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Kids Bible Reading Plan for December

December is a month filled with wonder, twinkling lights, and joyful anticipation. As we prepare for Christmas, it’s an excellent time to guide our children’s hearts toward the true reason for the season: the birth of Jesus. Our Kids Bible Reading Plan for December offers a simple, meaningful way for families to journey through the Advent season.

This plan is designed to help you and your children explore the incredible story of Jesus’s birth. Through weekly Bible readings, simple memory verses, and fun, hands-on activities, you can build excitement and understanding around the miracle of Christmas. Be sure to check out our One Year Kids Bible Reading Plan for more options.

This month’s theme is “Preparing for Jesus,” focusing on the people, prophecies, and events that led to that holy night in Bethlehem. Children will learn about the hope of the prophets, the faith of Mary and Joseph, and the joy of the shepherds and angels.

Table of Contents

Preparing for Jesus – The Story of Advent

As the Christmas season begins, the theme “Preparing for Jesus” helps families journey through the story of Advent. This plan guides children to understand the events and emotions leading up to Jesus’s birth, from the long-awaited prophecies to the joyful angelic announcements. Using key passages from the Bible, we will explore the hope, faith, and joy that define the Christmas story.

Our journey begins with the prophets who foretold the coming of a Savior. We’ll learn how God promised to send a light into the world, giving His people a reason to hope for centuries.

Weekly Lesson Breakdown

Welcome to the December Kids Bible Reading Plan! This weekly guide is designed to help your family explore the Christmas story together. Each week focuses on a different part of the Advent narrative, complete with Bible verses, a memory verse, and simple, fun activities to bring the story of Jesus’s birth to life.

Week 1 Plan – The Promise of a Savior (Hope)

Focus Verses: Isaiah 9:2, 6

Memory Verse: Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.”

Focus Idea: God promised to send a Savior, giving us hope.

Daily Activities and Resources

Monday: Read Isaiah 9:2, 6 together. Explain that hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah told people that God would send a special King. Talk about what hope means.
Tuesday: Make a “Hope” candle for Advent. Use a paper tube or a simple drawing of a candle. Decorate it and talk about how Jesus is the light of the world who brings us hope.
Wednesday: Practice writing the memory verse, Isaiah 9:6. Have your children draw a picture of a baby in a manger next to the verse.
Thursday: Create a paper chain to count down the days until Christmas. On each link, write down one thing you are hopeful for or one name for Jesus from Isaiah 9:6 (Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, etc.).
Friday: Go on a “light” walk around your neighborhood after dark to look at Christmas lights. Talk about how Jesus’s birth brought light and hope into a dark world.

Week 2 Plan – Mary and Joseph’s Faith (Faith)

Focus Verses: Luke 1:26-38 (The Angel Visits Mary)

Memory Verse: Luke 1:37 – “For no word from God will ever fail.”

Focus Idea: We can have faith and trust God’s plan.

Daily Activities and Resources

Monday: Read the story of the angel Gabriel visiting Mary in Luke 1. Discuss how Mary must have felt surprised and even scared but chose to trust God.
Tuesday: Make angel crafts using paper plates, coffee filters, or clothespins. Talk about how angels are God’s messengers who brought good news.
Wednesday: Practice the memory verse, Luke 1:37. Talk about a time when you had to trust someone even when you didn’t understand everything.
Thursday: Act out the story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. Pack a small bag and pretend to travel around the house, looking for a place to stay. This helps children understand the difficult trip they made.
Friday: Write or draw a prayer to God, asking for help to trust Him just like Mary and Joseph did. Thank Him for having a good plan for your life.

Week 3 Plan – The Shepherds and the Angels (Joy)

Focus Verses: Luke 2:8-20 (The Shepherds and Angels)

Memory Verse: Luke 2:11 – “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Focus Idea: Jesus’s birth brings great joy to the world.

Daily Activities and Resources

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Monday: Read the story of the shepherds in Luke 2. Imagine their surprise when the angels appeared! Talk about the “good news of great joy” the angels shared.
Tuesday: Create shepherd and sheep crafts. Use cotton balls for wool and popsicle sticks for shepherd’s crooks. Recreate the scene of the shepherds in the field.
Wednesday: Sing Christmas carols together that tell the story of Jesus’s birth, like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” or “Away in a Manger.”
Thursday: Practice the memory verse, Luke 2:11. Write the verse on a star-shaped piece of paper to remember the star the shepherds might have seen.
Friday: Have a “Joy” celebration. Turn off the lights and use flashlights to pretend to be shepherds watching their flocks. Have someone be the angel who announces the good news. Celebrate with a special snack.

Week 4 Plan – The Birth of Jesus (Love)

Focus Verses: Luke 2:1-7 (The Birth of Jesus)

Memory Verse: John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.”

Focus Idea: Jesus is God’s greatest gift of love to us.

Daily Activities and Resources

Monday: Read Luke 2:1-7. Set up a nativity scene in your home as you read, placing each figure as they appear in the story.
Tuesday: Make a birthday card for Jesus. Decorate it with love and gratitude for the gift of His birth. Place the cards near your nativity scene.
Wednesday: Bake a “birthday cake” for Jesus. As you mix the ingredients, talk about how God sent Jesus to show His love for the whole world.
Thursday: Create your own nativity ornaments. Use salt dough, clay, or paper to make figures of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus to hang on your tree.
Friday (Christmas Day): Before opening presents, read the Christmas story from Luke 2 one more time. Take a moment to pray and thank God for sending Jesus, the best gift of all.

Kids Bible Reading Plan FAQs

Looking to keep your family focused on Jesus this Christmas? Here are some common questions about using our December Bible reading plan.

For very young children, focus on the sensory aspects of the story. Let them touch the figures in a nativity set, sing simple carols, and do the crafts. Keep explanations brief, like “God sent baby Jesus because He loves us.”

As December and our Advent journey come to an end, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus—the greatest gift ever given. We hope this reading plan has helped your family draw closer to God and to each other during this special season.

May the hope, faith, joy, and love you’ve explored this month continue to fill your home throughout the new year. By keeping Christ at the center of your Christmas, you give your family a gift that will last an eternity.