Talk to your child about the Cross...one stitch at a time!

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road...tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads."  Deuteronomy 6:5-8

Make a moment this spring, this Easter season, for some sweet one-on-one time with your child. Turn off the TV.  Turn off your phone. Find a quiet corner and share your faith, impress your heart for Jesus on your child as you do this simple craft together.  Just like your grandparents or those before you did with their children. (It's amazing the conversations that can happen over threading a needle -again and again!)

 All you'll need is some buttons, a needle and thread and scraps of ribbon, felt, fabric--and even shelf liner works great!  Using embroidery floss or yarn for younger ages makes button fastening quicker with less stitching needed.
                                                

Make an Easter band with symbols - a cross, flowers, butterfly, etc-- to wear around a wrist or even as a headband. Symbols can be traced from a template or drawing. Keeping things simple is good. You'll be surprised at how much your little guy can enjoy a needle and thread too... so don't think this is for girls only.  Here's where the process is even more important than the product... but the product is pretty sweet too.

(Depending on your child, such sewing things may be "new" to them. Threading the needle. Finding a button they like (ones with four holes like a cross - or just two). Knotting the thread and sewing a button on all are good life skills to learn and to learn from you! You may just find there's someone right in your midst to take over the "to-be-mended" pile you've been collecting.)

Can prayer begin with a game?

Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.  Matthew 19:14

Kids of all ages have so much to teach us about coming to Jesus-- and little ones do it best, don't they? They are the ones eager to climb

 up into His lap. Willing to simply come.  We don't want to snuff out their joy with a bunch of rules... so let's play a game while we "sit on Jesus' lap". 

Remember making "cootie catchers" when you were a kid?  Well this is a "conversation catcher"!Once folded, you "pick a number from 1-10",  hold "pockets"with both forefingers and thumbs and open, close until you arrive at the chosen number.


To refresh your memory from childhood - fold as such.  Copy paper works best, beginning by making a 8 1/2 in square.  Once labelled, you simply make copies, as all writing is on one side.  Another joy in doing this.


  Cut copy paper square   

 Fold in half and diagonally all four-ways

 

Then fold each corner into the center,

flip over to other side and do the same thing.

 

 

This folded game - I've labelled "God You are..." lends itself perfectly to beginning prayer with four different aspects of prayer and who God is. I began with "All-powerful/Friend", "Perfect/Creator", "Generous/Good", and "Merciful/Savior" -- but many others could be used as well. 

 Under each flap is another prayer-step that leads to sharing a personal praise, concern, confession or request. Your child can draw or write personal words or thoughts that will help them with their prayer.

 The simple beauty of this game is that it teaches the child to first speak truth about who God is. It leads them to more than one kind of conversation with God.  It gives them a start that is personal and from the heart. Just the way Jesus wants all God's children to come!

Candy + Cans = a "can-do" lesson about true strength!

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13

This illustration as corny as it sounds will certainly catch your child's interest (so what's the candy about??) and hopefully spur a good faith discussion afterwards. Certainly the likes of Joshua, Samson, Paul, Peter and other faithful followers have struggled with this issue: trusting in God's strength, not our own.




You see, we all start out the same. Empty and needing help.

We find out that there is a God who loves us-- who is GOOD and FULLY ABLE to help us with whatever problem we face.
Mean kids, hard tests, unhappy homes. You name it - He CAN-DO all things!
 



So we begin to trust Him. We start to "taste" and discover all that He can do! And with each time of trusting, there's a wrapper to remind us that our success came from Him.  We begin to have a bunch of wrappers. What to do?

 

We can use them as reminders so we praise Him even more. But often we don't....

 

 

 

 

Instead, we begin collecting them in an "I Can" can.... or even worse, begin filling ourselves, our minds with them--forgetting the truth that it was all God's doing- Not ours. The candy wrappers (our accomplishments) fill us now. We think that's all we need to help us. We foolishly think "I can" -- without God's help...

We discover what Samson and Peter and others discovered: Without God  there's no true strength -- and lots of sad regret.

 

 

Fortunately, God is GOOD and is always there for us when we come to Him, empty and ready to trust in all He CAN do--once again!

 

 

 

 

 

Making Remembering Fun!

Once again I'll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I'll ponder all the things You've accomplished, and give a long, loving look at Your acts. Psalm 77:11 The Message

 We all learn best through review, don't we? Whether in a classroom setting or around the kitchen table, remembering and reviewing what's been said before, can be boring to those who already know it and frustrating to those who have long forgotten.  Games, however, are great tools for making review more fun than tedious -- and here's a NEW twist on an OLD favorite that will capture the minds and hearts of all involved (including you, the teacher).

Tic-Tac-Toe-- a game that all children (over the age of 6) know, right? No need to take time on explaining how to play it....you can get right to playing it-- how great is that?  Traditional Tic-Tac- Toe has a limited strategy, however, and once you're old enough to know the power of that center square, the challenge diminishes.  We want kids listening, thinking and being engaged throughout the whole game (so all the review points can be covered), right?


Team O is hoping there's an O underneath...

Not this time!

"This I Know- Tic-Tac-Toe" has a hidden twist:  the Xs and Os and where they are placed has already been decided by YOU. You have already placed the Xs and Os in winning spots... but just not visible to the players.

 The first person/team gets to choose the first question and when answered correctly, is either an X or an O, depending on what is underneath that question square.  The other team is assigned the other marker.... and thus the game begins.  Kids choose the question square, not knowing whether their marker is underneath. The strategy of "three in a row" still remains, but players won't know if they are helping themselves... or the other team until the question-- and the correct answer-- is said.  That uncertainty -- will keep both sides wondering, pondering and engaged up until the end.

You can make up this version with an activity board painted with chalkboard paint like the one shown -- or simply use a layer of Post-it notes on a classroom chalkboard/ white board.   Making and decorating an activity board (found in the educational section of arts & crafts stores for~$9) looks more fun,  lessens "peeking" and is well worth the time, when this becomes a "favorite".  

Expect playing (thus your review) to go quickly. Keep Post-it notes handy to help with those longer- phrased questions... and to allow for a "just-one-more-time" rematch. For no one likes losing in Tic-Tac-Toe!  

Learning to pray? Use God's own words!!!

The child learns to speak because his father speaks to him. He learns the speech of his father. So we learn to speak to God because God has spoken to us and speaks to us....Repeating God's own words after Him, we begin to pray to Him...The words which come from God become, then, the steps on which we find our way to God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible.

When I first read this wonderful little Bonhoeffer book, his clear words brought an "a-ha" moment to me.... not only for my own prayers, but also in helping children how to pray. Don't we all want to teach others those "steps" to finding God personally?  Don't we all need clearer direction in confidently praying ourselves?

Starting to pray seems to be the biggest stumbling block to praying. How do I begin? What do I say? Bonhoeffer reminds all of us to simply speak the words of God back to Him when we pray!  Jesus spoke His Father's words all of the time, didn't He?  Instead of using some memorized childhood prayer,  teach your child how to confidently speak to His heavenly Father using the God's very own words of truth, promise and worship found in Scripture. Show your child where these words are in the Bible. Start simply-no fancy words oh, and repeat daily.

Here's a fun, simple way to get started in praying with God's Word with your child:  You'll need an egg carton with a closed lid (no holes). Paint the outside and decorate the lid to make it more durable, more appealing -- and more personal for your child or your classroom setting. 

Inside each egg cup, you will have a different Scripture verse or attribute of God and one button or bead "marker" in the carton. Label colored stickers or paper ovals with verses and stick in bottom of each egg cup.  The child "selects" the verse or attribute by shaking the closed carton and seeing where the button lands. Your prayer- his prayer--begins with that thought.  Your prayer with your child begins with truth. "Thank you God for being faithful to me. Thank you God for your patience when I am frustrated." Prayer -clear and simple--and yes, joyful! 

Psalms are a wonderful place to find words of worship and praise to God. Use "divide and conquer" technique to show your older child that this wonderful book is found right in the center of their Bible. Have fun opening a closed Bible and seeing how close you get to Psalms. Help him find the Psalm chapter and verse. Help her read it aloud before you pray.

Verses and attributes can easily be changed as you pray together. You can begin with these if you like:  Attributes CREATOR -Jeremiah 32:17, ETERNAL Rev. 4:8, FAITHFUL Heb. 10:23, HOLY Deut. 32:4, GOOD Ps. 107:9, GRACIOUS 2 Cor. 4:15, UNCHANGING James 1:17, SAVIOR 2 Tim.1:9, JUST 1 John 1:9, PATIENT Num. 14:18, LOVE Deut. 33:12, MERCIFUL Heb.8:12.  The Psalms are unending but you could begin with these: Psalm 19:1, 121:2, 90:2, 107:9, 68:19, 33:5, 23:2-3, 32:8, 33:4-5, 33:11, 86:15 and 139:2-5. 

  

Amazing Love! Amazing Grace! God's Amazing Word!

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.  Psalm 119:18

Before little eyes can be opened to the wonders of God's Word-- they have to first be "captured" - don't they? Here's a new way to "plant" Scripture that captures their attention with old-fashioned simplicity.  I think of it as Scripture "eye-candy"  and something that your child--or your class--will want to play and go back to again and again.

 

 It's inexpensive to make and can be adapted to any number of amazing verses--all found in the Bible, of course. I chose 1 John 3:1, 1 John 4 :19, John 3:16 or Ephesians 2:8-9 and labelled the mazes accordingly. These maze boards can be used as a welcoming activity in the classroom, a team challenge when teaching, or a quiet time game at home. The maze course is easily changed by rearranging the rubber bands. You might even be amazed at how it brings out the kid in you!  Oh--and that verse you want learned and remembered will be right in front of them whenever they pick it up to play!

All that is needed is some scrap lumber, a variety of paint shades (I used acrylic), a bunch of nails, rubber bands and some marbles.  Boards can vary in size: small enough to be held be a child, yet large enough to make a maze grid that challenges. (No bigger than 2 feet or smaller than 6 inches in length or width.) Leaving a border of at least 1/2 inch around the edge of the board, mark 1 - 1 1/2 inch squares with pencil.

Paint grid squares with colors that catch your eye -- and decorate the boarder with Scripture using paint pens or Sharpie markers.  Be sure to mark the starting and ending grid space. Hammer sturdy nails (1-1/4" roofing nails work well) at each corner using a spacer to keep them all uniform in height. (Yes, this part is a bit tedious-and noisy- but you're almost done!)

 Finally, stretch assorted rubber bands on the nails to make your maze, call your kids....and let the games begin!  Oh, and the learning too!

Make a Valentine to God- while you teach about His love!

We love because He first loved us!  I John 4:19

Make a double-sided Valentine to hang this month as a reminder of God's love for us -- and our love for Him!

Valentine's Day gives us a great "hook" that captures kids' hearts and minds for Jesus.  Kids of all ages love to make Valentines, right? So while you have those doilies, ribbons and scraps of red and pink paper handy, add this one to craft with them-- and reach their hearts with words of truth that last far beyond February 14th.  This is one Valentine you'll want to keep and not send!

God is love. God loved us first. He calls us His own. He knows us by name. It's hard to stop once you begin thinking about God's great love, isn't it?  Isaiah 51:16,  Psalm 139:1, 1 John 3:1, Romans 5:8, John 3:16 -- but choose one or two that speaks of God's love in a way your child will best grasp. Print or write the verse you choose out so they can put it on one side of the Valentine heart. A 5 inch heart size works well for decorating but sizes can vary.

Then, on another similarly sized heart (another color is nice), have your child doodle and decorate it with markers, stickers and such with colors and things that express who they are-- what they like, etc. Then, on another piece of paper (contrasting color) trace their hand with fingers separated and help them cut handprint out.  Now, here's the fun part: fold and glue down the two center fingers like your hand is signing "I love you" in American Sign Language.  Have your child write "I love God with" on the palm and "all my heart", "all my soul", "all my mind" on the thumb, pointer and pinky fingers.  Teach your child that is how God wants us to love Him back! Glue the hand on top of the decorated heart, and insert a ribbon between the two hearts so it's ready to hang.

To make this activity even sweeter - do with all ages!  The beauty of God's love and the personalities of "all His children" will make you smile!