Christmas cards can be used to teach about the birth and infancy of Jesus in a number of ways. First, collect a range of Christmas cards, either as cards or downloaded from the web. Make sure that most cards present nativity scenes, symbols and/or graphics. Including a small number of cards that do not present bible scenes can also be useful. Realise that many (most?) scenes presented on Christmas cards are not accurate and reliable representations of the stories of Jesus’ birth and infancy as recounted in the gospels of Matthew and Luke (the only gospels in the bible that present this part of Jesus’ story). This realisation is a resource for students who can analyse and evaluate similarities and differences between the cards and the gospel stories. The activities here ask students to compare and contrast the images on the cards with the gospel stories. Students can also classify the images, re-imagine alternatives, and recount the stories in the gospels and the stories on the cards.

Students of all ages can use puzzles and games to study Jesus. Puzzles and games build confidence, encourage collaboration and competition, develop problem-solving skills and challenge students to gain and apply new knowledge. And they are fun to play. This activity bundle contains the following puzzles and games: * dictionary race game * criss-cross word puzzle on Jesus in the gospels * true, twist and totally fake game template * New Testament word game board and ten word games described * a simulation game on New Testament groups * a template for creating new board games * a jigsaw puzzle template

The gospel of Matthew 2:13-23 tells a haunting story of the escape of Mary, Joseph and Jesus from a tyrant who is seeking to find and kill the child. The family finds refuge in Egypt after escaping from the child’s birthplace of Bethlehem in Judea. Students can explore this tale of danger, refuge and rescue as it is played out in Matthew’s account. The stories are not appropriate for younger children, especially the stories of the slaughter of the young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great. Teachers should be cautious about how they approach this contentious material with their students. This unit of work provides a number of pathways into the story in Matthew’s gospel. Students read the text, analyse it, write their own responses, research the background and role of key characters. This gospel incident is an important, even if unsettling, aspect of the Christmas story. Some discussion of the present state of refugees and policies regarding shelter and re-settlement are likely to arise for students in this topic. Some teaching and learning materials are provided here to assist teachers to pursue these issues and to make connections between the gospel story and the present context.

This collection of activities allows students to explore insights about leadership contained in the gospel stories about Jesus. Students can study the biblical texts and use the activities presented here to draw their own conclusions about leadership. An introductory essay provides teachers with reflections on Jesus and leadership drawn from contemporary scholars. Student activities include a review of the leadership style demonstrated by Jesus in the gospels. Students can imagine themselves as a member of Jesus' reform movement attending an (unlikely!) Annual General Meeting of the group. They can write about their impressions of Jesus the leader using a simple poetic format. They can argue for and against a servant model of leadership. There are also several pro-formas for students to identify and express their own ideas about leadership.

Stories of Jesus miraculously healing ill and incapacitated people abound in the gospels. This collection of activities and discussions assist student to understand and appreciate the role of Jesus the healer in his first century CE context. An extensive discussion of background material is provided to assist the teacher when presenting material on the gospel healing miracles. Student activities include several writing task sheets, information sheets on illness and demons in the ancient world, a puzzle to be solved using Braille characters, a retrieval chart to analyse the form of a gospel story and a list of references to locate the healing stories in the four gospels. These activities can be used with students from upper primary to middle secondary year levels.

The gospels contain many stories where Jesus expresses his ideas and thoughts about money - rich and poor people, the consequences of wealth and poverty, establishing personal priorities concerning wealth and possessions, and more. Students can use the materials here to explore these ideas about money and wealth. They can write and speak their own responses to these ideas. These activities are designed for students from upper primary through to secondary year levels.

These activities are designed to help students to explore Jesus in his context as a first century CE man from the Jewish region of Galilee in Roman Palestine. Teacher background on the Jewish culture of Jesus is provided. The structured activities invite students to write and edit a Galilean newspaper and write a feature article on Jesus' life and career. Students can review the work of archaeologists in the Galilee and the way their findings illuminates the biblical text. Worksheets explain the markers of Jewish culture described in the gospels. A worksheet on Jesus and the celebration of the Jewish Passover helps to locate Jesus as an observant Jew. Students can research whether Jesus was really a carpenter, using the gospels and modern art. These activities are suitable for students from upper primary to secondary levels.

Students follow the steps used by modern marketing agencies to create a brand awareness campaign for the Jesus Movement in the first century CE. Students will compose a marketing design brief, write a mission statement for the Jesus Movement, research and design a corporate logo and slogan. They will research and design a business card and other promotional material. This is a truly inter-disciplinary study that encourages students to develop and use a range of creative skills.

The Silent Card Shuffle is a cooperative, small group activity designed to review the gospel stories of the birth and infancy of Jesus of Nazareth. This activity requires familiarity with the gospel accounts of the birth and infancy as they are recounted in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. This activity assists students to classify and distinguish features in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth and infancy. It encourages non-verbal communication. Students practise group cooperation without the advantage of verbal communication. Students can focus and extend their abilities to analyse information in a small group setting.

Christmas carols have been a part of Christian celebrations of Christmas for many centuries. Unfortunately, not all Christmas carols are faithful to the precise details in the gospel stories of Jesus’ birth and infancy in the first two chapters of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Students can critically analyse Christmas carols, comparing them to the gospels accounts. They can compose their own carols that reflect more closely the gospel stories.

This chart provides a concise overview of the narrative elements in the stories of Jesus’ birth and infancy in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. This chart of narrative elements could be used by classroom teachers for their own background preparation for teaching the Christmas story. Senior students could also use the chart in their reading and analysis of the infancy narratives. The chart identifies and explains what is - and is not - included in the gospel accounts of the nativity. Students can use these analyses for pursuing further research on the contemporary meaning of these story features.

The story of the wise men, or magi, who travel from their home in the east to visit the infant Jesus in Bethlehem is told in the gospel of Matthew 2:1-12. This story has been a favourite theme for artists for centuries. This unit of work provides resources for students to explore the gospel text in Matthew and to critically analyse and evaluate artistic representations of the gospel story.

This quiz tests students' knowledge of the stories of the birth and infancy of Jesus as they are told in the gospels. The format for the quiz is True-False. Extensive responses are provided for each quiz item. These can be used to promote further examination of the gospel texts and how historical developments have amended the gospel accounts.

These activities focus on two stories recounted in the gospels of Luke and Matthew. Matthew 2:13-15 describes how, soon after the birth of Jesus, the family escapes from King Herod and goes into hiding in Egypt. Luke 2:41-51 tells a story of Jesus as an older child who goes missing when his parents are returning to their home in Nazareth after a visit to Jerusalem. They find their son in the Temple in Jerusalem, talking with the Jewish elders. These activities encourage students to review and reflect on these gospel stories, to consider the motivations of the characters involved and to express their own understandings of the people and events in these gospel stories.

Word cards can be used to develop and build students’ vocabulary concerning the stories of the birth and infancy of Jesus as recorded in the first two chapters of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. This collection includes a number of classroom activities which use the word cards. In addition to these activities, students can also use the word cards in these ways: Students can illustrate individual word cards. Students can search the nativity stories and make word cards to add to the list. The teacher or students can use the word cards to sequence and/or recount the nativity stories in Matthew and Luke.

A Drop Quote Puzzle is similar to a cryptogram, where the goal is for the student to uncover a hidden quote. These puzzles require students to solve a sentence or phrase, related to the stories of Jesus’ birth and infancy, using minimal cues. Students choose one letter, from a number of options for each column, to drop into the appropriate square. All punctuation has been removed from the quote. Trial-and-error strategies are required for students to solve the puzzle. The puzzle can be solved individually or in small groups. Students can gain a sense of achievement in a context of fun and challenge.

A Criss Cross puzzle is like a Crossword, but without the clues. Criss Cross allows students to review and use vocabulary related to the stories of Jesus’ birth and infancy in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. The activity can be completed individually or in small groups. Some trial-and-error strategies may be necessary to enable students to place the words in their correct places. This activity includes elements of fun and achievement as students solve the puzzle with minimal cues. Extension activities can be included using the vocab involved in the puzzle. Students can select words contained in the puzzle and compose their own sentences. They can identify the words where they appear in the gospel accounts. They can create their own Criss Cross puzzles.

This activity encourages students’ creativity. It asks them to imagine and express their responses to the question, “What if...?” for a story they already know. This activity requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the stories of Jesus' birth and infancy. It challenges them to create scenarios not offered by the original author. Students can maintain consistency of tone and attitude in characters, or they can invent new directions in the development of their characters. The new ending can be written in the same style as the original story. They can invent and introduce new characters into the story. They can tell the story from the perspective of a different character.