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1 Property of Faith Alive Christian Resources. All rights product can be ordered by calling1-800-333-8300 or by CRC PublicationsFaith Alive Christian ResourcesJesus Is Born!The story of ChristmasPATRICIA L. NEDERVELDWe are grateful to the following team of authors for their contributions to God Loves Me,a Bible story program for young children. This Bible story , oneof a series of fifty-two, was written by Patricia L. Nederveld, managing editor for CRC Publications. Suggestions for using this book were developed byJesslyn DeBoer, a freelance author from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Yvonne Van Ee, an early childhood educator, served as project consultant and wroteGod Loves Me,the program guide that accompanies this series of Bible storybooks. Nederveld has served as a consultant to Title I early childhood programs in Colorado. She has extensive experience as a writer, teacher, and consultantfor federally funded preschool, kindergarten, and early childhood programs in Colorado, Texas, Michigan, Florida, Missouri, and Washington, using theHigh/ScopeEducation Research Foundation curriculum.

2 In addition to writing the Bible Footprintschurch curriculum for four- and five-year-olds,Nederveld edited the revised Threescurriculum and the first edition of preschool through second grade materials for the LiFEcurriculum, all published byCRC has served as a church preschool leader and as coauthor of the preschool-kindergarten materials for the LiFEcurriculum published by CRCP ublications. She has also written K-6 science and health curriculum for Christian Schools International, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and inspirational giftbooks for Zondervan Publishing Ee is a professor and early childhood program advisor in the Education Department at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has served ascurriculum author and consultant for Christian Schools International and wrote the original story Hourorganization manual and curriculum materials forfours and fives.

3 Photo on page 5: Bruce Ayres/Tony Stone Images; photo on page 20: Comstock. 1998 by CRC Publications, 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560. All rights reserved. With the exception of brief excerpts for reviewpurposes, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United Statesof America on recycled paper. r1-800-333-8300 God Loves Me is a registered trademark of CRC of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataNederveld, Patricia L., 1944-Jesus is born!: the story of christmas /Patricia L. cm. (God loves me; bk. 24)Summary: Retells the story of Jesus born in a stable in Bethlehem. Includes follow-up 1-56212-293-21. Jesus Christ Nativity Juvenile literature. [1. Jesus Christ Nativity. 2. Bible stories 3. christmas .] I. Title. II. Series: Nederveld, Patricia L.

4 , 1944- God loves me; bk. dc2197-32485 CIPAC10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Jesus Is Born!The story of ChristmasPATRICIA L. NEDERVELDILLUSTRATIONS BY CATHY ANN JOHNSONCRC PublicationsGrand Rapids, MichiganThis is a storyfrom God sbook, the 2:1-7It s forsay name(s) ofyour child(ren).It s for me too!567 We mustgo toBethlehem, said Joseph toMary one they packedtheir things andbegan to walk to that city trip was long, Mary grew tired her baby was on its when they got to Bethlehemthey found no place to innkeeperlooked atJoseph andslowly shook he stoppedand thought againas he pointed to There s a place that s warm and dry,you could stay there instead. So the tired pair settled thereand spread out some hay for a s littleone God sown Son wasborn in the shedthat night!She wrapped herchild in clean,warm cloths andheld him, oh, filledthe mangerbed with hayso dry and the thankfulpair bowed theirheads in prayer toGod for thatspecial was Christmasnight when Jesuscame to be bornfor me, for you!

5 So I ll give thanksfor Jesus I hopeyou ll thank Godtoo!1920 Iwonder if you dlike to say thankyou to God forsending babyJesus ..21 Dear God, thankyou for sendingbaby Jesus! We reglad you love us somuch. for Follow-upOpeningLittle ones enjoy the excitement of the holidayseason, but, like adults, they can be overstimulatedby all the decorations and activities. Set a quiettone as you welcome the children. Give gentlehugs, and whisper how precious each child is. Bring a collection of baby pictures for your openingtime. Talk about babies, and remind your littleones that each of them was once a baby. Admirethe babies eyes, hands, toes.. Emphasize thatbabies are very precious to mommies and daddiesand brothers and sisters and to God! Baby Jesuswas precious to God too Jesus is God s own Son!Learning Through PlayLearning through play is the best way! Thefollowing activity suggestions are meant to helpyou provide props and experiences that will invitethe children to play their way into the Scripturestory and its simple truth.

6 Try to provide plenty oftime for the children to choose their own activitiesand to play individually. Use group activitiessparingly little ones learn most comfortably witha minimum of Provide materials for constructing a cutouts of the figure of baby Jesus(Pattern I, Patterns Section, God Loves Meprogram guide), half sheets of brown or grayconstruction paper, glue sticks, a supply of tanpaper torn into thin strips to represent straw orhay, and small squares of white flannel. Showthe children how to dab glue all over thebackground paper and stick on the straw toform a bed. Help them glue the figure of babyJesus on the straw and add the flannel about how different Jesus bed was fromthe beds they had when they were , God s precious Son, was born in a barnon a bed of Bring a new baby doll for the children to playwith. Involve them in welcoming this newbaby to their family.

7 Remember that this canbe a very difficult task for a young child. Talkabout feelings and about the things a new babyneeds. You might want to have tiny diapers andundershirts, booties, and bottles for yourmommies and daddies to use. Remind yourlittle ones that baby Jesus needed these thingstoo Mary and Joseph took good care of theirprecious baby, God s Invite the children to retell the story with thesong Mary Had a Baby (Songs Section, GodLoves Meprogram guide).Mary had a baby, yes, Lord!Mary had a baby, yes, my Lord!Mary had a baby, yes, Lord!The little child of Bethlehem was born for did she name him? ..She named the baby Jesus ..Where was he born? ..Born in a manger .. African-American spiritualSing the first stanza together several times. Askthe children the questions in the second and23fourth stanzas and prompt them to answer withthe words in the third and fifth stanzas.

8 Oncethe children know some of the words, add handclaps, bells, or maracas on the yes, Lord! 4. Encourage children to build barns and animalsheds with shoe boxes and blocks. Add toyanimals and people. Older children might liketo build the town of Bethlehem. Help childrenimagine how tired Mary and Joseph were aftertheir long journey. Move two people figuresthrough the streets as though looking for aplace to sleep. Talk about how Mary must havefelt to lay her precious baby in the hay withanimals all around. Praise God that Jesus came!5. Provide a simple, inexpensive cr che for yourchildren to use to reenact the christmas story .(Simple patterns for wooden figures or aflannelboard scene are included in the GodLoves Meprogram guide see Pattern J,Patterns Section.) Show the children how tocarefully move the figures around. You mayneed to encourage your little ones to take turnsand to share the figures.

9 Point out the stableand manger, the animals, Mary and Joseph, andthe baby Jesus, God s own Son. Express yourown wonder and thanks that Jesus came foryou and for your little Place christmas bells in several places aroundthe room. Pick up a bell in one spot in theroom, and invite children to find and ring thebells with this action rhyme:Bells are ringing, bells are ringing. (jingle, jingle, jingle) christmas bells, christmas bells. (jingle, jingle, jingle)It is Jesus birthday, it is Jesus birthday. (clap, clap, clap)Ring bells, ring. Ring bells, ring. (jingle, jingle,jingle) Adapted from Little Ones Sing Praise, 1985, ConcordiaPublishing House. Used with your little ones around you for a fewminutes of quiet time. Touch each child and say, I wonder, [name], if you know that Jesus is God sgift to you .. Use the prayer on page 21 tothank God for the baby Jesus.

10 Place a miniaturesticky bow on each child s hand as they leave, andremind them that God loves them very HomeYou ve probably noticed that little ones canhardly resist touching the baby Jesus figure in anativity scene. Help your child make a nativityset from Play-Doh. Encourage your child to shape the figures andretell the christmas story as you work your child label the figures it s notimportant that the figures be accuraterepresentations. After the figures have dried fora few days, help your little one paint them withtiny sponge brushes or large artist the cr che where your little one canshare the story with visitors and Testament StoriesBlue and Green and Purple Too!The story of God s Colorful WorldIt s a Noisy Place!The story of the First CreaturesAdam and EveThe story of the First Man and WomanTake Good Care of My World!The story of Adam and Eve in the GardenA Very Sad DayThe story of Adam and Eve s DisobedienceA Rainy, Rainy DayThe story of NoahCount the Stars!