A Helpful Link for Moms with Toddlers

Here is a short blog post from the people at Desiring God.
It is entitled 7 Ideas for Teaching Toddlers and might prove useful as you establish storytime routines with your little one.

Happy teaching!

Quiet Time & Your Preschooler - Not a paradox!

Developing the discipline of setting aside time every day to spend in prayer, study and meditation can be a difficult thing. Modeling that discipline daily before our children can be even more difficult. And instilling a similar discipline in your preschooler or elementary-aged child can seem nothing short of impossible.
But teaching a child the importance of spending uninterrupted time with God every day is very important. Beginning to establish the home as a place where we can hear and speak to God in the quiet of our hearts is a powerful thing. I want to encourage you to consider working on this discipline with your children. Here are some tips:

• Model this practice. Show your child that it is important to you to spend uninterrupted, quiet time with God. When your child sees you doing and enjoying it, he will be more apt to emulate it.
• Start small. It is not realistic to assume that on day one your child will sit still and quiet for any extended period of time. Set measurable, attainable goals and work your way up. Ten minutes a day is an appropriate amount of time a preschooler can be expected to sit quietly.
• Give specific ideas of things for your child to do. Some ideas are: flip through a picture Bible, draw pictures of Bible stories you've recently read together, draw pictures of things you're thankful for or praying for. Drawing, looking at pictures or encouraging specific ways to think and pray are good places to start.
• Talk about what you both learned, felt or experienced in your quiet times. If you child knows he will be sharing his experience with you, he is more likely to take it seriously.
  
• Call it a quiet time. Whether the practice is already established or is new, make sure it looks and feels differently than normal self-play or "alone time."
• Pray together before each day's quiet time, setting the tone for your child and committing your time to the Lord.

Entering into a time of quiet worship and study can change the atmosphere of a home and usher in countless opportunities for growth and discussion. Try not to be intimidated by the idea. Start small, be faithful, and trust the Lord to work in your heart and the heart of your little one as you both set time aside to be with Him.
May the Lord bless you in your times with Him!

God's Justice vs. Our Justice

After Easter services, one of our teachers shared with me how her 5-year-old and kindergarten students responded to the story of Christ's death on the cross. She said her students, particularly the boys, couldn't get over the injustice of Jesus dying in our place.
"But why did He do it?"
"Jesus didn't do anything wrong, He didn't deserve to die!"
There is so much truth and beauty in those statements. While we will never fully grasp the weight of Christ dying in our place, we can take advantage of the "injustice" of that action to teach our children.
At some point this week, it's safe to assume your child will disobey. During one of those acts of disobedience, take the opportunity to show him or her a picture of what Christ did on the cross.
When your child knows he or she has disobeyed and is expecting a swift punishment, show mercy. Instead of time out or a spanking, extend grace. Stop what you are doing, sit down with your child and talk to him or her about what is deserved. Explain that we deserve so much more than a spanking or time out for all the sins we do. And just like you showed your child mercy by not punishing him or her, so God showed us incredible mercy by allowing Jesus to die in our place. It's not fair, but it it's true and wonderful.

Cultivating an Eternal Perspective

This week your child will be learning of Christ's ascension into Heaven to be with God the Father. Our Forever King went up in the sight of His friends into the sky in a miraculous display of His glory and power! And we have the promise that we as believers will be with Him in Heaven one day, too! This is cause for celebration and hope. And this is a great truth to communicate to your children. Whether your little one is struggling with day-to-day frustrations, dealing with loss or illness, or even going through a phase where death becomes a preoccupation, you have an opportunity to cultivate an eternal perspective.
Talk with your children about the promise (John 14:3) and the joy of Heaven (Rev 21:4). Talk with excitement and joyful expectation when you talk about Heaven. Our Forever Home is a place where we will be with our Savior, apart from illness, sadness, darkness and death. What a great message and a great way to turn fear into joy, uncertainty into hope, and mourning into rejoicing!
And don't forget that talking about Heaven provides an easy transition into sharing the gospel!

Easter Calendar!

Beginning next week, March 23, we have compiled daily activities for you to do with your child to talk about and experience different aspects of the Easter Story.
Download your calendar here and enjoy this special month with your family!

Using our best to honor God

This past week in the Preschool we learned the story of Mary anointing Christ's feet with costly perfume. Though some were angry that such an expensive material was used for such a temporary purpose, Jesus explained the significance of honoring Him with the best of what Mary had.
As we teach our children to love God and make Him famous, we want to communicate the importance of giving Him the best of what we have. Lived out, we are "doing all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
As you go throughout your days, talk openly about the things that you are doing together and how those things can honor God. Simple tasks like washing dishes or picking up toys, to fun activities like coloring or playing outside, are opportunities for us to do little "heart checks" with our children and further explain that a heart that honors God and loves Him most is a heart that is pleasing to the Lord.

Have a great day with your little ones!

Snow Day!

The routine is shot.
The kids are home. They're excited. And because of that, you're certainly not going to get any of that work done that you needed to do today.
Our advice to you on this cold day - enjoy it!
Take this break from routine to truly break from routine and snuggle up with the kids and watch a movie or read a book, cook a special meal together or play their favorite game.
It's okay to achieve nothing more in a day like today (and maybe tomorrow), than loving on your children and making special memories with them.
Don't let the stress of an unplanned day steal your joy and make you forget that you have a unique opportunity to have fun with no agenda.
Enjoy your day. It is truly a gift from God!

Bedtime With Your Toddler

As you put your child to bed every night, you probably have a routine you follow. This routine may include a bath, putting on PJs, reading a story, but does it include time with God? This is a continuation of a multi-part series on how to use your bedtime routine as another setting during which you can teach your child about Jesus. Last time I posted about bedtime with your baby. Let's talk today about your young toddler.

At some point , you will watch your toddler learn to understand and use language. He will learn to obey when you ask them to complete a task (come to me, bring me your shoes, etc). He will point at objects wanting you to identify what he sees. He will begin to say the names of people he loves. One of the activities most fun for your toddler will be imitating those people who are most important in his life. As your child grows, your teaching will increase. Your toddler can understand that God is in charge of everything as you teach him about God and their environment around them. Your toddler can understand that God is good as you teach him about His love for him. Your toddlers can understand that we can talk with God as you pray with him throughout your day. Your toddler can understand that the Bible is God's Perfect Word as you read to him from His Word.

You are not only teaching your child the importance of spending time with God, but giving him the tools to continue to do that throughout his life. After reading a short Bible story, talk about the pictures he sees, ask him questions about what happened in the story. (Answering them if he doesn't or can't will only help to reinforce what you are teaching him.) He will learn that not only is reading the Bible important, but also understanding it and applying it. While singing a song of praise or Truth, your toddler can begin to sing along with you.

After reading a story and singing a song about Jesus loving the little children, your prayer may go something like this: "Dear God, I praise you that You are good! Thank you for giving us the Bible to teach us that you love little children. Thank you that you love (Jacob). Please help him to always have confidence that you love him. We love you Jesus. Amen." As your child's communication skills improve you can begin to leave space in the prayer for fill-in-the-blanks. Giving thanks is a great way for your child to begin to pray on his own.

As these things become a routine in your family, your child is learning the value you place on time with God. Giving him the early practice of reading God's Word on a daily basis and teaching him to be in the habit of praying regularly will teach him what a healthy relationship with the Lord looks like.

If you are looking for a recommendation on a toddler Bible, you might consider this one that our family uses as we raise toddlers, The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers, which lists for $11.04 on Amazon. Beyond the Biblical accuracy, we like the rhyming, the illustrations, and the content choice of this Bible.

A Helpful Link

Only in the past couple of years have I begun to understand the power that comes when we pray the words of Scripture. They are authoritative, complete and beautiful.
Yesterday I came across a list of Scriptural blessings to pray for our children. I invite you to check out the link and pray these verses for your own little ones.

Pray for your children.

New Year, New Opportunities

As you continue to settle back into your daily routine, take time to sit down with your children and reflect on the good things God has done in your family in the last year. If you have not already done so, take time over dinner or before bedtime to make a list using words or pictures, of some of the great things God did or taught you this year. Spend time praying and thanking God for the things on that list.
After that, take some time as a family to think through some things you want to see God do in your lives this year. Consider things within your home, opportunities within the church or community, and hopes you have for extended family or friends. Write down your prayers and goals for this year and spend some time praying over them and asking God for the things on your list.
At the end of your time together, remind you children that God is Good and that as a family you will trust Him to do whatever He wants to within your lives this year. Spend a few final minutes praising God through song or prayer for His power, provision and love.

Keeping the Bible in our Bible Stories

Our church is studying Christ in the Old Testament in our Women's Bible Study. Last week we were talking about how so many of these stories that we have grown up with took on new meaning when we read them as adults from the Scriptures and not just from Children's Picture Bibles or in the context of a Sunday School lesson.
So often we grow up hearing Bible stories but don't actually get them from the Bible.
Scripture is whole, perfect and complete. But how often do we settle for a summary or paraphrase of Bible stories instead of the inerrant, perfect Word of God? There is nothing wrong with teaching your children from Children's Picture Bibles, as long as you are also teaching them from the Bible.
In the Preschool Ministry, children begin hearing each story back-to-back from a Children's Bible and from an NIV Bible each week beginning at age 5.
It is in this context that they hear, not only the fundamental truth we are trying to teach and not simply the Christian value or moral lesson, but the written word of God, provided to teach, rebuke, correct and train in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
May we not neglect to teach our children biblical truths from the Bible, God's Perfect Word.

Sharing our Stories

I was writing the Bible Story Follow-up application steps for parents and got to thinking about how parents dialogue with their children. We want spiritual language and topics to be the norm in our homes. We want the words of Scripture to be familiar words of comfort and training to our children. We want songs, Bible stories and Christian values to be a part of the foundation of our homes. But how practiced are we at telling those stories as a backdrop to our own stories? How well do our children know exactly what God did in Mom's heart to make her love and trust Him? Do our children know what it was that brought Dad "out of the darkness and into the light"? (1 Peter 2:9).
Depending on the age of our children and the nature of our salvation stories, being honest to tell our testimony may be difficult. But let me encourage you to, as much as is appropriate, share your stories with your children. Our testimonies can be the most powerful tool we have for evangelism because they are our stories. So talk with your children about why you love Jesus. Tell them what He saved you from. Be honest about the life you now lead because of the saving work of our glorious Lord.
Let your children hear the stories of the God who saved you. May He be the God who saves them also.

Bedtime with Your Baby

As you put your child to bed every night, you probably have a routine you follow. This routine may include a bath, putting on PJs, reading a story, but does it include time with God? I want to start a multi-part series on how to use your bedtime routine as another setting during which you can teach your child about Jesus.

Let's start today by talking about your newborn baby. Even at the youngest age, you can choose a time each night to read a short story to her from a children's Bible, maybe sing a song that gives her a basic Truth, and say a quick prayer. There are many children's Bibles available, but one thing you want to do before purchasing one is to read it, cover-to-cover, to make sure it is theologically sound. Children's Bibles are not God's inerrant Word, as someone is just summarizing certain stories. After you have done that, you will be able to sort through what is most important to you. Some parents want to ensure that specific stories are included in their children's Bible, some want a Bible that is easy to understand at an early age, some want good pictures, etc. At this young age, as long as the content is consistent with the Bible and you won't be reading your baby things that are conflicting with God's Word, I think there is a lot left to personal choice. The important thing is that you are exposing your son or daughter to the Bible on a daily basis. Praying for them and with them is also a great habit to start from day one.

After reading the story of creation to your baby, your prayer may go something like this: "Dear God, I praise you that you made everything! I thank you for giving our family this precious baby. Please give her lots of good sleep tonight. We love you God. Amen."

If you are looking for a recommendation on a beginning Bible, you might consider this board book that we use as our children are infants and young toddlers, Baby Blessings Bible, which lists for $12.50 on Amazon. Beyond the Biblical accuracy, we like the rhyming, the bright colors, the short length, and the durability of this Bible.

Scripture Placemats

If you haven’t read Charity’s idea on the church’s site for making placemats, I reposted it here. If you have, you will know that my idea for making a Biblically-based learning placemat came from her. That said, here’s what we’re trying around our house.

My son is just starting to memorize verses for the first time. He’s also in the early stages of learning how to read a little. The first verse we memorized is 1 John 4:14 “We have seen and testify that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.” We then started learning John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Now he is mixing the two verse together into quite a mess. It usually sounds something like this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to be the Savior of the world.”

So I thought since he mostly knows the letters and the sounds those letters make, that I would write these verses down and make them into placemats. My goal is that as he is quoting the memorized verses he would look at each word on the placemat and see that the initial sound is the same as the one he is saying. Hopefully the written words will just guide him in the right direction. We’ll see how it works! (If your kids are readers, writing verses on placemats could be a good way for them to memorize new Scripture.)

Family Dinners and the Glory of God (Charity Keldie)

Originally posted on www.insideprovidence.com 3/18/2008

A few years ago, Barry and I were laying in bed one night, spending some quiet time together with God. Barry was reading aloud a devotional out of John Piper’s Pierced by the Word. Usually, these times were a sweet encouragement in my spiritual walk, but on this specific night, my heart would be pierced in such a way that I would never again be the same.

We were reading “How to drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God” and if you’ve never read it, it is truly convicting. The basic idea of the devotion is taken form 1 Corinthians 10:31. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Piper addresses living a life in which everything you do brings God glory. I don’t know about you, but this was a blow to my wonderful little world. You see, I live a good life. I love God, study my Bible, pray, serve in the church and obey the law. So, I consider myself a “good” person. Unfortunately, when you hold my life up to the light of this Scripture, all of the sudden, my good life seems dark. If I were truly honest, the “all” that I do each day seems to do little to bring God glory. So, with a lot of prayer and trust that God will one day complete this good work in me, I began working to change the way I approach life and the activities of the day.

I truly felt my heart was being changed and I was well on my way to “doing all to the glory of God,” when yet again my life was changed forever. In November of 2006, God blessed Barry and I with a son. All of the sudden, I was not only responsible for living a life that brought God glory, but I was also responsible for raising a son to do the same. The weight of this responsibility seemed almost overwhelming. Suddenly, I began to pray like never before. And, I began to seek out ways to make each moment I have with my son moments that would reveal the beauty and majesty of God, hoping that one day, God would save his soul and he would begin his own journey of living a life that glorified God.

Here are just a few ideas to help turn a basic necessity into a wonderful time of worship for your family.

First, mealtime is a time families need to spend together. This is a foreign concept in America, but I would encourage you to sit down together and share a meal.

Secondly, take a look at where you eat. Does your table look like a place of worship? This is not an excuse to go out and buy a new dining set (although I have tried to convince my husband we should!) It is an encouragement to be intentional about surrounding yourself with things that draw your mind and heart to God.

My favorite thing at our kitchen table is a placemat I made for my son. We actually have about 10 placemats that I made because I tend to go overboard. Kids (and adults) like color and things to look at while they eat. It’s why we read the back of the cereal box. So, give your children something beneficial to look at during mealtime.

Use construction paper or poster board to make your child their own placemat. If your child is in a highchair, trace the tray onto poster board to make a custom-fit placemat. Cover it with things you are trying to teach your children about: animals, their name, family pictures or maps. Then, pick a Scripture that relates to your placemat and write it on the placemat. Do the same thing with a different theme on the back. Take the placemat to Staples or Mardels and have it laminated. Now you have a two-in-one placemat that teaches your child. Make sure you talk about what is on the placemat during mealtimes. Read the Scripture to your child. If they are old enough, work on memorizing the Scripture. You can use this concept to teach your children Bible stories. You can use crafts they do at church to decorate their placemat. Have fun and be creative. These placemats can costs as little as $1, but can help create an atmosphere that opens up discussion to the things of God.

Additionally, use your words to bring glory to God and teach your children during mealtime. Start each meal with prayer. This is not a task or duty, but a brief moment to show gratitude to God for meeting our basic needs. Children need to see and hear their parents not only acknowledge God, but show affection for and the need of God himself. If you have children who can speak in complete thoughts, let them pray. Sure, sometimes their prayers will be difficult to understand or even silly, but they are learning to interact with God! Allow them the opportunity pray – you will often be amazed at the depth of their words.

Finally, be intentional and glorify God in what you feed your family. I’m not saying you should slave over a three-course meal where everything is made from scratch. But we should make sure our families are fed in such a way that gives them strength and health. As believers, we are daily at war with the evil one who will use all means necessary to bring us to destruction. Protect your family by keeping them healthy.

None of these ideas are groundbreaking, they are just simple ways to take a moment of the day and begin using it to bring God glory. Hebrews 10:24 tells us to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” My hope and prayer is that we can stir one another to honor God in our homes. Think about how you use your time and resources and look for ways to teach your children about God and glorify Him in all you do. Hopefully, one day soon we will all celebrate the salvation of our children.