Register Log In

FROM OUR EDITORS—December 25, 2022 & January 1, 2023 – Christmas & Mary, Mother of God

FROM OUR EDITORS—December 25, 2022 & January 1, 2023 – Christmas & Mary, Mother of God

Para la versión en español, haga clic aquí.

From the Pflaum Publishing Group family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas and blessings for the New Year!

NOTE: If you are not meeting for Sundays 12/25 and 1/1, send the lesson home with the children to complete over their Christmas break. Send along the Parent Teaching Pages for this lesson.

Every week in the GROW newsletter, you will find helpful tips for teaching your Gospel Weeklies lesson, a reflection on the Sunday Gospel, and links to online resources.

Videos of Sunday’s Gospel
Use these videos as you discuss today’s Gospel. Please preview all videos you plan to share with your class:
     Sunday Gospel Cartoon Reading and Lesson
     Gospel Reading and Reflection for Kids
     Holy Heroes: The Nativity of the Lord
     Faith, Fun and Celebration—Christmas
     Holy Heroes: Mary, the Mother of God
     The Christmas Story for Kids (Lego Stop Motion)
     The Christmas Story in Lego
     The Story of Christmas (Jesus Is Born)
     Find the Perfect Gift
     Mary, the Mother of God

Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus is the Son of God and son of Mary.
For this lesson, you will need scissors, crayons, glue sticks or tape, small paper cups with handles (6 per child), envelopes with stables from last class, Church Year calendar, and copies of the story coloring page (one per child). We suggest you have one or two aides available to assist the children with the cutting and pasting activities.

For next week’s lesson, the children will need photos or memories of their Baptism. Send a note home to parents asking to send these items.

If you will not be meeting for Sundays 12/25 and 1/1, consider duplicating the Parent Teaching Pages for this lesson and sending them and this Seeds lesson home with the children to complete over the Christmas break.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole: Christmas
     Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole: Mary, Mother of God
     Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi: Christmas
     Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi: Mary, Mother of God

Promise
Lesson Theme: Jesus is Son of God and son of Mary.
For this lesson, gather scissors, craft sticks (eight per child), glue sticks, a utility knife, drawing paper, a Church Year calendar, crayons, pencils, and copies of the story coloring page (one per child). It will be helpful to have an aide or aides available to help with cutting and gluing. We also suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance. You may also want to bring in some shoebox lids for the Nativity scene activity in case some of the children didn’t bring one.

If you will not be meeting for Sundays 12/25 and 1/1, consider duplicating the Parent Teaching Pages for this lesson and sending them and this Promise lesson home with the children to complete over the Christmas break.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole: Christmas
     Kid-Sized Lessons on the Sunday Gospel with Mrs. Cole: Mary, Mother of God
     Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi: Christmas
     Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi: Mary, Mother of God

Good News
Lesson Theme: Jesus is Son of God and son of Mary.
For this lesson, gather scissors and a Church Year calendar. You may wish to arrange for an aide or aides to assist with the cutting activity.

If you will not be meeting for Sundays 12/25 and 1/1, consider duplicating the Parent Teaching Pages for this lesson and sending them and this Good News lesson home with the children to complete over the Christmas break.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources

Venture
Lesson Theme: Jesus Christ is born into a family.
The acrostic puzzle on the cover will help the children expand their faith vocabulary. Assign it as homework if the children do not compete it in class. Depending on your program’s calendar, you may send home this lesson. In any case, emphasize that Christmas is not just one day; it is a season, as the article illustrates, with feast days and celebrations stretching through the Epiphany of the Lord. Note that this lesson covers the Gospels for both Christmas and Mary, Mother of God, both of which fall on Sundays this year.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
     Vatican Inaugurates Exhibition of World’s Most Beautiful Christmas Mangers

Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus is God and one of us.
This is a combined lesson for two Sundays and two wonderful celebrations. If you choose to send it home with the students ahead of their Christmas break, make sure to take a moment to review its highlights. Emphasize the card activity on pages 7-8, noting that Christmas is a full season in the Church, not just one day.

Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
Parent/Grandparent Assistance for Home Study
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Online Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
     Mary, the Mother of God
     Bishop Barron on Christmas

Image credit: Jan van ‘t Hoff/Gospelimages.com

Leave a Reply


Latest Posts


Sign-up for our free GROW blog newsletter

Our Editors


David Dziena
Publisher

David Dziena is the Publisher of Pflaum Publishing Group. He has also served as Executive Editor and […]

Joan McKamey
Project Editor

Joan McKamey, project editor, joined the Gospel Weeklies editorial team in September 2016. […]

Erika De Urquidi
Bilingual Editor

Erika De Urquidi, bilingual editor, joined Bayard, Inc. in July 2018. During her 15 years as a professional translator […]