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Original poster

Does your yR child know who Jesus is?

63 replies

Twiceover · 22/11/2013 13:00

Just got a letter from school telling me DDs are off to church to make a Christingle soon. 'Lovely', I thought. 'What is a Christingle???' Duly googled and found en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christingle A Christingle is made up of:
an orange representing the world;
a red ribbon around it representing the blood of Christ;
dried fruits skewered on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange, representing the fruits of the earth and the four seasons; and
a lit candle pushed into the centre of the orange, representing Jesus Christ as the light of the world.

Looks fun. And then it occurred to me that as we're not a religious family, they possibly have no idea who Jesus is so it might be a bit puzzling (although I'm sure they will explain it). They are singing carols in school at the moment and I imagine they will do the Christmas story too so it will soon be covered.

Just wondering really, if your YR would have any concept of who Jesus was? We've talked about religion and belief at home in a very general way but not got into details. They did do a nativity play at nursery last year but I don't know if they understood it at all.

OP posts:
lougle · 22/11/2013 14:32

Yes, she knows who Jesus is and prays to Jesus before dinner (especially since starting her CofE school where it is encouraged), but I don't think she thinks of him as 'God'; she's so young.

She did make me laugh the other day. She's Mary in the school play (stepped in because the chosen Mary wanted to do a different role) and when I talked about carrying Jesus she said 'I can't carry Jesus - he's 5!!'

It turns out that Jesus is being played by a child, not a doll Grin

rockybalboa · 22/11/2013 14:34

Don't think mine has any idea. He's told us all about Diwali in the last few weeks though so fully expecting him to come home all genned up on the nativity soon.

noramum · 22/11/2013 14:35

I think DD learned about it in pre-school when they did a nativity play. We also have a nativity set at home during advent and we read the story to her.

Saying that we are not religious if you mean going to church by that. But we believe that DD needs to learn where the festivals come from and how the religion was formed. We also bought her a children bible. I think it is shocking that children know so less about religion and teaching where Christmas is coming from and what a church means is for me the same as teaching her about the human body.

She, at the moment, beliefs in God but I think in a way like she believes in Santa and the Easter Bunny. We teach her that no everybody shares to and that there are more religion than just Christianity.

She is now 6.5 and one day will make up her own mind.

Meita · 22/11/2013 15:35

At 2 1/2 DS started to become obsessed with babies in tummies, and declared that he had a baby in his tummy too. I was a bit Hmm as I wasn't pregnant nor intending to be so anytime soon, and hardly any of our friends had visible bumps at the time. Then his CM asked what his baby would be called and he said 'baby Jesus' and the penny finally dropped! He had been asking for the 'what is Christmas all about' book a lot …
After several months he stopped telling everyone that he had baby Jesus in his tummy all the time. However if you ask him about it, he will still confirm that yes, he has baby Jesus in his tummy, and he is coming out at Christmas. Incidentally, that will be pretty much exactly nine months after it first coming up Grin.
We are considering sending him to a quite strongly religious school. I wonder what they would make if it? Grin

NoComet · 22/11/2013 15:42

I probably knew I didn't believe in him, but it was a nice story.

That was certainly my opinion by Y2 when I got a certificate off the Cannon for RE.

I just answered his bible story questions because everyone one else was being shy and I wanted to do something more interesting. Even at 7 I was a bit Blush I got a certificate as well as the class.

Original poster
Twiceover · 22/11/2013 15:44

Just asked the DTs on the way home from school and they had no idea. DT2 did remember that Jesus had been in their nativity play at nursery though. No doubt they will be explaining it all to me soon Smile.

SpookedMackeral - love the idea of you searching around desperately for a pink jesus Grin.

OP posts:
workshyfop · 22/11/2013 15:49

I just asked DS who is in Reception. He said 'a baby, Mary's baby, just been born'. That was all.

ArabellaBeaumaris · 22/11/2013 15:56

My DD1 'discovered' Jesus at the age of 3 when she went to Birmingham City Art Gallery & noticed pictures of Mary breastfeeding him. That was shortly followed by Christmas & the nursery school play - she was Mary. What with Easter & all by YR she knew that Jesus was the son of God & is magic because he didn't die. Plus he is Father Christmas's uncle obvs. We are atheists but because she was SO in love with baby Jesus I read her the Jan Pienowski illustrated King James Christmas tale so she is quite hot on it all. Although since Diwali & reading her the story of the monkey king she's been keen on that...

hopskipandthump · 22/11/2013 15:56

2 yo DD is very interested in stories about 'baby cheeses'

Quangle · 22/11/2013 16:04

Yes my 4 yo marches round the house bellowing "I'm in the Lord's army!" - church school Hmm

My 11 yo nephew though, barely knows (not at church school). We were at a family funeral recently and after the priest had said the "my father's house has many rooms" bit he asked "But who is his father?" Blush

Had no idea what a Christingle was though until I got the same instructions re an orange and stuff. I thought that was a pomander Confused

souperb · 22/11/2013 16:07

DS absorbed quite a bit of religion in reception. We're quakers, but the children were mostly doing crafts vaguely connected with bible stories at that age. School was CofE, but not in a need-attendance-to-get-in sort of way. So having lunch with some (athiest) friends we were rather surprised when he filled a gap in the conversation with "Did you know that Jesus is the light of the world?"

AgathaHannigan · 22/11/2013 16:10

Ds1 learned about him in reception in preparing for the nativity. Was adamant he was called cheesus though Grin

eightandthreequarters · 22/11/2013 16:11

No, my DC would have had no idea. I'd say oldest DC probably caught on about Y3 or so.

eightandthreequarters · 22/11/2013 16:12

No, my DC would have had no idea. I'd say oldest DC probably caught on about Y3 or so.

MoominMammasHandbag · 22/11/2013 16:16

We go to church and the kids go to C of E schools so they are all very knowledgable about Christianity. DS1 once announced he was going to be a vicar because you get a nice house and only have to work on Sundays. DD1 winds me up that she is an aetheist ( I don't bite) and DS2 is probably going to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury as he is very very holy.

ExcuseTypos · 22/11/2013 16:18

Yes mine did as our local school is a church school. However I'd always explained that Christmas was to celebrate when baby Jesus was born, so they knew it before school.

Making a christingle os a love idea. It's just like if they were learning about Other religious celebrations, which they will do when older, they will probably make something or visit their place of worship.

ClovisWrites · 22/11/2013 16:18

Mine has got religion in a big way since starting (at an R. C.) school. He asked me recently who invented all the words. "Well," I began, "when someone invents a new thing, they have to think of a new word to call it, so all the different words were invented by various people... " On and on and on I explained. He listened, smiled, shook his head and said: "No: God did."

ClovisWrites · 22/11/2013 16:19

Christingle oranges are lovely though.

Ragwort · 22/11/2013 16:19

Yes, my DS knew, we were/are very involved in our Church life & understood what we celebrated at Christmas.

BitchinInTheKitchen · 22/11/2013 16:22

No my reception DD doesn't know who Jesus is, she has heard the name and knows it is a baby that people mention at Christmas, nothing beyond that.

Thisisaghostlyeuphemism · 22/11/2013 16:29

Dd did a nativity play at pre- school and is being taught it at school (state school) in preparation for Christmas show I guess.
she wants to be princess Mary?!

2cats2many · 22/11/2013 17:40

Just asked my reception aged son and he said 'God's son' straight away. Mind you, he does go to a Catholic school so I'd have been surprised if he didn't know.

3bunnies · 22/11/2013 17:45

ds (4) has just said he doesn't know - obviously been a worthwhile time in Children's liturgy every Sunday!

RhinestoneCowgirl · 22/11/2013 17:45

Just asked DD, she was unsure.

When prompted she remembered something about baby Jesus when she was a preschool - maybe he was a king?

SparklyFucker · 22/11/2013 18:43

Yes. We're atheists but have talked about Jesus, God, Allah, world religions etc ever since they've been able to ask a question of any description. Cutural christianity underpins so many things in the UK that I think it's a grave disservice to not equip our children with the knowledge of the key biblical stories and references. We've bought both of them a book of children's bible stories and they've been to church with Granny and Grandad (devout Baptists and elders in their local church) a number of times.

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