This child led activity is a simple way for young children to explore the characters from the Nativity during Advent.
For this activity I used a set of Christmas decorations each depicting a character from the Christmas Story & placed them in a small wooden bowl. If you don't have any Nativity decorations, you could print these characters onto card (or invite children to draw their own) & just add a loop of ribbon to the top of each one so they can be added to your tree.
To create our simple tree shape we collected some large sticks & arranged them in a tall vase. I've since substituted this for a tin container, as the vase fell a few times with my preschooler's eager decorating!
She started to add the figures by picking them from the bowl, but soon they were spread out on the table so she could clearly see each one.
She independently chose which figures to add, naming them as she did so.
I was quite surprised at just how much of the story she could recall & the order in which she sequenced the key events.
We've left the tree on the side so it can be played with whenever my preschooler chooses. She's free to redecorate it, play with the characters or just leave it as it is.
Alongside the Nativity Tree I've added a few Nativity storybooks for her to discover too.
This is such a simple activity that needs little prep, but offers young children an age appropriate way to dive into the Nativity, & explore individual characters or parts of the narrative that interest them.
Looking for more Nativity activities? Take a look at these Nativity Ideas.