“Good News of Great Joy” John Piper 25 Day Devotional:

Our desire is to provide the Garden City Church community with resources to intentionally prepare hearts for the celebration of Jesus Christ and His first coming this Advent season. Below is a free resource that includes daily scripture and devotional now through December 25th.

Family/Children Resources:

Of course there is no better way to share the story of Jesus’ birth with your children than directly through reading the Word of God together. In addition to reading through the birth of Jesus in an age-appropriate Bible of choice, below are several family devotionals for children of different ages, as well as some fun crafts and activities to keep the focus on Christ this Christmas.

Bible App Family Devotionals:

If you are looking for a new or added perspective to engage your children when discussing the birth of Jesus Christ this year, here are some great family devotionals.

12 Days of Christmas Family Devotional – For elementary-age students, ties the entire Bible, Old Testament and New to the purpose and glorification of Jesus’ birth. A great journey for children who have heard the story of Jesus’s birth many times to see it in a new light, stringing together God’s greatest plan and His eternal intentionality.

Shh…Baby Jesus is Sleeping Devotional – For toddlers & preschoolers. At this age, simplicity and repetition are KEY, so don’t be afraid to read this over and over again with your little one leading up to Christmas!

Crafts & Activities:

Create a Jesus Tree

Learn the names of Jesus together as a family. Print out these simple paper ornaments or use this as a guide to create your own. You can add the ornaments to your existing Christmas tree, use a miniature Christmas tree, or go on a scavenger hunt for sticks outside together and place them in a vase!

Coloring through The Christmas Story

This is a wonderfully simple, impactful and hands on way to teach about the birth of Jesus to young learners (toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary). You can do one coloring sheet a day, focusing on that specific part of the story, staple it into a book and read back through it daily leading up to Christmas!