How to Use A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays

The book is set up for parents and/or teachers to use as a study guide a few weeks before each holiday or as a thematic unit study for an entire year. Each section includes activities, crafts, recipes, and puzzles for you to choose from. You can use this book in several ways.

Celebrate the Holidays

Make the holidays part of your family’s tradition! Read through the Introduction section and Section One of this book first. The Preliminary Activities and Crafts section contain items including instructions for making a centerpiece, a recipe folder, a wall hanging, and other activities which can be used for each of the holidays. The holiday chapters start with the annual spring, fall, then post-mosaic holidays (winter) and finally, the weekly Sabbath holiday.

You need not wait for spring to start the holidays. You can start at any festival, but it would be helpful to read through the previous chapters, as the holidays do tell chronological events about Christ. The spring holidays tell of His first coming and the fall holidays describe His second coming. This book includes a variety of suggestions, activities, and crafts for you to enjoy each holiday. Decide which activities will work well for your family and age group.

Small Group Bible Study

The renewed interest in the Hebraic roots of Christianity has caused an eager desire among churches as groups to study the holidays. This book can also be used to study fascinating topic at times other than the festival dates, as a small group Bible study.

Sample Eighteen Week Study

One example of a group study to get a quick overview of all the holidays
would be to study one holiday for the duration of two two-hour classes
(eighteen week study).

• Week 1 Overview
• Week 2 Purpose of Passover/Passover in Bible Times.
• Week 3 Jewish Customs of Passover Today/Messianic Significance of Passover.
• Week 4 Purpose of Unleavened Bread/Unleavened Bread in Bible Times.
• Week 5 Jewish Customs of Unleavened Bread Today/ Messianic Significance of Unleavened Bread.
  

Decide on the format for your study. For example, a two-hour format may
include: ten minutes prayer and overview, forty-five minutes leader guidance through Bible verses and information in this book, twenty minutes break, thirty minutes discussion, ten minute wrap-up and a closing prayer.

Children’s Church School

Plan on celebrating the holiday with a children’s one-hour class by choosing very simple activities. The teacher should read through the Introduction and

Section One. Start planning at least two to three weeks before the time of
the holiday. Lesson Plan pages are included in the Preliminary Activities and Crafts section (page 68) for your convenience. The following is an example of a one-hour Bible or co-op class held each week for three weeks some time before Passover (or a class held each day for three days before Passover):

• First Lesson: Read what the Bible says about Passover and the purpose of Passover. Make the Lamb craft or Lamb Centerpiece.
• Second Lesson: Read the sections “Passover in Bible Times” and “Messianic Significance of Passover.” Explain a seder. Play one of the suggested games, puzzles, or worksheets. Decorate the classroom for next week’s seder.
• Third Lesson: Have a mini seder. You won’t have time for a full meal;
  however, you can have: matzo, bitter herbs, green vegetables, and cups of grape juice and go through most of the Haggadah.

Home Schoolers

There are also several ways to use this book while home schooling. You can incorporate the holidays into your regular studies or even make the holidays the central focus of study for an entire year. See the instructions and Lesson Plan sheets in the “Holidays Across the Curriculum” on page 481. Click here for a sample from the special homeschool section.

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