- Even the youngest performers can dress as angels and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," so this music-centric Nativity pageant involves all ages -- from the youngest angels to older kids singing "O, Little Town of Bethlehem" or "Silent Night." Combine songs chosen for each age group with narration or short skits acting out important moments from the Nativity story. You can rehearse the sections of this pageant separately, making schedules a bit easier to arrange. This idea works well for children who are comfortable singing in a group, but may be too shy to take a solo acting role. It also, however, allows those "hams" in the group to have their moment in the spotlight.
- Originated as a one-man show, "Christmas Pillow" is a clever way to present the Nativity story using only a pillow as a prop. Though originally intended to be performed for children, this show easily adapts to a performance given by children. The story told with the pillow is the traditional Nativity story, beginning with the arrival of the angel Gabriel to Mary to announce that she will be the mother of Jesus. Here, the pillow signifies the angel's wings when it is grasped firmly in the middle to create a bow or wing shape. Subsequently, the pillow operates as Mary's pregnant belly, the saddle on the donkey, the door of the Inn, the stable, the baby Jesus, the sheep, the wise men's offerings and a place for the baby Jesus to rest his head.
- To create a silent pageant, have the children lead your audience through Mary and Joseph's journey to the stable where Jesus was born, miming the interactions (Mary and Joseph being turned away by the innkeeper, for example). If you can secure an outdoor performance location, construct a small wooden stable and use a nearby front door as the inn's door. Convert a wagon or bike into a "donkey" for Mary to ride or use a live pony. Have the children lead the audience first to the inn and then to the stable, lit in the dark by an angel with a lantern. You can add children costumed as animals and shepherds to complete this Nativity processional pageant.
- Gather together enough socks to make puppets that represent Mary, Joseph, an Innkeeper, the donkey, angels, shepherds, sheep and various stable animals. Have the children create puppets by gluing eyes, noses, ears, hair and halos to the socks, using the gap created between toe and heel of the sock for the puppet's mouth. All characters talk in this puppet play, so decide as a group which puppets will tell what part of the Nativity story. Let the children have fun making up voices for the animals -- a big, slow cow or bleeting, nasally sheep, for example. Present your puppet show from behind a table or couch or in the window of a puppet theater.
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