Part 2: Activities for schools, children and young people
All Create-a-Christingle resources have been developed by The Children’s Society with our colleagues from the
Church of England: Children’s Work Advisers, National Worship Development Officer and members of the clergy.
“Every year thousands of children, friends and families come together to celebrate
Christingle. Through activities and interaction you can encourage new children and families
to attend your Christingle event and offer innovative and engaging ways to explain the
Christian message to young and old alike. The next few pages contain thought-provoking
and fun activity ideas for your Christingle celebration including games, stories and
discussion topics. Also go online at www.christingle.org to find a wealth of additional
resources which will enable you to shine the Christingle light into many people’s lives.”
Mary Hawes, National Children’s Adviser for the Church of England.
Jesus’ love reaches out into all the dark corners of the world
This year the activities are mostly themed around the candle of the Christingle, which represents Jesus,
the Light of the World. The activities provide a range of new ideas to bring the Christingle message
alive and are mostly suitable for schools and youth groups such as the Boys’ or Girls’ Brigade.
Visit www.christingle.org where you will find a range of additional ‘Light’ resources plus a back
catalogue of themed resources relating to the blood of Christ (the red ribbon), the gifts of the earth
(the sweets/fruits) and the world (the orange).
Arts and Crafts
1. Christingle Puzzle
Preparation
You will need:
l E
lements to make a Christingle (i.e. oranges,
candles, red ribbon, cocktail sticks with
sweets/dried fruit)
l Dice.
Activity
Children take it in turns to throw the dice
and take a piece of their Christingle puzzle
according to the number they throw. Each child
will need an orange to start by throwing a six.
Six – orange (complete with red ribbon)
Five – cocktail stick with sweets/dried fruit
Four – cocktail stick with sweets/dried fruit
Three – cocktail stick with sweets/dried fruit
Two – cocktail stick with sweets/dried fruit
One – candle
The winner is the person who makes their
Christingle first.
2. Christingle banner
Preparation
You will need:
l P
aper for the banner
l P
ens, crayons, paints etc. to decorate
the banner.
Activity
Ask the children to think about Christingle and
what it stands for. Alternatively you could talk
about the work of The Children’s Society, or
the time of year. With the children, take each
letter from the word Christingle and ask them to
think of things relating to Christingle to form an
acrostic poem – for example:
Candles are lit on Christingles
Holidays are special
Relatives get together at Christmas
Icicles hang off the roof
Snow may come at Christmas
Trees are decorated in our homes at Christmas
Icing is put on the top of Christmas cakes
No one wants to miss the Christingle service
Girls and boys are excited
Light shines in the darkness
Everyone is aglow in the candlelight
Display the poem as a banner and ask all the
children to decorate it.
All-age worship resources | www.christingle.org | 17