Take your Nativity outside and it will be the best thing ynativity you have ever done!
Not many of you have big indoor spaces right?
So putting all of the children and adults into one room is a tight squeeze. Even thought about doing it outside? A school play does not have to be long? Children are young and parents are busy so look to doing a show a little shorter but with more of an impact!
Not only is taking your nativity outdoors fun, easy to manage and allows parents to bring all of the family songs. It also makes a special moment. One to remember.
If holding performance is just not for you this year. How about taking some activities outside that will still teach children about the Christian Christmas story of the birth of Jesus. An ideal teaching resource for early years and key stage one.
Try some of these lovely muddy puddle ideas:
Build a Shelter
When Mary and Joseph reached Bethlehem, the town was full, with so many visitors there for the census. Mary and Joseph had to stay with the animals, as there was no room for them. Ask the children to work together in pairs to find or form a suitable makeshift shelter for themselves in your area, making use of the space available as well as naturally found objects such as branches, leaves etc. You could extend this by asking them to form a feeding trough, or manger, for the animals which was used as a bed for the baby Jesus. Invite the children to show one another the shelters they have discovered or created together.
Nativity Scene
This activity can be organised in pairs, small groups or as one large group. Talk together about some of the characters and things they usually see in a nativity scene image. Challenge the children to work together to use sustainably collected, naturally found objects such as sticks and stones, leaves etc to form a two-dimensional image of a nativity scene. You could challenge the children to use only one type of object, to create a stone nativity or a stick nativity etc. When they have had enough time to form their image, invite the children to walk around and view each other’s scenes, enjoying a group gallery together.
Why not also try watching a short nativity from Cbeebies to help remind and refresh the children of the story before you do our Muddy Puddle Activities. Watch the Cbeebies nativity animation.
