Give each child a piece of wood or cardboard and a biblical map of the Holy Land. Have the kids sculpt each country out of different colored play dough, so they can see how the lands fit together and where the borders go. Older kids can use topography maps to construct mountain ranges and mark rivers. Help the children to use toothpicks to flag the location of key cities and events. For an artistic touch, they can add glitter to waterways and paint in scenic details.
Play dough is easy to sculpt and kids will enjoy creating a nativity scene during the Christmas season. Have each child make his own scene or assign each child a piece to make for a class display. If you have the children make individual pieces, have them write a story about what their person or animal would have seen and experienced the first Christmas.
Have the children make beads and pendants from play dough. All they need to do is mold the dough shape, poke a hole for the string and let it dry overnight. Afterward, they can add any kind of paint or designs they wish. Other options include making beads in the shape of Christian symbols or painting the numbers of favorite Bible verses on them.
Divide the children into groups of three or four. Instruct each group to create one large cross from play dough. They will learn to divide up labor and work together. When the kids are done, have them all sign the backs of their crosses. Then lead a discussion about the importance of cooperation in Christian life and ask what the children learned by working together.