You will need: blank Christmas gift tags (you could make these using last year’s Christmas cards); pens; copies of the Magnificat from the Story section, beginning ‘My very soul sings...’.

• Give each person a gift tag and look at the words of the Magnificat.
• Invite each person to select one of the phrases from the text and write it into a short blessing inside the gift tag.
• They should take the gift tag home and fix it to a present they are planning to give someone, as an extra special blessing to share.

Play

Drop it, catch it! (C+YP 5 mins)

A game to take the group by surprise, just as Mary and Elizabeth found their lives turned around

You will need: a ball (a soft, foam one would be best indoors).

• With the whole group present, create a circle with everyone standing up.
• Stand in the centre with the ball and throw it to random individuals. As you throw it, shout out ‘catch it!’ or ‘drop it’.
• BUT here is the surprise! They must do the opposite! Depending on the age of the youngsters, they could drop out when they get it wrong, or play until the novelty wears off.

Think and talk

Bless you! (C+YP 10 mins)

Discuss with the children the word ‘blessing’ and what it means

You will need: a whiteboard, a flipchart or big paper; pens.

• Ask the children what they think ‘blessing’ or ‘bless’ or ‘being blessed’ means. Allow for a mixture of answers and some who may not know anything about the word. Write down the answers on the whiteboard, or equivalent.
• Ask the children, how have they been blessed?
• Explain that, for Mary, it meant being specially chosen by God. It didn't mean she was going to be happy all the time; she faced big challenges and sadness in her life.
• Ask the children how Mary responded to being blessed by God.
• Say a prayer of thanks for the ways we have been blessed by God.

Make

Advent baubles (C+YP)

An ongoing craft activity to be completed this week

You will need: baby outline templates; baubles from previous weeks.

• Each bauble will show ideas from the four weeks of Advent. You might have prepared the first and second segments in previous Advent weeks, or you can do these now.
• First, the youngsters should mark out their ball into four quarters, segmented from top to bottom.
• First segment: fix the sun and moon and stars images. Add glitter to the segment.
• Second segment: glue on the coloured pipe cleaners to show the wiggly path and a straight path.
• Third segment: glue on the reflective papers to make the bauble really shine.
• Fourth segment: finally, cut out the body shape template and decorate it. Fix this upside down on the bauble.
• Invite the youngsters to add general decoration to their baubles to make them suitably festive.

Respond and write

Illuminated script (YP 15 mins)

Use decorative calligraphy to highlight a verse of the Magnificat.

You will need: white A4 paper, pencils and rubbers, fibre-tipped black calligraphy pens, pictures of illuminated manuscripts and calligraphy samples to show letter formation (see Further resources), coloured felt tips, black card for mounting.

• Mark and trim 3cm off each edge of the A4 paper. This will create space for a border when mounting on the black card. Prepare this beforehand, using a guillotine.
• Invite the young people to choose a favourite phrase from the Magnificat, for example, ‘Holy is his name.’
• They should then lightly rule pencil lines and sketch out an initial illuminated letter, using the examples to help them. Add the rest of the word and verse on white paper using calligraphy script.
• Go over with black calligraphy pens. Use felt tips to colour the initial letter and add a decorative border. Mount on black card.