Does your yR child know who Jesus is?

[Twiceover]

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.

I agree SparkyFucker.

I'm not religious at all, but I want my DDs to know about all religions. It's important general knowledge imo.

Yes, they knew. They also had an idea about some of the other major prophets, and having done Diwali in first term Reception knew more than I did about Hindu deities.

I've come to work on a basis that, once you DC are at nursery or school, they learn lots and lots of stuff and sometimes it's the most surprising bits that stick. Lay out anything you want before them. They'll ask if there are bits they want explaining.

Yep DD does, she made him a birthday cake out of play dough last year and gave it to the priest on Christmas morning to put in the nativity scene because she was sad no one else had made him one when everyone knows cakes are the best part of birthdays she's a funny child.

bahahaha! That is brilliant Xochi - love it!

My 6 year old just told me that Jesus died on the cross and was the son of Mary and Joseph (close!)

My 3 year old just said that he's my best friend (not close at all!!)

Not at all. I keep waiting for it to come from the school, but so far not. In some way I am looking forward to discussing it, in an intellectual sense. It is important to understand, for the reasons SparklyFucker gives.

Somehow seems strange to instigate the conversation though, as we are living outside our culture as it is.

Totally agree with SparklyFucker.

Children don't all have the same level of understanding, however, so just because they've been told the basics doesn't mean any of it sticks. My older dd had converted to Christianity and back to atheism before Reception age and certainly knew exactly who Jesus was. My younger child, on the other hand, has just about got the hang of Jesus now at the age of seven, though the Immaculate Conception continues to baffle her and she really thinks God and Mary must have been married.

Yes, mine do.

We do Christingle every Christmas Eve, it's good fun. Plus it's probably a good way to introduce Jesus (the knowledge of him, not necessarily the belief, iyswim) to a child.

Not one child in the reception class I teach RE to had any idea about Jesus being linked to Christmas. Some thought thy had heard of him as doing things but had no clue as to what. And this is in a church school where the church come in every week and do bible assemblies....
When I read them the Christmas story only 1 child suddenly realised she had heard it before, everyone else said they had never heard it.

I agree with what SparklyFucker says. Often on the local news at Christmas they ask people (adults) in the street to recount the nativity story and they can't. Atheist or not, I can't help but feel that those people look unbelievably thick and uneducated. I mean, I'm not a Viking but I know who Thor was!

I used to be in the Church choir and Sunday school at 4/5. Mainly because everyone in the street went - parents weren't particularly Christian.

So I learnt the story of nativity from the plays and fuzzy felts. I remember the Christingle service, mainly because you have to concentrate hard not to get drippy candle wax on your hands as you walked down the aisle to the altar, and also that all the boys used to eat the raisins off the cocktail sticks while waiting for the service to start - and get a row off the verger behind the curtain.

My ds learnt about it at 3 because I bought a book from M&S that he liked (nativity rhyme book you could press a button and sing a long to Twinkle Twinkle little star) and then from the songs he learnt in his first reception class nativity.

So it was a sort of "SingalongaJesus" kareoke learning experience.