If you need to fill an evening with your family at home, or maybe with your Catholic mom friends and their families, or even your church’s religious education group, we’ve got three fantastic games that can be enjoyed in both large and small groups. To make it even better, it’s available in this free printable for instant download.
Every year, more and more Christmas celebrations take the place of Advent preparations. To bring it back to our Catholic traditions, we’re offering these three fun ideas to help the message of Christ’s birth hit home without opting out of the infectious joy of the season.
Family Game #1: The Journey to Bethlehem Garland.
Using paper strips, popcorn, or cranberries, you and your group can think about just how long the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem must have been. This activity will help your kids visualize Joseph and Mary traveling for at least 4 days just before Christ was born. At the end of it, you’ll also have a cute garland addition to your Christmas decor.
Family Game #2: Reminders of Christ Scavenger Hunt
Before Jesus came to earth, the Hebrew people were waiting for Him. But, how would they recognize Him? The prophets gave clues throughout the centuries so that the Jewish people would know Christ when He came. We need practice recognizing Christ in the world around us every day, too, so that we can recognize Him at Christmas. For this scavenger hunt, arm players with any device that can take a picture, and send them hunting for anything that reminds them of Christ.
Family Game #3: Follow the Angel Game of Sardines
In the Gospels, Joseph is visited by an angel who tells him what God wants him to do. Joseph does exactly what the angel says. He follows God’s will. In this game, players get to imitate Joseph to remember how to answer God’s call. One player is the Angel, equipped with a bell or flashlight. The Angel hides, and the others seek to find him or her, hiding together like in the game of Sardines.
These were all originally freebies included in our “Full of Grace” Advent calendar from two years back. Thank you again to all those who bought the calendar. It was so generous of you to support us!
