Nativity Left Right Game Printable, Christmas Gift Exchange for Church

Pass a wrapped gift around the circle while the Christmas story is read aloud, and see who is holding it at the end. Four Nativity games in one download for Sunday school, church Christmas parties and family gatherings where grown-ups and children play together: three original LEFT/RIGHT Nativity stories plus one pass-the-prize rhyme.

THE 4 GAMES
LEFT/RIGHT stories (pass the gift one seat on every LEFT or RIGHT):
- The Road to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1–7): Mary and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and Jesus is born.
- Shepherds in the Field (Luke 2:8–20): the angel's good news by night, and the shepherds hurry to find the baby.
- The Wise Men and the Star (Matthew 2:1–12): some time later, wise men from the east find the young child and bring their gifts.
Pass-the-prize rhyme (one gift, twelve verses):
- Who Will Hold the Gift?: short rhyming verses walk through the whole Nativity; after each verse the gift goes to someone the line describes, such as someone who traveled to be here today or someone wearing something gold or yellow.

TOLD WITH CARE
Each story is a gentle retelling for play that follows Luke 2 and Matthew 2. Words quoted from the Bible are set in italics with their King James Version reference; everything else is our own narration, and small imagined details (dusty roads, a campfire, tired feet) are clearly not quotations. The wise men's visit is its own story, later and in a house, not mixed into the shepherds' night.

HOW TO PLAY
A host reads; 4–30 players sit in a circle. Stories: everyone passes one seat for every LEFT or RIGHT and stops at THE END; whoever holds the gift keeps it. With 13–30 players, start 3 gifts spaced around the circle; all three holders win. The rhyme always uses ONE gift. After each verse, choose another matching player: count seats both ways to the nearest matching player who has not held it (the starting holder counts as having held it). If every match has had a turn, choose the nearest previous holder. Equal distance: the holder's own LEFT. A child sharing a seat with a helper counts as one seat. If nobody else matches, pass LEFT one seat. On verse 12, if everyone has held it, pass LEFT one seat. Whoever holds it then keeps it. For 13–30 people, choose a story if you want everyone to hold a gift; the rhyme has only twelve passes, so not everyone gets a turn.

Best for Sunday school ages 6–10 and mixed-age family groups; younger children can pass with an adult helper. Choose one game per gathering, or change starting holders between rounds. The three stories end 13, 17 and 19 seats from the start. With exactly 13, 17 or 19 players, a gift can finish on its starting seat for the matching story, so the host passes every gift one more LEFT after THE END. The stories include playful imagined mishaps alongside the Nativity retelling. Allow about 5–7 minutes per story and 5–8 for the rhyme; timings are estimates. Winning seats follow the story, so equal winning odds are not promised.

WHAT YOU GET: FOUR PDF FILES, 23 PAGES EACH
Print only the pages you need; players need no copies.
- US Letter color (8.5 × 11 inches)
- A4 color (210 × 297 mm)
- US Letter low ink
- A4 low ink

Every file holds the same set: a start-here page and a host help page (what you need, how to start, how it ends, fixing slips); 4 full-page host sheets (3 stories and the rhyme); 2 two-up sheets with all 4 games at half-page size, two per sheet, to cut apart; and 15 large-print pages with the rules and all four games at 18 pt.

PRINT AND PREPARE
Print only the pages you need, single sided at 100% / Actual size. The host keeps the sheet; players don't need copies. Wrap one small gift (three for stories with 13–30 players). Gifts and prizes are not included. Low ink has white headers and gray artwork.

GOOD TO KNOW
Digital download only; nothing is shipped. Ready-to-print PDFs, not editable templates. Download with a web browser at Etsy under Your account > Purchases; the Etsy app cannot download files. Printer and paper settings affect color. For personal use at your own home, church or classroom event. Please do not resell or share the files.

Stories, rhyme and layout written and designed by MadeForTheTask with AI-assisted tools. The line illustrations are AI-generated. Bible quotations are from the King James Version.