Teach the Meaning of Christmas With 5
Sensory Crafts
by Emma Snow
Christmas is about family. Here is a
collection of five crafts that you can make as a family to teach the
true meaning and symbols of Christmas. Children will learn to identify
Christmas using their five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
Pick and choose the activities you think your family will best enjoy,
and spread them throughout the season. Start new traditions. Most
importantly, use the activities to talk as a family.
Sight Activities: Make holly wreaths out
of green felt or construction paper:
Materials: paper plate, scissors, three
shades of green felt or construction paper, old newspaper, glue gun and
glue (or craft glue), red beads (optional), 1 inch thick red ribbon tied
into a bow (optional.)
Fold a paper plate in half and cut out
the center. Discard the center piece. Make a pattern of spiny holly
leaves using old newspaper, and use a fabric pen to trace the shape on
three different shades of green felt. (You can also use green
construction paper.) Use a glue gun or craft glue to attach the holly
leaves to the paper plate ring, alternating colors. You can glue red
beads in triangular bunches of three to the leaves if you want to add
berries. Attach the optional bow at the top or bottom of the wreath.
The holly wreath, hanging on a door or
over an archway, makes a fine visual symbol Christmas. The circle is a
symbol of brotherly love. Demonstrate to your children how the circle
never ends, just like our love for each other shouldn't end. In olden
days when all other plants died under the snow, the holly stayed green,
giving hope that life would come again. The red holly berries represent
Jesus' blood, which gave man hope of life after death. The bow is symbol
of unity, which families feel at Christmastime. Red is the color of
sacrifice. Talk about these meanings with your children as you make the
wreath. Every time they see it hanging will be a reminder to them of the
true meaning of Christmas!
Sound Activities Jingle Bells:
Ask your children to close their eyes.
Move away from them. Have them try to walk to you with their eyes
closed. Then repeat the activity, but this time ring a jingle bell.
Bells ring out to lost sheep and guide them back to safety. Jesus is
sometimes called the Good Shepherd, guiding every child to safety. You
may want to tie the jingle bell to a branch of your Christmas tree, or
attach one to your child's shoelace to remind them of the Christmas
season.
Smell Activities Scented Orange
Ornaments:
Materials Needed: several small to medium
oranges or tangerines, 1 bottle whole cloves, wire and cutters, 1 inch
(or thicker) ribbon, tied into a bow.
Gently make a vertical surface cut at
each quarter of the orange. Carefully poke the wire through bottom of
the orange and push through the top. Secure by twisting the wire into a
circle, thus holding the orange in place. Dry the wire with a paper
towel if it got juicy. Push in cloves, thorny end first, along the cut
grooves of the orange. Slide the bow down the wire until it tops the
orange, and fold back the wire to secure on a tree branch.
This ornament will fill your home with
fresh citrusy, gingerbread smells and can also be wrapped to be given as
a gift. Gingerbread has been associated with the holidays since medieval
times, when the crusaders brought citrus fruits and spices back from the
Middle East. At first it was too expensive for anyone but the lords and
ladies of the castles to eat. Today it can serve as a reminder that baby
Jesus was the prophesied king.
Taste Activities Decorate Christmas
Cookies:
Using your favorite sugar cookie recipe
and a variety of cookie cutters, spend an afternoon baking up a batch.
Frosting, cake decorating supplies and candy can be used for
embellishment. Make a plate to take to a neighbor, or hang the cookies
on the tree. Of course, you must eat a few! Cookies and apples were used
as the first Christmas tree ornaments in Germany, where they came to
symbolize the fruits of redemption.
Touch Activities Candle Lights:
Candles have long represented Jesus
Christ on Christmas, and have been used on Advent wreaths, light stocks (Christmas Pyramids), Christmas trees, or single candles at the window.
Light a candle and have your children hold their hands up close enough
to feel the warmth. Although winter is traditionally a cold season,
Christmas activities with your family bring warmth into the heart.
About the Author
About the Author: Emma Snow is a creator
at for Ornament Shop http://www.ornament-shop.net
and Craft Kits http://www.craft-kits.net
leading portals for crafts and ornaments.
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