One year we got a flyer in the mail about a church that hosted a live Nativity play that our kids could perform in. We weren’t looking for a church at the time, but loving drama as much as I do, we found out where it was being held so my kids could be a part of it.

Hi! My name is Danielle and I have homeschooled my kids from Pre-K through high school. When we started homeschooling, I was concerned my kids may not be able to participate in some of the fun activities like drama that I was able to do growing up, but I quickly found out that I had nothing to worry about and found there are a lot of ways to fit drama into your homeschool.

Free Drama Opportunity – Let’s Go!

We showed up to this neighborhood where we didn’t know anyone, but quickly found so many nice people including a couple who also homeschooled. They later joined our co-op, and we were able to do life together for many years.

Outside the couple’s home, there was a set, costumes for the kids to wear and a narrator that would tell the story while the kids acted out their roles. Narrating made it easier to put on a performance with only an hour rehearsal time. The most important part was recruiting the neighborhood kids, and kids like mine who traveled to see it, to play the roles while the neighbors watched the show.

Afterwards we had cookies and hot cocoa and got to know the wonderful people who designed the set. We also found out that we could borrow the set and have a Nativity play at our home. My family all loved the idea, so we set up a day to borrow it.

We posted signs throughout the neighborhood and spoke to many of our neighbors about their kids being actors in the play. We actually had 65 people show up to be a part of it as actors and audience members. The neighborhood kids loved it and made plans for this to be our annual tradition.

It’s a Community Affair

The most popular roles seemed to be Mary and the wise men, but most kids were happy to be a part of the play in any role that was available.

Some years the kids learned the lines of some of the main roles so they could actually say them instead of the narrator. It was great to see them take ownership of the role and really get into it.

This became so popular at the church that another set was built so more people could borrow them. The costumes got more elaborate and certain items were a little easier to build with helpful labels or instructions. This truly became a community affair.

We also gained more experience building with PVC pipe as we put together the painted backdrops for the angels’ scene and King Herod’s palace. We figured out creative ways to haul all the materials to each person’s house since the wood structure for the stable was heavy and long, and there were so many pieces for electrical, lighting and sound.

As my daughter grew, she became the director of the play and led younger children as they enjoyed this new tradition. Many times we would also help other families as they hosted it at their homes for the first time. It was a great time to get to know our neighbors better and to help others in our church community get to know their neighbors. We were fitting drama into our homeschool while getting to know and serve our community.

Let the Tradition Continue – Let’s Get Creative!

We decided to start up the tradition again but found out that the sets are no longer available. I almost changed my mind, but after someone gave me enough scrap material to make the costumes, and I considered other ways to build a manger scene, I realized I could create the same effect in a different way. 

If you don’t know me yet, I don’t sew. Thankfully these costumes are easy as all I needed to do was cut a hole in the material for a head to go through, then put some material on the actors’ heads and they were ready to go.

As far as the construction is concerned, I started to think about how heavy and how long the wood was for the manger scene and how that made it challenging to store or to travel from house to house. I also realized that maybe the play could be performed during daylight hours instead of at night, so we didn’t need the lights. Basically, the story can be told a lot of different ways so why not keep it simple.

Instead of wood and a triangular construction, I chose to use the much lighter and cheaper PVC pipes and a rectangular construction for the room that holds the manger. After rethinking how to set it up in my yard, I found a great spot in front of our large bush for the field scene and used some plywood and a royal-looking comforter as the backdrop for Herod. The Herod backdrop idea came the night before the play.

Truly the most important thing is to gather neighbors together and tell the story of Christmas, so it doesn't really matter how elaborate the set is. I was recently reminded by a friend who started this tradition, that she had no scenery when she first started doing these in her neighborhood. No one cared, they were just thrilled to be a part of the story.

We have many homeschoolers and public and private school kids that live in our neighborhood, so this is a way for them all to fit a little drama into their lives without having to put a lot of time into it. They can just show up an hour before, rehearse, then act in a short play for their family and friends.

It's a Hit!

As the time came closer for the kids to show up to rehearse, I heard from a couple of my neighbors how excited their kids were to be in the play. It was wonderful to hear that the kids were truly excited about something our family enjoyed for so many years.

The girl that played Mary was chosen because she already had a costume and a baby doll, so one less costume to make. Then we had two angels, and three boys who all wanted to be wise men. No one wanted to be Joseph. Ut Oh!

As we got costumes on and started to rehearse, I kept hoping someone else would show up, but so far just six kids that wanted to perform (I didn't promote it as well as I had in the past.) Since my husband ended up with a massive headache, my son was put in the role of narrator and my daughter was designated as Herod. I knew Herod's costume would work best since it was more of a cape and could be adjusted for any height (If you don't have costumes, don't worry.)

As for Joseph... no one else showed up and we needed a Joseph, so I put on the largest costume I could find and jumped into the role. It's not easy being in the play and directing the kids at the same time, but you gotta do what you gotta do because... the show must go on!

I did leave Mary on her own a few times to attend to our three boys who finally agreed to be the shepherds along with the wise men. At first it didn't seem like they were paying attention, but as soon as the play started they were ready to go. As shepherds they had material on their head, then a quick change by removing the headpiece and giving them presents for the baby Jesus.

The older angel was an incredible help "backstage" (a.k.a. the garage), and my daughter was helpful 15 minutes before the play was ready to begin when we needed the kids to be occupied so they didn't run around. She played some warm-up activities with them for their voices, minds and bodies that worked perfectly.

The kids and the parents loved the play. The parents all said they want this to be an annual tradition and one offered some pretend animals to go with the set. A few other families showed up to watch and really enjoyed the performance. Afterwards we shared cookies and got to know our neighbors better.

It was a hit!!! I even had a neighbor pass by just after the play finished who was disappointed she missed it. Her daughter had been an angel one year and the mom just remembered what a wonderful experience that was for their family. I will definitely be inviting her next year!

You Can Have a Neighborhood Nativity Play

You do have the time to fit drama into your homeschool during the holidays. A Nativity play is fun to do with neighbors and friends as long as you remember:

• keep it simple

• you can build the sets while not breaking the budget, but don't have to

• keep the costumes simple with no sewing involved

• it’s about enjoying time with your community 

Now you can access our Neighborhood Nativity Play for FREE! Check it out and start a new tradition for your family and neighbors this Christmas!

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Danielle at homeschooldrama.com