was because the baby Jesus they were celebrating was the Savior of the world.
	This is why we celebrate the birth of Jesus too. He is the Savior, Christ our Lord.

You can expound as much as you want here. You need to be sensitive here how much you share the gospel message. It’s best to do it in the actual context of what the story says. It depends on the teacher, on you and on how you discern how things are going. God’s Word will speak for itself, and remember that you will probably come back into that class to share the Easter story and that will give you another opportunity to share the gospel more specifically.

End by handing out the treats and letting them keep their Bingo cards.

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SITC-1.0-ENG-0003 17-Jul-2002