How to tell the Christmas story to toddlers?

Once upon a time, on Christmas Eve, a little toddler named Timmy was very excited. He helped his mommy bake cookies for Santa. He used his tiny hands to roll the dough and cut out the shapes. That night, he left the cookies and a glass of milk by the fireplace. When he woke up in the morning, there were presents under the tree and the cookies were half - eaten. Timmy was overjoyed.

First, choose a short and simple version of the story. Then, act it out with toys or puppets to keep the toddlers interested. Use lots of expressions and sounds to make it exciting.

One simple craft is making a paper plate Santa. Cut out a circle from a paper plate for Santa's face. Let the toddler glue on cotton balls for his beard and draw on the eyes and nose. Another idea is to make a Christmas star out of popsicle sticks. The toddler can paint the sticks and then you can help them glue the sticks together to form a star. This can be related to the star in the Christmas story.

Take an old cardboard box and turn it into a manger. Cut out the shape, let the toddler paint it brown, and then add some straw made from yellow construction paper. You can also use bottle caps to make the Three Wise Men. Paint the caps different colors, and attach them to a piece of cardboard with the toddler. This way, they can learn about the story while using recycled materials.

There could be presents. Toddlers are always excited about getting presents on Christmas. For example, a small toy car or a cute stuffed animal.

You can start with simple, colorful tales. Use funny voices and lots of expressions to keep them interested.

One way is to provide them with interesting picture books. The vivid pictures can inspire their imagination and give them ideas for stories. For example, a book about animals might make them come up with a story about a day in the life of a little rabbit.

For toddlers, you could do a Christmas bible craft like making a manger. Use a small box as the manger and some straw or shredded paper inside. As for the story part, tell them about how there was no room at the inn and baby Jesus was laid in a manger. You can also have the toddlers color pictures of the shepherds and angels while you tell the story of how the shepherds were visited by angels and told about the birth of Jesus. This way, they can engage with the story while doing a fun craft.

It should have colorful pictures and simple words. The story should be short and easy to understand for little ones.

You should start with simple, colorful books and use a gentle and animated voice. Make the story interactive by asking them questions or having them point to things.