Christmas is a perfect time to teach children about Jesus. Opportunities arise because of nativity scenes, song lyrics, ornaments, and other references to Jesus they are likely to hear during the season. However, Christmas can also be a difficult time to teach children about Jesus. There is an ever increasing cultural shift away from the celebration of Jesus’ birth to a generic winter holiday. For this reason it is important for Christian parents to insure that Jesus stays central during Advent. One way to teach children about Jesus during Christmas is through age appropriate resources. Children’s book author Sarah Parker has provided one such resource in her new book Seek and Find The First Christmas (The Good Book Company, 2022).
Sarah and her husband Andre are the author and illustrator of the Seek and Find series of children’s books and activity books published by The Good Book Company. The intent of the series is to engage young children with Bible stories by making them interactive. For example, as an adult reads to the child(ren) they are tasked with helping find certain objects on the page. This pedagogical approach allows the young reader to be more engaged and attentive as they read through the book. The books in the series include: Seek and Find Old Testament Stories, Seek and Find New Testament Stories in addition to Seek and Find The First Christmas.
The story text is adapted from the biblical text by the author, however, the Bible reference is provided which allows for additional reading for older children. Seek and Find The First Christmas follows the biblical storyline from the angle appearing to Mary, the trip to Bethlehem Jesus’ birth, the visit of the shepherds, and the visit of the wise men. The illustrations are well done and are age appropriate. The first thing that the reader will notice is that the characters are portrayed in darker skin tones. This is an intentional effort from the author and illustrator to make the book more historically accurate. To help make the story more engaging, a companion activity book is also available. This resource provides more opportunities for learning and development through matching, coloring, pattern recognition and much more.
Seek and Find The First Christmas and the Seek and Find The First Christmas Activity Book are excellent resources to help parents keep Jesus central during Advent. These resources not only teach children the story of the first Christmas, they provide activities for further development and learning at an age appropriate level. The resources are flexible, allowing parents to adapt the actives to the needs of their children. Each activity is designed to help point children to Jesus and to prepare him room in their hearts during the Christmas season.
Editor’s Note: These resources were provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Zach Kendrick is the editor of Reading For The Glory.
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