There are so many holiday traditions in our culture that sometimes our kids can get confused about the real meaning of Christmas. It's fun to enjoy the parades, the holiday movies, and sitting on Santa's lap, but we need to be sure to explain and observe the purpose of this holiday with our kids so it's not completely overlooked amid the chaos.
Advent is an opportunity to create a rhythm of reflection in our homes. It keeps us focused and slowly unpacks some key promises we can hold onto as Christ followers. It gives purpose to our celebrations and depth to our study of who Jesus is.
What Is Advent?
The term Advent comes from the Latin word "adventus," which means "coming." As we observe Advent, we are growing in our hearts a holy anticipation for the coming birth of our king!
Advent in the 4th and 5th century was a time of preparation for the baptism of new Christians. Christians would spend 40 days in prayer and fasting to prepare for the celebration that accompanied the baptism of new believers.
Eventually, Advent was no longer a season prior to baptism but a term to remind us of Christ's second coming. By the Middle Ages, Advent was used to name the season leading to our celebration of Christ's first coming that is observed at Christmas. Today, we celebrate Advent over the four Sundays leading up to Christmas each year.
There are many ways to engage with the Advent season, but weekly themes are a core part of the tradition. In the first week, we light a purple candle for hope (or promise), in week two, we light a purple candle for preparation (or waiting or prophecy), in week three, we light a pink or purple candle for joy (or peace), and in week four, we light a purple or pink candle for love (or adoration).
Ways to Explain Advent to Your Children:
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Patrick Frost
1. Unpack the Meaning Each Week
The weekly themes that guide Advent offer the chance to slowly and steadily unpack pieces of the gospel message that we celebrate on Christmas with our kids. Our family strives to do a nightly devotion together over the Advent season, but even if we miss some of the weeknights, we commit to a whole family time of candle lighting, a song, prayer, and devotions each Sunday of Advent.
During this Sunday meeting, we spend some extra time unpacking the theme for the week. We discuss how Jesus is our hope (week 1), how the Bible prepares the way for the Messiah (week 2), how we can live with joy and peace with God because we have the chance to live in right relationship with him, and how we can enjoy the love of the Father and share love with others because God's love empowers us.
Taking each week as its own chance to dive a little deeper into the Scripture and focus our attention on one aspect of the gospel message gives you a chance to approach Advent in an unhurried manner. Your family can unpack the gift of hope we have in Jesus slowly and methodically. Let your kids ask hard questions, hear more of the Bible, and see how much this truth means to you.
2. Make Advent Fun
As an adult, I love the sacred slowness of a lit candle and a quiet reading, but my kids have very different ideas about what feels like a fun family holiday tradition. They are looking for something to do, make, see, and really engage with. We also have a home filled with kids ages 3 to 12, so we need simple ways to share Jesus alongside the more mature conversations about biblical truths.
For my young ones, making Advent ornaments, counting down to Christmas with a paper chain that we get to break each day when we read, and the colorful stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible are all ways we have made Advent something they can engage with at a younger age.
Choosing an Advent act of service as a family allows us to engage in the act of giving, just as our Savior did. We help our kids see Christmas as more than a time to receive but also a chance to be generous.
My family also loves food! We pair our Sunday candle lighting with hot chocolate to sweeten the whole experience. For our young ones, our hope is that they feel the warmth, love, and joy of the season when we cozy up to read and pray together. Over time, we can build on that feeling to help them fully understand that Jesus came to save them from sin that separates us from God.
3. Be Consistent
I know that life is so very busy! It's hard for me to be truly consistent with almost anything. I want my kids to go to bed at a decent time but then we have obligations. I want to make them eat vegetables but I run out of time to cook a healthy dinner. The list goes on of things I want to do as a Mom but struggle to actually accomplish. Let's prioritize Advent so it becomes something our kids learn to anticipate every year.
Aim for nightly prayers, devotions, and discussions, and make at least one day of the week a special gathering for Jesus in your home. As the years pass, the consistency of this practice will help your kids better grasp that Jesus is central to the Christmas season.
If we are doing every Christmas activity except spending time with God we really have totally skipped over the purpose of the holiday.
4. Memorize Key Scriptures Over Advent
Choose some key scriptures that match the themes of Advent to memorize in your home. This is a chance to help your kids hide God's Word in their hearts. When they need to reference who Jesus is and what he came to do, they will be able to draw on the Scriptures.
Fun ways to memorize Scripture include making a song out of the verse, reciting it while doing some movements, creating a visual for your verse in your home, or taking turns seeing who can memorize it the quickest. Enjoy making God's Word central in your home during the holiday season.
Related:
The 3 Best Advent Books for Children
4 Ways to Make Advent Fun for Kids
Originally published Wednesday, 20 November 2024.
