In a flurry of Santa Claus and elves, do you struggle to keep your kids focused on the actual reason for the season? Every year we have a birthday party for Jesus. It’s a fun and simple way to keep my kids centered and has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Here’s how to throw a birthday party for Jesus with your family.
Party Games
We always start our party with some lively party games. I choose games that use Biblical characters and themes, or add a twist to typical games. These are our top 5 favorites:
Pin Baby Jesus in the Manger
This is Pin the Tail on the Donkey with a Biblical twist. I found this cute printable a few years ago here. Laminate it and you can use it year after year!
The rules are the same as the traditional game. Blindfold each person, spin them around 3 times, and send them toward the manger with a baby Jesus in hand. Whoever gets Jesus closest to the hay in the manger wins!
Nativity Bingo
Buy a bag of m&m’s to use as markers, print some cute nativity cards (you can find several linked on my Pinterest page). We typically do a few rounds of Bingo, and change up how to win. You can play 5 in a row, four corners, or the whole card! My kids love to eat the m&m’s at the end.
Sheep in the Pen
For this game you will need cotton balls, straws or candy canes, and some masking tape. Divide your family into two teams, and make a line on the floor with the tape. Then dump all of the cotton balls in the middle.
Your job is to get all of the sheep into the other team’s pen, either by blowing through a straw or scooping with a candy cane. We usually set a timer for 2 minutes, and whoever has the least amount of cotton sheep on their side is the winner!
Pass the Present
We play the game of hot potato with a wrapped present in honor of the wise men. To play Pass the Present, wrap a small, empty box. Choose one person to be in charge of the music and have everyone else sit in a circle. The musician sits with their back to the circle and starts the music. Everyone passes the present, and when the music stops the person with the present is out. Last man standing wins!
Due to our competitive family, we have had to institute a few additional rules over the years to prevent arguments and cheating. If you throw the present, you’re out. Once the next person touches it, it is in their possession. You have to take the present when it’s handed to you. When it’s down to two people, you have to touch the gift to your chest before handing it back.
No Room at the Inn
Who doesn’t love an excuse to play musical chairs? Choose one person to be the innkeeper, and grab enough chairs for the rest of your family minus one. Everyone walks around the chairs while the innkeeper plays music. When they hit stop, everyone sits in a chair. The person left standing is out, and everyone yells “No Room at the Inn”. Remove a chair and continue the game until you have a winner!
Gifts
After the games, we move on to presents. It is so easy for gifts to get lost in the shuffle on Christmas Day. We love to use this as a special time for our kids to give their gifts to each other. Each child gets a turn handing out gifts to their siblings and parents. This allows them to really appreciate what they got for each other, and they love the giving just as much as the opening!
Treats
What is a birthday party for Jesus without treats!? If you haven’t already made Christmas cookies yet, this is a great time to do it. We use several traditional Christmas cookie cutters, but we have some nativity themed ones as well. The kids love decorating with sprinkles and icing. You could also go all in with the birthday theme and make Jesus a birthday cake or cupcakes! Whichever treat you choose, don’t forget to sing Happy Birthday when you eat it!
Looking for more fun ways to celebrate Advent? Check out Simple Advent Celebrations for Families
