Read part three of our retelling of the nativity story for children and use our additional Nativity printables and activities to learn about the shepherds in the Christmas story.
The Nativity story for children: the shepherds
In this section of NurtureStore’s Nativity resources, children can learn about the story of the Nativity. They will meet the characters from the Christmas story and read verses from the Bible that tell the story. They can use printable puppets to re-tell the story and write their own Nativity book.
Our story is told in five parts, which you can retell in one complete story or split into the five sections to use over the course of a week or on the five Sundays around Christmas.
Schools, families and churches will find these resources suitable for everyone, for children raised in the Christian faith and those who are learning about the religions of the world.
In this part of our Nativity activities, your children can:
:: learn about the Christmas story
:: read / listen to a child-friendly retelling of the Nativity story and key verses from the Bible
:: use our additional resources to write their own My Nativity Story, using our printable book pages, Christmas Bible verse cards and vocabulary list
:: re-tell the story using our printable colour-and-cut-out nativity puppets to create a Nativity scene or nativity small world
:: See our full set of Nativity activities for children.
BONUS! Would you like a ready-made, printable set of all the Nativity resources? You can get a complete Nativity Unit, ad-free and all-done-for-you, from our Play Academy. See more details and get your compete Nativity Unit, along with all the print
Additional resources to teach the nativity story to children
As you read the nativity story you can use NurtureStore’s addition al resources to create a complete nativity unit.
:: read our printable Christmas story bible verses alongside the child-friendly retelling
:: your children can write and draw the story in their own version of our printable My Nativity Story book. Today, for part three of the story, draw and write about the shepherds.
:: Use our colour-and-cut-out Nativity characters to create the nativity scene step by step or use in a Nativity small world. Today, for part three, colour in the shepherds puppets and add them to your scene. You can also extend your junk modelling from yesterday: add in a few extra materials for your children to discover when they come to play with their small world. You might add new props to create a manger, natural materials such as straw, and pebbles to create the shepherd’s hillside. Anything goes, so long as the materials are safe for your children to play with. Also, importantly, you don’t need to have a plan in mind for how the children might use the loose parts – let them decide.
:: Use our Advent candles printable alongside the story, to celebrate the Sundays of Advent.
See our full nativity activities for children here.
The Nativity Story Part Three: the shepherds
The theme of our third day is joy.
Outside of Bethlehem, up in the hills, shepherds were taking care of their flocks of sheep.
In the dark night, the sky was filled with angels singing. At first the shepherds were afraid as they did not understand what was happening.
An angel told them not to be afraid and said that the son of God had been born. The baby was lying in a manger, in a stable – not in a palace or a castle.
The shepherds went down to Bethlehem to see Jesus and welcome him as the son of God.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:9-12
Read the whole Nativity story retelling for children
The Nativity Story Part One: an angel appears to Mary
The Nativity Story Part Two: Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem
The Nativity Story Part Three: the shepherds
The Nativity Story Part Four: Jesus is born
The Nativity Story Part Five: the Three Wise Men
More Nativity activities for children
Save time and teach better by using NurtureStore’s ready-made lesson plans!
:: see our full set of Nativity activities for children
:: get a ready-made, printable set of our complete Nativity Unit by joining our Play Academy
BONUS! Give your children a global perspective, promote diversity in your class, and build a rich multi-cultural curriculum by learning about the festivals of the world. Save time and teach better using NurtureStore’s complete set of ready-made world festival lesson plans and activities.
Leave a Reply