Getting Your Child Involved in Advent Preparations
During the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, Christians around the world celebrate Advent, the anticipation of the coming of Jesus. This tradition focuses on the faithful aspects of the season. However, children may not be as excited about this journey as they are about Christmas day. The best way to help them understand the significance of Advent is by getting them involved. Here are a few ways you and your family can celebrate Advent together.
Make an Advent Wreath
Get your child interested in Advent by making arts and crafts together. Making a wreath at home can be simple. You can buy artificial evergreen branches or greenery garland, or you can find evergreen branches outside. Find a wire or styrofoam wreath form to use as your base, and help your child attach the branches using a glue gun. Add three purple and one pink candle to represent each week of Advent. Consider adding pinecones, which represent resurrection, to give the wreath a little bit of color.
Set Up a Nativity Scene
Nativity scenes can simply consist of statues of Mary and Joseph with a manger in between, or they can be more complex with full-on barn scenes including animals and wise men. To help your child understand the meaning of the season, you can start with an empty manger, then add Jesus on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Other figures like the wise men can start far away and slowly move closer every Sunday. Pre-made nativity scenes can be expensive, so you may want to consider crafting one with your child’s help.
Buy or Make an Advent Calendar
There are all kinds of fun Advent calendars you can buy, but if your child is an aspiring artist, he or she might appreciate the experience of making one more. You can find DIY ideas on websites like Pinterest or in craft stores. A daily reminder that Christmas is coming will help your child appreciate the anticipation just as much as the main event.
Advent is deeply rooted in tradition, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. We encourage our students to be part of every holiday celebration.
For more than 50 years, the Diocese of Orlando, which includes the top Orlando Catholic schools, has been helping children grow to their fullest potential and become leaders within their communities. We offer unique and dynamic learning environments that engage students and encourage them to become confident and responsible adults. To learn more about what makes us different, contact us today.