Advent and Christmas resources 2023

On this page you will find many links to organisations’ resources. Each organisation is listed in green, the link to the resource underlined and the type of resource in most cases is in bold. With such a variety of different resources to skim through, they have been grouped into the following categories:

1. Resources written for use in schools
2. Assembly Resources
3. New resources for 2023
4. Resources written for use in other settings, e.g. youth groups & Sunday schools
5. Video resources
6. Resources for families at home

1. Resources written for use in schools (but can easily be used elsewhere!)

SU Scotland’s Light Up Christmas – Based around a three-part video series, this cross curricular resource lights up the Christmas story for Primary 5-7s! Alongside the videos is a downloadable resource pack with quizzes and reflection activities for easy classroom delivery.

Church of Scotland’s  ‘Illuminating Christmas’ Advent resource  – towards the end of the document (p.55) there are four pages which provide starters for midweek presentations, such as a school assembly, ‘Hope’, ‘Peace’, ‘Joy’ and ‘Love’.

Church of England’s ‘Follow the Star: Join the Song‘ (written for schools in England)

Explore the carol ‘The First Nowell’ and what the first Nowell was like for the shepherds, angels and kings in the Christmas story. Written for ages 7 -14 year olds. There are four weeks of activities. Each week includes video exploration, practical challenges, Bible passage activity, liturgical suggestions and prayers. There is also guidance from Growing Faith on how the resource can be used in church settings and in the home. Schools can pre-order or sign up here: https://www.abyyt.com/advent.

Scottish Catholic Education Service’s Advent Learning Resources

Learning resources for primary school, PowerPoint templates, Christmas card templates, Advent calendars and explainer videos. The ‘Advent in 2 minutes’ video is a really excellent explanation of what Advent is (and isn’t) about – how about projecting it on the board at the start of the day or as a plenary after learning about Advent!

The Children’s Society has produced a suite of resources:

• Guide for Schools
• Assembly Pack (PowerPoint + full script)
• A range of Arts, Crafts and Games for classroom use

As well as emphasising the true meaning of Christmas, the PowerPoint explores ideas and values around the family, and highlights the work of the Children’s Society. Schools are encouraged to link their Christmas activities with raising funds for this charity, although this is entirely optional.

Out of the Ark’s Christmas Songs, Nativity Plays and Resources

POP UK’s Free Songs for Christmas – Discover Pop UK’s free Christmas song resources with a contemporary lively style that P4-P7s will love.

The Scottish Bible Society’s Must Know Bible Stories resources – free, downloadable resources ready to use with a class as part of the RME curriculum or other activity:

The New King Nativity Play – a royal nativity play. It comes with a regal twist, and opportunities for lots of actors to get involved in the production.

Christmas Story Trails –  Hunt for the characters, crack the codes and solve the clues. Free to download.

Lesson plans for Early Level – These lesson plans for first and second level, including lots of outdoor learning ideas, will help you explore the story of the birth of Jesus with your class. Consider the characters, the emotions and the theme of trust in the story. The play-based and teacher-led learning ideas for Early level will help you explore the story with your youngest learners.

Nativity PowerPoints – with storytelling notes to help you share the story of the birth of Jesus with your class (under ‘Additional Resources’ on the webpage).

Youth For Christ’s Re:Quest resource site has a section specifically for teachers in Scottish schools and many different types of resources for pupils in Primary and Secondary schools. Search for ‘Advent’ and ‘Christmas’ in the search bar and filter by year-group category.

The Archbishop of York Youth Trust’s ‘Community Matters at Christmas‘

This is a free, four-week resource which celebrates how community can bring us joy, acceptance, generosity and love, through video, Bible links, questions, challenges and prayer. Made for KS2 & KS3s in England, it could be used for similar age-groups in Scotland (7-14 years old), in a variety of settings.

2. Assembly resources

• Here are a selection of assemblies for different age groups for either teachers to use in front of a class, or for someone to record on video and then send into school:
• Steve Younger’s ‘Seasons’ booklet has 10 detailed outlines for Christmas assemblies and his YouTube channel features short videos which can be reproduced yourself.
• ‘Christmas Unwrapped’ for Secondary school, complete with text, questions, quiz and CfE Es&Os references.
• ‘All I want for Christmas’ Christian Aid assembly for upper Primary ages.
• ‘Surprise, Surprise!’ is a good example of an assembly created by Scripture Union England and Wales which can easily be adapted to suit Scottish schools.
• There are some good Secondary and Primary assemblies and other resources available free on the Salvation Army website.
• Barnabus in Schools also has many resources but these are written with the English National Curriculum in mind.
• ‘Christmas: What’s in a Name?‘ video by Robyn Welsby is really excellent, looking at the anticipation of Christ and could be used for an assembly or Time for Reflection.

3. New resources for 2023

The Bible Society – brand new resources for 2023 including booklets for primary (‘Festive Fred Finds the Greatest Gift’) and toddler (‘It’s Nearly Time’) ages and accompanying materials, a

Pop-up nativity to perform at church, based on ‘Festive Fred Finds the Greatest Gift’, and a

Family Advent Box for £12, suitable for all ages: interactive, memory-making family fun learning about Christmas together whilst engaging in some inexpensive activities.

Out of the Ark’s nativity plays has six new nativity plays to purchase for 2023 to add to their existing offerings, for a variety of age groups.

Church of Scotland’s ‘Illuminating Christmas’ free Advent resource – for Bible study groups, Sunday services, school assemblies and other settings.

Christian Aid’s giving, acting & praying resources include an alternative nativity script, carols in the community poster, two all-age talks and other all-age service resources to help raise money for Christian Aid whilst telling the Christmas story.

Evangelical Alliance’s Christmas 2023 leaders pack – download reflections, questions and ideas from the EA’s member’s area to help equip yourself with some essentials to share over the Christmas season.

4. Resources written for use in other settings, e.g. youth groups & Sunday schools

The Children’s Society Christingle resources – the symbolism of the Christingle is an excellent way of communicating and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. Perhaps your class or group could create some and reflect using this symbol, or a chaplain could provide a school class with the materials and then talk the young people through the symbolism?

The Scottish Bible Society’s ‘Christmas Windows’ through short daily readings, activities, and a specially produced 3 minute long daily podcast, households will be able to pause and reflect on what Christmas really is about. The activity cards could also be used by a class to work through the Christmas story each day and the pictures put up on their classroom window or door.

By the end they will have created a nativity scene for the community to see and ponder on the peace and hope that Christians today know and trust, because of what happened when Christ entered into our world.

Messy Church has a wealth of creative resources for anyone young at heart which can help transform those Christmas making activities into something really meaningful! Messy Church has a great compilation of Christmas resources which includes sessions for use at home and links to other pages.

For young people who are already Christians, Missional Generations ‘12 Revelations of Christmas’ could be a novel pack you’re looking for, which includes a booklet, craft activities and cards with links to an Augmented Reality experience. These could be used in a range of settings, including in churches, schools (e.g. prayer space) and personal use. Some have used it to run a geocache style hunt or a Christmas journey across a town. There are lots of ‘how to’ videos and help via the website!

For older teens and young adults, the Scottish Bible Society has published free, downloadable Bible study notes and questions for use with larger and smaller groups: Conversations – Advent Study.

5. Video resources

Drama Kirk has some wonderful resources, freely available, for schools, churches and community groups to include in their celebrations!:

Bob Hartman’s Rhyming Bible – four performed poems to take you through Christmas, with the familiar nativity characters in the background helping to tell the story visually. These four online videos are a fun and engaging way to share the Christmas story, especially suitable for primary-school aged children:

A Woman Called Mary (3.5 minutes) – Mary is getting on with her chores, when she has an unexpected visitor…an angel! The angel has some amazing new. Mary is going to have a baby! A very special baby!

Joseph, Don’t Worry (3 minutes) – Mary is engaged to Joseph, but now he hears she is going to have a baby. Will they still get married? Join Joseph for a sleepless night, when he has his own special visitor.

It Begins in Bethlehem (4.5 minutes) – Shepherds, on a hill, have their encounter with the Angels; who explain why this baby is so very special. And so the very first Christmas begins, in Bethlehem.

One Hump, Two Humps (4 minutes) – The Wisemen are watching the skies and see a new star, meaning a new king has been born! They follow the star to King Herod, expecting to find the Royal Baby in a palace. Will the Wisemen find the baby? And how will Herod react to a new King?

“Shepherd’s Christmas” by Jeannette Walters (14.5 minutes) – A lovely short film, which tells the story of a young boy on a farm, helping his Dad with chores. A little reluctantly. His Dad tells him the story of the Shepherds that very first Christmas, tending their sheep on a hillside. An angel appears to them, bringing glad tidings of the new King, born that very night.

Share the wonder of the Shepherds this Christmas as they go from tending their flock to being the very first visitors to the new-born King.

Jerusalem News by Ray Markham (11.5 minutes)

A fun film and a different take on the nativity, with excellent scope for follow on discussion. Whilst the film can be enjoyed by any age group, it is particularly suitable for P4 to S2.The first ever Christmas from the perspective of a newsroom, looking for a fresh scoop. Will they cover the story of this baby, supposedly born to be the saviour of all mankind?

Gochattervideos.com has a huge collection suitable for children and young people at different stages of their faith journey.

Out of the Box (Scotland) has a virtual video Advent Calendar on its Youtube channel and Cosmo and friends will countdown you down to Christmas. Out of the Box (Scotland) also has some fun Christmas song puppet parodies.

6. Resources for families at home

The Godventure website is a treasure trove of ideas, especially for those with younger children. However, many of these ideas can be used as gifts and activities on your own, with schools and other groups with (and without!) children. ‘50 Faith at Home Ideas for Christmas’ is a great place to start reading and has links to download or purchase relevant bits from there (e.g. sticker Advent Calendars, Advent party packs, thankfulness posters, Christmas card prayer bingo cards). The Godventure site also has details on how to hold an outdoor Christmas party.

Other good lists of Christmas activities to use in the home can be found on the Hope-Filled Family, God Space Light and Strong Catholic Family Faith websites. Parenting for Faith has some thought-provoking articles around some issues at Christmas which are worth a browse.

Youth For Christ has produced some Christmas cards as part of their ‘Go Colour’ range. The Yo-Ho-Go Colour cards are £12 for 6 including delivery.