💚

Help keep BibleMouse FREE!Support biblical homeschool education for families everywhere.

$5/mo$10/mo$25/mo$100/moOne-time gift →
📖

A Bed of Hay

Baby Jesus Was Born!

Day 129of 180
Week 26of 36
15Minutes
← Day 128Day 129 of 180Day 130 →
🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Understand that baby Jesus was laid in a manger

2

Recognize a manger as a special bed for animals

3

Feel God's love through Jesus' humble birth

📖 Scripture Connection

Luke 2:7

“She gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in strips of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

— Luke 2:7 (WEB)

Describes Jesus being laid in a manger

📦 Materials Needed

  • Small box or shallow container
  • Dried grass or hay
  • Baby doll
  • Soft blanket
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (3 min)

Let's remember our special story about baby Jesus! Yesterday, we learned He was born in a stable with no special bed.

💭 Review Question: Where was baby Jesus born?
2Teaching (5 min)

In today's BibleMouse lesson, we'll learn about Jesus' very first bed - a manger!

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • A manger is a special box where animals eat their food
  • Mary didn't have a soft bed for baby Jesus
  • She used the manger as a cozy place for her baby
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • What do you think a manger looks like?
  • How would baby Jesus feel in this special bed?
3Activity: Manger Bed Exploration (6 min)
sensory

Create a pretend manger and let your child explore the textures

📝 Instructions:
  1. Fill a small box with dried grass or hay
  2. Gently place a baby doll in the 'manger'
  3. Let child touch and explore the hay
  4. Talk about how soft and special this bed was for baby Jesus
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Just let child touch hay without doll

Challenge: Discuss how God loves us so much He sent Jesus

4Closing (3 min)

Review what we learned about Jesus' special first bed

📝 Review Questions:
  • What was Jesus' first bed?
  • Who put Jesus in the manger?
🙏 Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to love us. Amen.

Coming up: Tomorrow we'll learn about shepherds who came to see baby Jesus!

💎 Memory Verse

Luke 2:11

“A Savior is born!”

— Luke 2:11 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Sing-song chant with hand motions: Point up for 'Savior', rock arms for 'born'

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

Mangers were common feeding troughs for animals in ancient times

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Use gentle, soft voice when discussing baby Jesus
  • Allow child to explore hay texture
  • Be patient with short attention span
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children might be distracted by hay texture

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Child's engagement with story and sensory materials

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Color a manger scene from BibleMouse Printables Library
  • Sing 'Away in a Manger' from BibleMouse Song Collection

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

Continue to Day 130 →Back to Bible