If you’re looking for a fun, unique way to include children in your Christmas Eve service, but you don’t have the time or the resources to put on a full Christmas play, give the instant Christmas pageant a shot!
Basically, I read the Christmas story from Luke and kids acted out the scene on-stage with nativity masks. As kids arrived for the service, they picked up a mask from the nativity story. I had a list of the characters I needed, and as kids stopped by, I asked them who they wanted to be and jotted their name down by their part. A few kids opted not to participate, which was totally fine, but most were super excited to be part of telling the Christmas story, and it required no rehearsals at all.
During the service, I introduced the idea and invited children into the wings/sides of the stage to wait for their cue. I followed my script (and prompted actions when necessary) but for the most part, the kids were rock stars and followed their cues like pros! The couple of times they didn’t, it just made the story even cuter and inspired lots of laughs.
To help kids know when and what to do, I put labels on the back of their masks with specific, but easy, instructions. I downloaded the masks for free from The Dating Divas, and in addition to printing out the colored masks, you could print them out in black and white and let kids color their masks before or after the service. Want to see pictures? Check out the Instant Christmas Pageant Blog post.
Download includes:
- Reader’s Script
- Printable Labels for masks
- Tips and instructions
- Cast list
- Link to Nativity Masks
You’ll also need:
- Avery labels – 5395 Name Tag Labels
- Jumbo Popsicle sticks
- Nativity Masks – make your own or use the ones we used that I found from The Dating Divas here
- Bethlehem sign (made from black paint and a poster board)
- Fields nearby sign (made from black paint and a poster board)
This product is a digital download, which means you will receive a link to download the files after completing the check-out process (no credit card required since this lesson is available for free).
Rachel Ludwig (verified owner) –
Looks perfect at a time when parents don’t have time to put lots of time into rehearsals.
Sara G (verified owner) –
This sounds like such a fantastic idea! Our church in a post-Covid time is experiencing some member apathy and as KidMin director I’m preparing myself for some tougher times ahead with volunteers and commitment by our families .
I will definitely try this for Christmas 2022 and report back! Thank you for this free resource!
moverman (verified owner) –
We had so much fun with this skit on Christmas Eve. It was a little chaotic as their are no rehearsals, just walk on and do it! The best part was any child that wanted to be in the skit could be! Everyone was welcome. Even my 2 year old loved being a sheep and being up there with the big kids. What an awesome way to get the kids involved and experiencing the Christmas story!