January Memory Verse Calendar

In Providence Kids, we believe that families should be in the Word on a regular basis. Parents often don't know where to start or how to engage their young children in spiritual matters. For that reason, we have decided to post a monthly memory verse calendar that includes our memory verse, weekly activities as well as what your child will be learning each Sunday.

Our hope is that you would use this to engage your children spiritually throughout the week, not just on Sundays. We pray that Sunday mornings becomes an extension of what happens in homes throughout the week.

Print these pages out, put them on the fridge or somewhere you will see it often. Enjoy!

Click on the image to make them larger.

Advent activities

Hope you've had a great first week of Advent :) I also hope that you have found a devotional to study with your family during the Christmas season. (If not, let us help you find one!) Here are a few ideas for your family as you continue to celebrate Advent:

• Create your own Advent calendar..it's not too late! You just might have to play catch up. Get small envelopes for each day leading up to Christmas and have your child decorate each envelope. Get little trinkets or stickers to put in each day. As they get their 'present' out of the envelope, have them say one thing they love about Jesus.
• Think of short but fun activities you could do with your children each day. Activities like making Christmas cookies for your neighbors or even donating extra clothing to Samaritan's Inn are great ways to bond with your children. These are easy ways to be able to talk about Jesus being the reason for the season.
• Go to the library and read some Christmas books. There are some suggestions in this month's Loop (hint, hint). Ask your children to retell you the story and take that opportunity to teach them the significance of Jesus' birth.

Any other suggestions for ideas or activities? Feel free to post a comment here or on our Facebook page.

Praying that you have a blessed time with your family and your Heavenly Father!

Acting out Bible Stories

Many times after dinner there is time for a fun activity for your whole family. Try using this time to act out a story from the Bible. Choose one you have been teaching to your toddler, one your preschooler is learning at church or in MDO, or let your child pick the story. Give each family member a role and make the story come alive!

This can be a simple acting out of each part as the story is read or it can be quite involved, using props and costumes and a set. One dad I know likes to do this nightly as he reads the Bible story to his children.

Our family had fun one night with the story of Noah and the ark. We made a tent in the living room with sheets over chairs and tables. While we constructed the tent, we talked about the other people who made fun of Noah and his sons as they built the ark and how they were obedient despite all that. Then we brought in stuffed animals, pretend food, pillows, and a flashlight (to use as a lantern). We stayed in the ark for "several days" as we turned out the lights and "slept" and then awakened in the morning. Each day we had the task of feeding all the animals. We talked about how the "ark" was crowded and the work was hard and sometimes boring. We created scenarios of lions breaking through their gate and it needing repair before they ate the elephants. Every "morning" Japeth and Amelia had a difficult time waking "Daddy-Noah" from his slumber. Some things we wanted to discuss and created situations where that would be easy, other times the kids thought of events that might happen. Overall we wanted to highlight that Noah and his family were obedient and that God is good and He protected them. Fun times!