Help your students imagine what it would have been like to be present at the birth of Jesus Christ by performing a play about the nativity story. Have them create their own scenes based on the Bible stories or use the skit script below to guide the performance. This would be a great way to…
Advent
Saint Nicholas Worksheet and Activities
Saint Nicholas of Myra was a bishop in the fourth century. His life and legends inspired many family traditions around Christmas time including Santa Claus and hanging stockings. Teach your kids about the life and legend of the real Saint Nicholas with some of these activities and printable worksheets. Saint Nicholas Biography and Reflection Questions…
Christmas Tree Lesson Plan
Christmas trees can be a great tool for catechesis whether at home or in a classroom. This lesson plan will help you unpack the symbolism of the Christmas tree customs with your students. They will be able to see their trees in a new way and even be able to teach their parents about what…
Liturgical Year Lesson Plan and Flashcard Activity
How do you introduce young people to the liturgical year? Most catechists and religion teachers spend in-depth class meetings focusing on each individual seasons, especially during Advent and Lent. Sometimes, though, it is important to zoom out and help young people see the whole picture. The liturgical years isn’t about colors and rituals. The seasons…
Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayer Service
In many areas of the United States, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe may be one of the most important feast days in the Catholic school/parish religious education year. As the number of Hispanic Catholics rise in the United States, so does the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Consider using this prayer service,…
The Religion Teacher’s Jesse Tree Kit
I am very excited to offer two Advent resources exclusively at The Religion Teacher: The Religion Teachers’ Advent Activity Pack and The Religion Teacher’s Jesse Tree Kit. Advent is an incredibly busy time for teachers and catechists. There is so much to do but so little time. In the meantime, the season of Advent is…
Using Printables to Create a Personalized Advent Calendar
One of the most popular activities in religious education classrooms during the season of Advent is updating and using Advent calendars to prepare for Christmas. Advent calendars come in many different variations. Like the Jesse Tree, Advent calendars can become daily opportunities to focus each day on the preparation for Advent. The Advent calendars are…
Advent Activities
Now Available: The Religion Teacher’s Advent Activity Pack and Jesse Tree Kit. The Internet is loaded with advent activities of all sorts and kids. Check out the following links to help guide your way. Here are some general advent activity hubs on the web. These pages have other great resources to check out: USCCB Advent…
Why is the third Sunday of Advent pink? (Why is the third candle in the Advent wreath pink?)
I inevitably got this question from my students during the 3rd week of Advent. So what is the best way to answer it? You could Google it and find a number of reasons: Purple is a penitential color of fasting while pink (rose) is the color of joy. The 3rd Sunday in Advent is Gaudete…