Joshua’s House

We’ve all heard this song and it has become a favorite of many children.  But the song leaves out a lot of the story - in fact, it leaves out the best part.  Whatever happened when Jesus went to Zaccheus’ house?  Why not read Luke 19:1-10 with your kids and let them write a second verse.  You can help them, they can work independently, or they can work as a team.  You could even record them singing the song with their added second verse and post it here.  Have fun!

I’m not a morning person. When my parents used to take me to school in the morning, the drive was often quiet as none of us had become fully awake yet. If this is a situation you find yourself in frequently, take advantage of the opportunity to hide God’s Word in your heart and in the hearts of your children. This is a great chance to break the silence by playing scripture songs or Biblical education songs (like the books of the Bible, 10 commandments, etc) for your kids. Who knows, before long you might find that you are all singing along even on those early morning rides.

Click here for prinatble PDF version.
.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ” Ephesians 6:10-13

Have you ever had a day when you need an activity to keep your kids occupied for a while, or maybe you need a family worship idea that’s meaningful and will last for several days. Either way, this activity is sure to be a winner with your kids and will help them to learn the importance of the tools God has given us to remain strong during spiritual warfare. All you need is some construction paper, tape, and a little creativity.

As Family Worship
Begin by reading Ephesians 6:10-18 together. Take a little time to explore the passage. What is the battle we are fighting? Why do we need armor? Get your kids thinking. Each day, explore one piece of armor a bit further. If you start with the belt of truth, talk about what truth means. Maybe you can think of an example of truth as a family. What does it have to do with you? When you are finished discussing each day, you can make the corresponding piece of armor. Click here for instructions to make an entire suit of armor.

As a Rainy Day Activity
Get your kids started by reading Ephesians 6:10-18 together. Give your kids plenty of construction paper, glue and this set of instructions. Make sure to check back with your kids regularly to see how their armor building is going. When they are all done, be sure to take some time to ask them about each piece of armor and how it will help them as they fight the good fight.

Click here for printable PDF version

Sometimes it’s hard to find fun ways to memorize scripture, but here’s an idea that your kids can use for every passage they want to learn. All you need is a piece of paper (card stock or cardboard work best, but any paper will do).

Have your child write his memory verse on the paper. Let him decorate it too.

If you have a young child, you can help her draw pictures instead of writing words on the puzzle. For example if you are learning John 3:16, you may draw a picture that represents God, then a heart for love and then draw a picture of the world, and so on until you have the whole verse in pictures.

After writing the verse on the puzzle, older children can use the rest of the space to make a picture that illustrates their verse. This will help it stick in their minds better.

When your children are done decorating their puzzles, all they have to do is cut them out. They can cut pieces in any shape they want, or they can draw directly onto one of these patterns: easy, hard.

For more ideas on how to make and preserve this creative puzzle, check out this article on printable jigsaw puzzles.

We would love to hear how your kids like this fun memory verse tool. We’d also love for you to send us pictures of their puzzle masterpieces!

Click here for printable PDF

Many parents like to get their children involved in a summer reading program. It’s no wonder with all of the great benefits. Here are just a few:

• TV-free entertainment
• Imagination is utilized and expanded
• Kids have the opportunity to learn about all kinds of things

Why stop at just a reading program? Why not provide an opportunity for your children to learn how to evaluate their world from a Biblical perspective?

Step 1: Set Goals and Rewards
Based on your child’s age and interests, set goals and rewards that will encourage him to read more. For children under 10 years old set goals by number of books read. For kids 10 and over, try setting goals by number of pages read.

It’s also important to set more than one goal. You want to challenge your child to reach for more. If you set only one goal at 10 books, your daughter may not have motivation to keep on reading. Here is an example of goals and rewards. Number of books would be used for younger children while page goals are for older kids:

15 books/ 400 pages —— Ice cream at Dairy Queen
23 books/ 700 pages —— Ice cream and mini golf
30 books/1000 pages - - - - Ice cream, mini golf and go karts

Make sure to set a final date so your children know when their goal must be reached.

Step 2: Gather Your Materials
Usually when kids enroll in a summer reading program at their local library, they are given a reading log and a bookmark. We have some of those available for you, along with book review worksheets by age group. It is really important that your kids fill our the book review and have you look over it before they can add their book to the log. This gives you a great opportunity for valuable conversation and it insures that your children are comprehending what they are reading rather than zooming through books for the reward.

I recommend downloading the Microsoft Word version of these files so that you can edit and personalize them. They are also available in PDF format if you click the link at the beginning of this Family Fun Idea.

This is a reading log to keep track of all the reading your kids do this summer. Use it just like it is or change the pictures and other elements to fit your child’s interests.
Microsoft Word Reading Log
PDF Reading Log
Bonus: Printable Bookmarks

Print these book review sheets out to encourage your children to evaluate what they are reading. (For PDF Versions, click the link at the top of this Family Fun Idea.) Choose the grade level that your son or daughter will be entering next school year.

K-2 Book Review Worksheet (Microsoft Word)
3-5 Book Review Worksheet (Microsoft Word)
6-12 Book Review Worksheet (Microsoft Word)

Step 3: Encourage Your Kids
Make sure to encourage your children as they read. Take time to read with or to younger children to help them reach their goals. Suggest books that may interest older children.

Step 4: Celebrate
Enjoy whatever form of celebration you choose for your children. Ask everyone to share the best book they read over the summer along with a book they didn’t like that much. Ask them to tell everyone a little about both books.

Do you have any summer reading program ideas? Share them with us!

Click here for printer friendly PDF version

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” ~1Peter 2:9-10

It’s springtime. That means warm weather, flowers and baby animals . . . lots of baby animals. Your children may be begging for a puppy, kitten, or some other furry creature. If you think it’s time for a nice family companion, why not turn the experience into an opportunity to understand a little bit more about God’s grace?

Step #1 Talk to your children
Ask them what kind of animal they want. You might even ask them why they want an animal at all. The critter in question hasn’t done anything to benefit them, and it will be lots of hard work to take care of their new friend.

Step #2 Visit a shelter
You can visit your local pound, animal shelter or humane society. To find a shelter near you, you can visit the world animal net directory. Or, you can look for a pet right from your home. Petfinder and Pets911 are great resources for pet adoption.

Step #3 Choose your animal
Make sure to take your time. Also be sure each family member has a say in the pet you choose. Most of all, have fun!

Step #4 Talk with your kids
When you have chosen an animal and are headed home (sometimes you can take the animal with you right away, and other times you have to wait), ask your children what might have happened if you didn’t adopt your new friend. Would he have lived as a prisoner forever? Was the shelter one that puts animals down if they are there for an extended period of time?

Step #5 Learn
As you welcome your new pet home, talk about how God welcomes us home as His adopted children. Just like your new pet, we were headed for a life of slavery and death, but God, in His mercy, rescued us. He didn’t rescue us because we deserve it, but because He loves us. He loves us even more than you love your new furry friend!

Don’t forget to tell us all about your new family companion!

Click here for printable PDF version.

How about an activity that keeps your kids occupied all summer, sees to it that they get exercise, teaches them valuable lessons about God and growing in Christ, provides an opportunity to learn about stewardship and more? Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. This activity provides you with tools and tips needed to start a garden that produces more than fruits and vegetables. Here are a few of the specific benefits:

• Working in the garden gives children an opportunity to have physical exercise. When the body is strong, the mind is sharper and better equipped to understand spiritual truths.
• The time a child spends tending a garden gives them an opportunity to come in contact with nature in ways like nothing else can. While working, they are provided the opportunity to pray, recite scripture, or quietly reflect on God’s creation
• Gardening opens the door to object lessons more numerous than you could imagine. It is a wonderful environment for learning deep spiritual truths at any age
• Hard work and diligence are taught as the children learn to work hard for a return – a return that is not immediate.

Here’s the game plan:

Step 1 – Give the Challenge

When you call the kids together, tell them that you have a challenge for them. You can either give them each a set amount of money, or tell them they will have to use their own. They will have the opportunity to start a garden. When they grow the items in the garden, they are free to sell them, eat them, or whatever.

Step 2 – Set Parameters

You have to decide what kind of garden you want to plant. If you have some room in your yard, you may want to do a backyard garden. If you live in an apartment or don’t have much yard space available, you might opt for a container garden. For either option, you will want to let each child know how much room he has for his garden. Here is a list of what you will need for either type of garden.

Step 3 – Go Shopping

Let each child pick what seeds she will get and how many plants will be grown. If you are starting from seed (recommended) check the packets for spacing instructions. To insure your child’s gardening success, you may want to encourage some easier fruits and veggies to grow. Click here for a list.

Step 4 – Prepare, Plant, and Tend

Prepare your soil and then plant your seeds. You can make a whole day of this and have a lot of fun. When all of the seeds are planted, make sure you water them and pray. Remind your kids that we can water the plants and tend their soil, but it is God who really makes them grow. Throughout the whole process, be aware of opportunities to share some of these spiritual truths with your children.

Step 5 – Plan a Dedication Meal

“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.” – Deuteronomy 14:22-23, 26-27

The Bible also talks about dedicating the first fruits of the crop to Him. Why not celebrate this with your family as a reminder that God is the provider of all.

Take some time to plan the meal together. Let your children help plan what dishes will be made from the bounty of the garden. But don’t forget the last part. Deuteronomy 14:27 reminds the people to remember the Levites who depended on other tribes for survival. Why don’t you invite someone to join your celebration? Maybe you could invite the pastor and his family, or someone you know who could use an extra meal. You may want to take a few days to pray about who your special guest might be.

Step 6 – Make a Business Plan

Your plants are beginning to mature now, and you can see vegetables starting to come forth. It’s time for your kids to decide how they are going to sell their produce. How much will it cost? How will they tell people it’s for sale? What will they do with the money? Click here for a guide to help your children make wise decisions for the use of their money.

Step 7 – Have a Feast

When the garden begins producing, have the feast that you planned to thank God for His wonderful bounty.

Step 8 – Start Selling (and Eating)

Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Step 9 – Encourage Your Children

As your children enjoy the money they make from their sales, and the delicious fresh food, continue to remind them of their financial plans and help them to remember that everything we have is from God.

Click here for printable PDF version

From monsters under the bed to storms to bullies at school, most children experience various fears as they grow up. The next time your child expresses a fear, take the opportunity to point him or her closer to God. A scary time can become a fun time.

Here are a few simple tips to help your children learn to trust in God and to depend on Him when facing any fear. You will also find a list of common childhood fears below along with activities specific to each fear.

Step #1 Memorize scripture

This step takes place even before you have a run in with your child’s object of fear. Choose a verse that is generic and will work for any scary situation. Click here for a list of great verses. Make sure you pick a verse that fits your child’s age. Make sure you also talk with your child about how amazing and powerful God is.

Step #2 Pray with your child

Whenever your children are faced with any fear, make sure you pray with them right away. Ask Jesus to protect them and give them strength. It is important to do this no matter how old your child is or what the fear is. If an older child is afraid of doing badly on a test, pray with him. If a younger child is afraid of a dog, pray with her. It is important to seek the ultimate protection, God, first.

Step #3 Discuss it
Take some time to listen to your child as she tells you more about her fears. Then, share from the Bible or your own experience stories of how God has protected them. This would be a fantastic time to go over the scripture you have already memorized.

Step #4 Take some time

Take some time to be with your child, comfort him and point him to Jesus. What you choose to do with this time will depend on your child’s age, where you are, the specific fear, or a number of other factors. Here are a few ideas of things you can do to help your child shift her focus from the obstacle to Christ.

• Sing hymns
• Read the Bible together
• Make a picture of God being stronger than your child’s fear
• Encourage your child to pray
• Write a letter to God together about what your child is scared of
• Role play
• Make verse cards your child can carry in his pocket (older children)

Step #5 Follow up

Continue to pray for your child as you spend your own personal time with God, surrendering her into His hands. Occasionally review the verses your child is learning to combat her fears. Always be ready to listen to anything she has to share with you. Watch as your child’s fear can become an opportunity to grow in Christ.

Click below for activities you can do with your child who struggles with the following fears:

• Monsters and Noises at Night, the Dark
• Storms/Thunder/Lightening
• Snakes, Spiders, Bugs and Creepy Crawlers
• Getting Lost/Being Kidnapped
• Failure or Rejection

Click here for printable PDF version

As the weather warms up, kids love to be outside. One place that can make kids really excited is the zoo. Even if you don’t have a zoo nearby, you could visit a local petting farm. Chances are, if there are animals, your kids will love it.

With a little pre-planning a fun zoo trip can become an amazingly exciting excursion. There are a lot of steps listed below. Feel free to try them all, or simply pick the steps your family will enjoy most.

Step #1 Pick a Location
This may be easy if you live in a place with lots of options. If not, check a phone book, or ask around to see if you can find someone with a farm. Once you’ve found a place to go, call ahead or check the facility’s website to find out what animals will be there.

Step #2 Pick some animals
Sit down with your kids and let them all pick out a few animals they want to learn about. You can even do this with younger children. You will have to work with them one-on-one, but even a four-year-old would love to learn about new animals.

Step #3 Research
For this step you will need old magazines, a computer with the internet, or a fun trip to the library. First of all, find pictures of the animals your kids are going to see. Take some time to find out as much about the animals you will see as you possibly can. (See the list of helpful books and websites below.)
Step#4 Find out what the Bible says
Some animals aren’t mentioned in the Bible, but there are a bunch that are! Take some time to find out what the Bible says about the animals your children have chosen. If the animal isn’t in the Bible, what lessons can we learn from these creatures about God and His World?

Step#5 Draw and create
Have your children draw, write or create something to share with the rest of the family what they have learned about their chosen animals. Let your kids pick how they want to present it. They can make posters, write a report, draw pictures, make a book.

Step #5 Take a trip to the Zoo
Now that you’ve done some pre-work, your kids will be super excited to see their chosen animals live and up close. Make sure to bring a camera - let your kids take some of the pictures. As you visit all of the animals you studied, talk about where their stories are found in the Bible. Discuss some of the deeper meanings of the stories (depth, of course, will depend on the age of your children.) For example, when you visit the lions you can talk about why the Bible refers to both Jesus and Satan as a lion in different places.

You and your kids will have a blast!

Helpful Websites

• Animals of the Bible - An e-book with loads of information (not super kid-friendly, but loaded with info)
• Animals of the Bible Quiz - A fun online quiz to test your knowledge about popular animals in the Bible
• Animal Planet - Search this website to find lots of pictures and information about hundreds of animals
• Biblical Proportions - An online Bible dictionary and more - search for animals in the Bible
• National Geographic Kids - Find fun facts at this kid-friendly website
• The Scripture Alphabet of Animals - Just that, an animal for every letter of the alphabet
• WebBible Encyclopedia - Animals of the Bible - An online Bible encyclopedia with a special section for Bible animals
• Wikipedia - Find out about all sorts of animals at this online encyclopedia

Helpful Books

• All God’s Creatures: Spiritual Lessons from the Animals of the Bible - Written by a Christian zoo keeper, you may find this book to be tremendously helpful.
• Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World’s Wildlife - Full of pictures, this is a great reference for your family to have around
• Animals of the Bible - A classic with pictures of animals in the Bible with the Bible verses (KJV) about them
• Bible Dictionary - Gives background information on animals (and many other things) from the Bible
• Big Book of God’s Amazing Animals: Kids Sermons and More - Even though it says it’s a book of sermons there are tons of great object lessons you can use as a parent
• Concordance - Look up each animal to find all the places it’s found in in the Bible
• First Animal Encyclopedia
• My 2 in 1 Animal Picture Dictionary: A to Z and Habitat Pages
• A New View from the Zoo - A lighthearted book by the author of All God’s Creatures with spiritual lessons to glean from funny experiences
• Noah’s Ark: An Annotated Encyclopedia of Every Animal Species in the Hebrew Bible - this book is a little heavy, but very thorough (great for teens or if you want to read it first and share what you learn)
• Where to Find it in the Bible - This is a handy reference for finding all sorts of things in the Bible

Click here for printable PDF version.

“Pray without ceasing” ~1 Thessalonians 5:17

“It was at this time the [Jesus] went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” ~Matthew 6:12

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Prayer is a very important part of our relationships with God. Jesus went away to pray many times. Moses talked with God, and again and again Paul tells us the importance of prayer for one another. Why don’t you pull your family together and have a fun prayer meeting. You can even invite other people to join you if you’d like. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Prayer in the Bible
Pull out a concordance and look up the word prayer. Go through a few verses every night for a couple weeks to find out what God says about prayer. Make sure to write down everything that you learn.

Pray for One Another
It is so important to pray for all of your family members. Take some time to listen to each family member. What is on his heart? What can everyone thank God for? Have someone be the scribe. After everyone has had their chance to share, let each family member pick someone else to pray for so that everyone is being lifted up to God. Example: dad prays for Suzie, Suzie prays for mom, mom prays for Scott, Scott prays for dad.

Prayer Box
Keep a box with a slot on the top in a prominent place. Whenever someone has a prayer request or a praise, she can place it in the box (for children too young to write, they can draw a picture of their praise or prayer request.) Each week you can get together and go through your box. See what requests God has answered and thank Him for all that He has been doing in your lives.

Journal
Keep a family prayer journal. Have a scribe in the family write down all of the things you would like to take to the LORD. Each time you get together, look back over your previous entries. Make sure to make a note of all of the prayers God has answered.

Prayer Picture Book
Gather pictures of family members, friends, co-workers, school mates, church members, you name it. Also, find a small photo album. Fill the album up with as many pictures as you can. Each week, pray for the next person in the photo album. Flip albums work great because then you can set the picture where everyone can see it and be reminded to pray for that person. You may even want to write letters to those people with encouraging pictures and Bible verses to let them know that you are praying for them. Make sure to get the whole family in on this part.

Prayer is an important part of our spiritual journey and it is important to teach kids to make it an integrated part of their lives at an early age. They will begin to turn to God in prayer more as they see you doing the same.

Enjoy growing in prayer.