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Year 1

Christmas: deeper meanings

I can explain deeper meanings of the Christmas story for Christians.

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Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 1

Christmas: deeper meanings

I can explain deeper meanings of the Christmas story for Christians.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Understanding the deeper meaning of the Christmas story can help better understand Christian worldviews.
  2. The story of Christmas asserts that Jesus was both a human being and the Son of God. This is called the Incarnation.
  3. The Bible describes Jesus as the light of the world because he came to bring hope and understanding to human beings.
  4. Many Christians interpret the story of Jesus’ birth to show that God is interested in the poor and marginalised.

Keywords

  • Incarnation - Christian belief that God became human in the person of Jesus

  • Christmas - a special festival for Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus

  • Poor - being short of food, money, clothing or a home

  • Nativity - the birth stories of Jesus

Common misconception

Jesus was a special baby born as a king.

For many Christians, Jesus is both God and human and was born in humble circumstances.


To help you plan your year 1 religious education lesson on: Christmas: deeper meanings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You could invite a Christian visitor into your classroom to talk to the pupils about the deeper meanings of the Nativity story for them. You could make links with any Nativity plays in your school or in your local church.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
Mary had a baby called ...
Correct Answer: Jesus
Q2.
Where was Jesus born?
Correct answer: Bethlehem
Nazareth
Jerusalem
Q3.
Who told Mary the good news?
a wise man
Correct answer: an angel
a shepherd
Q4.
Why did the wise men visit Jesus?
to help Mary
Correct answer: to bring him gifts
to play with him
Q5.
Did the wise men and shepherds visit Jesus together?
yes, at the same time
they didn’t visit him
Correct answer: no, at different times

Exit quiz

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5 Questions

Q1.
Where was Jesus born, according to the story?
in a castle
in a hospital
Correct answer: in a stable
Q2.
Match the word to its description.
Correct Answer:Christmas,a special festival for Christians

a special festival for Christians

Correct Answer:poor,being short of food, money, clothing or a home

being short of food, money, clothing or a home

Correct Answer:Nativity,the birth stories of Jesus

the birth stories of Jesus

Q3.
What do Christians call Jesus being both God and human?
Correct answer: incarnation
resurrection
creation
Q4.
Who were the first people to hear about Jesus’ birth?
wise men
kings
Correct answer: shepherds
Q5.
What does the Christmas story show Christians about God?
he likes rich people best
he was born in a palace
Correct answer: he cares for everyone