We Three Kings- An Epiphany Celebration for Kids!

About three years ago my mother, aunts and Grandmother started to host an Epiphany party for our children, a new tradition we absolutely love!

Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th to celebrate the Three King's visit to the Infant King Jesus.  There are many traditions throughout the world that are connected to Epiphany, so my family selected a few and created our own celebrational mix of fun.   What I love about this celebration is that it helps our family continue to celebrate Christmas as a season not just one day. So as our Three Kings finally arrive at the nativity scene, we have one more excuse to celebrate.

So in hopes that others can enjoy this same Epiphany tradition, here are a few ideas:

Becoming a King

The highlight of our celebration may be the transformation of ordinary kids into Wise Kings.  Now this is not an easy feat, but with a few supplies and patience it can be done!

Wear a Crown

 

 

Crown Supplies:

Poster Board cut into crowns
Self Stick Gems
Tape

Precut the crowns and allow the kids to apply their own gems.  Simply size to their heads and they are ready to go.

Wear a King Cape

Cape Supplies:

Gold Fabric
Ribbon
Iron-On Hem Tape

Cut the Gold Fabric into Rectangles large enough to be a cape.  Use the Iron-On Hem Tape to attach the Ribbon to the top of the Cape for tying.

Carry a Star

Star Supplies

Dowel
Hot Glue
Star Ornament

Attach the Star to the end of the Dowel with Hot Glue.  This Star can lead your Little Kings to the Baby Jesus.

Bring a Gift

Gift Supplies

Any reclosable pretty package
Piece of Fancy Paper

Help each child choose their "Gift" for Baby Jesus and write in on their piece of paper.  The adults usually join in by writing their "Gift".  The papers go into the reclosable package which will be taken to Baby Jesus

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A Procession to the Baby Jesus

 

Once our Little Kings have a crown, cape, star and gift in hand they can march around the house singing "We Three Kings" or whatever other song would please the Baby King Jesus.  Once they arrive at the Nativity Scene we do a reading of the Bible Passage (Matthew 2: 1-12) and talk about what precious gifts we can give to the Baby King.  My children are currently intrigued by the King Herod the "Bad Guy" and those smart Kings that ran away from him, so the conversation was quite interesting.  After the Bible reading and discussion each child presents their Gift to the Baby Jesus.

The King Cake

After the gifts have been given, the child rush to the cake.  It couldn't be a true Epiphany Party without a cake! This isn't an ordinary cake, it is a King Cake, so tucked inside this cake are many plastic Baby Jesus figurines (carefully wrapped in wax paper before baking) which each child can discover.  After lighting our candles and singing "Happy Birthday Baby Jesus" (which they are certain the King's would have done upon arriving to find the Infant King ) each child get to enjoy their piece of cake.



The Sweetest Discovery of all...Baby Jesus!

The cake is a delightful ending to a celebration of Kings and Gifts for our Jesus.

The House Blessing

Another nice addition to the Epiphany celebration occurs when we head home, which is the Epiphany House Blessing.  I would recommend doing some research to find a blessing for your home, but this is another beautiful  tradition.  Our church provides chalk and a blessing which we then use each year to bless our home and the top of each room.  The marking made in chalk is a reminder all year of Christ blessing our home.  It is a great way to make your Epiphany celebration last the whole year long!

I hope you find one of these ideas helpful in making Epiphany another special part of your Christmas celebration !