Just for Kids December 2021 by The Salvation Army

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Connect the Dots

Hi kids! What if I told you that you were going to get every single present you want for Christmas this year? A pony, an iPad, a trip to Disneyland—you name it. You’d probably say, “That’s impossible!” And you’d be right. I’m sorry! But in this issue of Just for Kids, you’ll read a story about a situation that looked impossible but really wasn’t because God can do anything.

Your friend, Kristin

Colour the Carollers

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The Impossible Son

Zechariah was a priest in God’s temple. One day, while he was at the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will have a child. It will be a boy, and you must call him John.

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can this be? I am old, and so is Elizabeth.” The angel said to him, “I was sent by God to tell you this. But since you did not believe my words, you will not be able to speak until after John is born.” After that, Elizabeth became pregnant. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “He has been kind to me.”

“He will be very important,” the angel continued. “He will bring back many of the people of Israel to God. And he will prepare the way for the Lord.”

Word Search JOHN ELIZABETH ZECHARIAH ANGEL CHILD

LORD BABY ISRAEL AFRAID TEMPLE

C R H K J H H A K H N H J R L T M P A B N H I D F E U I A E O Z O L I B R B L L C K H J D A Y W O P H J A B H Z R V R M D L V C H I Y F D E Y R E E R L K F A T U Z A N G E L O W Y L E A R S I L J O K

When the baby was born, they named him John—and Zechariah could speak again. That boy would grow up to be John the Baptist. John told the people of Israel to repent of their sins. By doing this, he prepared the way for Jesus to come.

What do you call a group of baby soldiers?

How do you get an astronaut’s baby to sleep? You rocket

lizabeth and Zechariah loved God. They obeyed all His commands faithfully. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was not able to have any. That made them both sad.

Luke 1

An infantry

Find the path through the Christmas tree.

49-12/04/21 Just for Kids is a Ready to Explore resource, published weekly by The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto, ON, M4H 1P4. Phone: (416) 422-6119; fax: (416) 422-6217; email: justforkids@salvationarmy.ca. Brian Peddle, General; Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander; Geoff Moulton, editor-in-chief; Kristin Ostensen, editor; Rivonny Luchas, designer. International Headquarters, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, England, EC4P 4EP. Subscription for one year, Canada $12 (includes GST/HST); USA $15; foreign $17. Agreement No 40064794. All Scripture references from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, unless otherwise stated. ISSN 2368-626X

Mary’s Response

Hi kids! Can you imagine if you were in your room one night and an angel appeared to you? I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty freaked out. That actually happened to a young woman named Mary about 2,000 years ago. An angel appeared to her and told her that she was going to become pregnant. Say what? Mary was engaged to marry a man named Joseph. She had her own plans for her future. Having a baby who would be the Saviour of the world was not part of that plan! Still, Mary said to the angel, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say.” Mary trusted God and His plan for her life.

Cross out every third letter to reveal Mary’s response to the angel's message. Check your answer by reading Luke 1:47-48 (ICB).

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M Y Z H E J A R M T I K S H L A P O P Y D B E H C A X U S V E G T O D G I S K M Y B S A R V I P O U C R I L A M W N O B T I F M P X O R M T A H N T A B U O T G J O D Q H A N S S I H O P W N K H I F S C Q A R Z E F C O R G M E I H I R S S M E R K V A L N T O G I D R L A

Your friend, Kristin

Luke 1

young woman named Mary was alone in her room. Suddenly she saw an angel right in front of her.

The angel said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and He is with you.” Mary was confused. She wondered, “What does this mean?” “Don’t be afraid, Mary, because God is pleased with you,” the angel told her. “You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. Name the baby Jesus. He will be great, and people will call Him the Son of the Most High.” Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away. Afterward, Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. When Mary arrived, Elizabeth cried out in a loud voice, “God has blessed you more than any other woman. And God has blessed the baby which you will give birth to. You are the mother of my Lord. You are blessed because you believed what the Lord said to you would really happen.”

Answer: “My heart is happy because God is my Saviour. I am not important, but God has shown His care for me, His servant girl.”

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Draw a picture of Mary with her baby, Jesus.

ch ar Se

Ch ris tm as

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d or W

V S S R M E L P A A I E H O J T R K G X A J R B S Y O N D E C O R A T E U O L I G H T S J D C T S C R E G N A M E R R Y R U B I N N K E E P E R K E S Q S A M T S I R H C A M E E V A K C Q M E H E L H T E B J O D A L N INNKEEPER JESUS BETHLEHEM MERRY I G LIGHTS CAROLS STAR JOSEPH CHILD H E ANGEL MANGER COOKIES MARY AS CHRISTM TREE ATE DECOR C L

Find the path through the stocking.

Nativity Scene What you need: • Five popsicle sticks (coloured or plain) • White card-stock paper • Colouring pencils • Gold card-stock paper • Glue How to make it: Arrange the popsicle sticks into a pentagon and glue together. Leave to dry. Glue white card-stock paper to the back of the frame. Trim off the excess paper. Draw a nativity scene on the paper. Cut a star out of the gold card-stock paper and glue it to the top of the stable. Source: activityvillage.co.uk

50-12/11/21 Just for Kids is a Ready to Explore resource, published weekly by The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto, ON, M4H 1P4. Phone: (416) 422-6119; fax: (416) 422-6217; email: justforkids@salvationarmy.ca. Brian Peddle, General; Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander; Geoff Moulton, editor-in-chief; Kristin Ostensen, editor; Rivonny Luchas, designer. International Headquarters, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, England, EC4P 4EP. Subscription for one year, Canada $12 (includes GST/HST); USA $15; foreign $17. Agreement No 40064794. All Scripture references from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, unless otherwise stated. ISSN 2368-626X

Hey kids!

The Christmas Story

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—don’t you agree? Think of all the cool presents, the joyful Christmas carols, the delicious food and, of course, the fun times we have with our friends and family. So much to look forward to! While we enjoy those things, it’s important to remember the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. This holiday is special because of Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem about 2,000 years ago. God sent His Son, Jesus, to the world to show us how much He loves us. Through Jesus, we can know God and experience that love. That’s what Christmas is all about. To find out more about Jesus, visit a church near you or email justforkids@salvationarmy.ca.

Luke 2

t that time, the emperor of Rome made a law. Everyone had to go to their hometown.

Joseph and his fiancée, Mary, went to his hometown: Bethlehem. Mary was expecting a baby. While they were there, the baby was born. They called their son Jesus. Mary wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger. They were staying in a stable because there was no room for them at the inn. There were shepherds watching their sheep in a field nearby. An angel appeared to them. The angel said, “I bring you great news! Today your Saviour has been born in the town of Bethlehem.” Then a large group of angels appeared. They praised God, saying, “Glory to God in heaven! May His peace be with His people on earth.”

Have a very merry Christmas!

So the shepherds went quickly to Bethlehem and found Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The shepherds told them what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was amazed.

Your friend, Kristin

Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking Him for everything that they had seen and heard.

Knock, knock Who’s there? Mary and Abby Mary and Abby who? Mary Christmas and Abby New Year!

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Help the owls get to the Christmas tree.

Double Puzzle

Find all the Christmas words. Then write the first 17 leftover letters on the blanks below to read the hidden message. ANGELS BETHLEHEM CAROL CHRISTMAS COOKIES MISTLETOE ORNAMENT PRESENT SNOW STUFFING TREE TURKEY C T N E S E R P J M M E S U H A N G E L S E S I S I L S R O U R S H E A S T V I O O I U Y E K R U T U R Z H R G S L K M T K L F S H I R A H T D O H X E F N R Q G T C N M F X Z T I O C M E T N E M A N R O N W I B C O O K I E S F E G V

Name That Tune!

Use each lyric to guess the right Christmas song.

Just for Kids is a Ready to Explore resource, published weekly by The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto, ON, M4H 1P4. Phone: (416) 422-6119; fax: (416) 422-6217; email: justforkids@salvationarmy.ca. Brian Peddle, General; Commissioner Floyd Tidd, territorial commander; Geoff Moulton, editor-in-chief; Kristin Ostensen, editor; Rivonny Luchas, designer. International Headquarters, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, England, EC4P 4EP. Subscription for one year, Canada $12 (includes GST/HST); USA $15; foreign $17. Agreement No 40064794. All Scripture references from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, unless otherwise stated. ISSN 2368-626X

4. “Oh, the weather outside is frightful”

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2. “All is calm, all is bright”

5. “It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth”

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3. “Let earth receive her King”

6. “O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem”

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Answers: 1. Jingle Bells; 2. Silent Night; 3. Joy to the World; 4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!; 5. O Holy Night; 6. O Come, All Ye Faithful

51-12/18/21

1. “Dashing through the snow”

The Wise Men

Hi kids! After Jesus was born, a group of Wise Men came to visit Him (see Matthew 2). They were not from Israel, where Jesus lived. They lived far away. But they saw a star in the sky. The star told them that the King of the Jews had been born, and they travelled to find Him. When the Wise Men found Jesus, they bowed down and worshipped Him. They brought Him three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. We often picture the Wise Men at the manger with Mary and Joseph, right after Jesus was born. But Bible experts believe that they may have visited the family as much as two years later. So while it may seem like Christmas was a one-day event, people were still celebrating for a long time after. May we never stop celebrating Jesus, our Saviour.

Your friend, Kristin

Who is never hungry at Christmas? The turkey. He’s always stuffed!

What do Santa’s beard and a Christmas tree have in common?

ISSU

They both need trimming

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Wise Men Word Search S P A V W J H B T T R Q M V I Q H F F E E R H T G S L I T G S K I S T H G U J I L C D A S A F N R A D E R J J G Y X J M W I S E

DOT-TO-DOT Join the numbers and discover what appeared over Bethlehem when Jesus was born.

Which Way?

The Three Wise Men are following the star. But which is the right road?

THREE WISE

LIGHT STAR

JESUS KING

BIRTHDAY GIFTS

Christmas Crossword Use the following words to complete the puzzle. beard holly cold Santa cookies treats turkey dolls 3

1 4

52-12/25/21

C O L D

8 www.ActivityVillage.co.uk - Keeping Kids Busy

Answers: 1. Santa; 2. turkey; 3. cookies; 4. holly; 5. beard; 6. cold; 7. dolls; 8. treats