Christmas Activities for Student Ministry
I always love Christmas time with my students! I thought I would share a few fun student ministry/small group activities that you can do with your students this year.
COOKIE DECORATION/GINGERBREAD HOUSE MAKING
I love cookie decorating and making a gingerbread house every Christmas. But it’s always more fun with other people. So, invite students to join you in decorating. You can even make it into a fun competition.
Tips for a competition…
* Work in groups
* Have several ways to win prizes plus a grand prize
CAROLING
One of the things I did every year growing up in student ministry, which was always a highlight of the Christmas season, was caroling with our youth group. We didn’t carol to just anyone but we went to the houses of staff members. It was a great way for us to show love to the other staff at church. They often didn’t know when we were coming so it was so fun to see the surprise on their faces.
This is something I have done at times in my ministry with students and they loved it. It doesn’t matter if anyone can carry a tune. It is just about being together and spreading the joy of Christmas.
Tips for Caroling…
* Choose who you are caroling to (staff member, other small group leaders, elderly shut-in at your church)
* Plan your route in advance
* Check to see if the majority of people you are going to see will be home
* Plan an ending house where students can have a small Christmas party to wrap up
* Plan for extra time in case you get invited into a home and have a time limit for how long you will stay so no house gets left out.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS SCAVENGER HUNT
Going to look at Christmas lights every year is by far my favorite thing to do. I love searching for those elaborate houses. A few years ago, I did a Christmas light scavenger hunt with my students and it was a great success. The team I worked with at the time chose to do it with families but you can do it as a small group or with multiple small groups.
Check out the Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt here. There are instructions for playing as one team or how to play in multiple teams.
CHRISTMAS SERVICE PROJECTS
Christmas is always a great time to serve with your students. Here are two service projects that you can do.
Buying Christmas for a Family
Talk with your local church leadership or contact a family organization in your area to find a family that cannot afford Christmas this year. Get a wish list from each family member. Have your students give or raise the money to buy Christmas for the family. Then take your group to go buy the gifts, wrap them, and deliver them.
Tips…
* Sharing with your student’s parents what you are doing and having the student give is the easiest way to raise the money. But you can also do a fundraiser.
* You can throw a Christmas party for the family and allow them to open some of their gifts. Always ask if they would be open to a Christmas party and don’t give all the gifts out. Set aside the
gifts that the parents want to be from them so they can put them out Christmas morning.
* Only label the gifts with who they are for. This allows the gifts the parents want to give to come from them.
DIY gifts for a teacher’s in a school
Find some local teachers and share the joy of Christmas with them. Choose a fun DIY gift for your student to make and set up a Christmas party where you can make them. In addition to the gift have the student write a thank you card to each of the teachers. Then plan a day to deliver them.
Tips…
* You can pick a local school, Mother’s Day Out Program, Daycare, or the teachers who attend your church. If you choose teachers in your church then pick a Sunday where an announcement can be made for the teachers to pick up a special gift from your small group or student ministry and have a designated pick-up place. Make sure you have plenty to give out.
* Make sure the DIY gifts that are good for both men and women.
Hot Cocoa
Spiced Tea
Chex Mix
Soup Mix
Ornament
Cookies
