This craft can be used for Sunday school, children’s church, or any church activity during the holidays.

Needed: •Popsicle sticks, one for each child
•Black and white craft paint
•Thin green Christmas ribbon
•Thin-tipped marker pen, black
•Black pipe cleaners
•Orange marker
•2 paperclips per child
•Elastic thread

Before class:
1.Cut Christmas ribbon into 6-inch pieces, one for each child
2.Cut pipe cleaners into 1-inch pieces, one piece for each child
3.Cut elastic thread into 6-inch pieces

Instructions:  Have children
1.Paint one inch of the popsicle stick black, starting at one end
2.Paint the rest of the popsicle stick white
3.Glue the 1-inch piece of black pipe cleaner at the base of the black part, separating the black and white paint, and it will look like the brim of a hat
4.Tie the ribbon around like a scarf an inch or two below the black in the white paint  Above the scarf will be the face
5.Using fine-tipped black marker, dot on eyes and a mouth
6.Using fine-tipped black marker below the scarf, dot on three buttons
7.Using orange marker or a little paint, dot on the carrot nose
8.Just below the ribbon, tie tightly the piece of elastic thread, and double knot it for strength
9.Straighten two paper clips to make hooks
10.Hook the first paperclip into the piece of elastic thread on the back
11.Hook the second paperclip onto the first for an extra long hook

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Needed:
•Brown lunch bags, one for each student
•Markers or crayons
•Construction paper, black and white, for eyes, red for lips
•Yarn, for eyebrows

You can also use:
•Buttons and small jewels for clothing
•Handmade yarn pompoms for hair and beards
•Felt for collars

Before Class:

1.Cut out nickel-shaped circles on white paper and dime-shaped circles on black paper for eyes
2.Cut 2-inch pieces of yarn for eye brows
3.If you want hair and beards, here is how to make a pompom:
Hold one hand out straight, stick your thumb up in the air, and wrap yarn around your palm twelve times.  Pull it off your hand, pinching all the loops together in one spot.  Stick your thumb into the loops.  Pull all loops tight from underneath your thumb, so the thumb part makes a 1-inch tail.  Tie off the tail with another piece of yarn, tightly.  Cut the longer loops, so you have 24 yarns in your pompom.
4.Hold the bag upside down.  At the top most point, cut a small slit, where the pompom knot can be worked through.
5.Instructions:
Explain to the children the characters they will be making and show pictures from a Bible story book if possible.  Allow them to use their creativity with markers, pens, buttons, felt, pompoms, etc.  The only crucial thing is the placement of the lips.  When holding the bag upside down and frontwards, you will see the actual “bottom” of the bag folded outwards near the top.  The top lip should go on the bottom of that flap.  The bottom lip should go directly beneath it on the paper bag.

When students are finished, show them how to put their hand inside and work the flap so that the lips look like they’re talking.  Have a puppet show!

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T-shirts will give your students a “uniform” to wear for field trips, church socials, and youth ministry events. Bring fabric paint, stencils, fabric markers, and design books and let the students design their own unique Sunday school shirt!  They should include the name of the Sunday school, the child’s name or initials, and any other picture or phrase that the child chooses.  Examples can include a cross, a sun, a dove, or any other religious symbol.  These shirts will need to dry overnight, so the kids should leave them in class and pick them up the next week.  Then, encourage kids to wear them proudly!

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Start the Find it First game by telling your student that whoever finds a hidden item first in the room wins a prize each week.  This encourages students to show up on time for school and even arrive early!

Make sure you hide the object well so that several students will have to look hard to find it.  When the student finds the object, they can either keep that object or trade it for points or tickets, whatever you decide is best for your class.  Prizes can include a poster, bookmark, Christian trading cards, or another small Christian token.  Try to make the object connect with the lesson that is being taught and use it during the class discussion.

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RESPECT YOUR STUDENTS
At an age where everyone considers them a subordinate, children love feeling like an equal to an adult.  Respect the feelings, actions, and personalities of your Sunday school students by allowing them to express themselves in your activities.  Listen to their input in discussion and make it clear how valuable their opinions are.  Respecting your students teaches them to respect themselves and creates a feeling of self-confidence, which will drive them to return to your class week after week.

GIVE STUDENTS INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION
When students work individually on projects or Sunday school activities, wander the room and chat with each student.  Complement them on the work that they are doing and offer suggestions for making things better.  Question them about their motivation or interpretation, and make it clear that you value their presence in your class.

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As with the buddy system, prayer partners are Sunday school students accountable to each other.  This works best with older students who understand the idea of prayer and its importance in daily life.  Ask your students to pair up and explain to them the purpose of a prayer partner.  The partner should ask the other about their prayer habits during the week, and ask for prayers for themselves or friends or family who may be having a hard time.  Prayer partners make everyone feel involved because your students are counting on each other as much as they are being counted on.

Prayer partners helps develop lasting relationships between students and encourages their participation and attendance in Sunday school class each week.

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Plan Sunday school activities that take more than class period to complete so that students want to return.  Projects that take more than one day help you repeat the lesson from the previous week and keep kids involved.  Around Christmas time, help your students create a snow angel scene from heavy cardboard, paint, glitter, and cotton balls.  They can make the angel one class session, and let it dry during the week.  When they return, they can create the scene around it, making snow drifts and clouds of cotton balls and decorating the scene with glitter, paint, feathers, and anything else your students may want to include.

Use this same concept for other holidays, seasons, or events.  You will find their enthusiasm and wish to complete their project will keep them coming to Sunday school each week.

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Start a pen pal system between your class and a class in another town or another state.  Contact friends or family in other cities also involved in Sunday schools, and have students write to each other about what they are learning each week and what other activities are happening in their lives.

Send the letters together as one, to ensure all the letters are sent and received together.  When your letters come in, distribute them to the class and read them.  Ask students to share what is happening with their pen pals, and respond to the letters.

Remind students that if they do not attend class, they cannot write to their pals, and that person will not receive a letter that week.

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At then end of a Sunday school session, hint at an exciting surprise in store for the next lesson, and make sure to follow through!

The surprise can be anything, from giving the kids time to express themselves through coloring to bringing a snack of donuts and milk.  Make sure to keep things mysterious, and keep in mind that the surprise has to be truly exciting for the kids, or the game won’t work more than a week or two.

Students figure out pretty quickly whether or not your idea of a “surprise” matches up with their own, so the surprise must be something of value to the students.

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If your students don’t feel comfortable in your classroom, they will be much less likely to return each week!

Create a safe space for your students by kid-proofing the room and removing any dangerous objects.  Though candles can add ambiance and have special religious meaning, take care when incorporating them into your classroom, especially when they are lit.  Teach children to look at and admire the candles but not touch them.

Bring materials for the kids to use, including paper, coloring supplies, scissors, tape, glue, glitter, and anything else your students might need to create the projects you design.

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