We've recently started a pew packers program at our local congregation, and my kids are loving it! We meet a few minutes before services (15-20), and one of the men of our congregation leads the kids in some "vbs" songs and memory work. When a child can say the books of the Bible to an elder, he or she gets an engraved medal. When a child has memorized a card of Bible knowledge, he or she earns a trophy. My kids were both able to do these tasks in just a few weeks, and many people have asked me how we did it. My response? "If you don't let them eat until they say it, they learn it quickly!"
Now, before you call DCS on me to report malnutrition and neglect, let me explain! :)
At every meal, while I am finishing getting drinks and/or food on the table, we work on Bible facts. Breakfast and lunch we were working on our cards of knowledge, and at dinner we'd do memory verses. Together. As a family. Which meant that my husband and I had to get on board and learn them as well so that we could quiz the kids and so they could quiz us! It turned something that could have been drudgery into something fun, somewhat competitive, and definitely worthwhile! It's simple to implement. Here's how.
Before your next meal, announce your plans to your kids.
Choose somewhere to start...a list, a verse, whatever!!
Go through it several times as a family and then have everyone try it on their own. Perfection is not the desired result. Repetition, working together, and learning about God's word IS. Start small and add on as you go! If you have a list, learn one or two at a time and add to it. Then, before anyone can eat, hold each person accountable for quoting part (or all!) of what you've learned!
Seriously, this only takes a few minutes a day! If you just can't manage time together to eat as a family, use time in the car or any other time you're together. Waiting rooms are a good place to do short quizzes.
We keep a poster/chart of what we have learned taped to our kitchen wall so that we can review previously learned topics as we incorporate new ones. Sometimes we make it a competition (who can answer first, loudest, quietest, etc.), sometimes we do it together, but always we make it fun!! Don't make it boring, or it will become a chore and not a joy.
No child is too young to start this! Even if he or she can't talk, learning is taking place! You never know when Scripture will pop out of your sweet little one's mouth! Good luck!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
So long, Summer!
Can it be? Is summer really just a memory? My husband started back to school today (in JULY!), so we're trying to get back in the swing of things and back to our "normal" routine, whatever that means! My daughter still has about a week left of what she and her brother call "the good old days," meaning the kids and I are home together. Today has been what I envisioned the whole summer would be...lounging in pajamas after returning from a very soggy storytime at the library, cooking, crafting, snuggling, and watching movies. It makes me wish I could just slow down time and enjoy some more time with my kids before the hustle and bustle of the school year runs us over!!
In this post, I'm looking for suggestions more than offering them...
1. How do you get your family back into the school routine after a summer off? We're just starting 1st grade, so I don't have experience of getting my kids BACK into school routine.
2. What are some quick and easy school day breakfasts and lunches you like to prepare that aren't just "junk?" My kids love whole grains, fruits, and veggies, but I want something to change things up a bit from the everyday pbj on whole wheat bread.
3. This isn't really school related, but any suggestions for setting up and sticking to a household budget? Prior to my kids, we were stellar at this...now I can't seem to get it under control! Help! :)
4. We are getting an iPad this weekend (SHHHH!! It's a secret!!!). What are your favorite kids apps out there? I prefer fun and educational together, and free is a plus!
In this post, I'm looking for suggestions more than offering them...
1. How do you get your family back into the school routine after a summer off? We're just starting 1st grade, so I don't have experience of getting my kids BACK into school routine.
2. What are some quick and easy school day breakfasts and lunches you like to prepare that aren't just "junk?" My kids love whole grains, fruits, and veggies, but I want something to change things up a bit from the everyday pbj on whole wheat bread.
3. This isn't really school related, but any suggestions for setting up and sticking to a household budget? Prior to my kids, we were stellar at this...now I can't seem to get it under control! Help! :)
4. We are getting an iPad this weekend (SHHHH!! It's a secret!!!). What are your favorite kids apps out there? I prefer fun and educational together, and free is a plus!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Love the Lord your God
We did this lesson a few weeks ago, and it was a hit!
Before class, mix up a package of red jello with just enough warm water to dissolve the jello. You want it to still be thick, like tempera paint.
I used a template for a card that I found in some stuff my mother-in-law had given me . The kids painted it with the jello "paint" and let it dry. The result? Scented, grainy paint that sort of sparkled! The inside of the card was colored with marker, and we wrote on the hearts: "heart, soul, mind, and strength."
While the jello was drying, we talked about ways to show God that we love Him with all we have. The kids cut hearts out of construction paper and glued strips of paper around the edges that showed ways we could show our love to God. We also brainstormed ways they were going to show love for God during the following week. This wasn't a fancy lesson, but by the time they left, they all seemed to have a decent grasp on our need to show our love for God.
Our memory verse for the week was John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." We put it to the tune of the main melody of "Sing and Be Happy" (without the chorus).
Before class, mix up a package of red jello with just enough warm water to dissolve the jello. You want it to still be thick, like tempera paint.
I used a template for a card that I found in some stuff my mother-in-law had given me . The kids painted it with the jello "paint" and let it dry. The result? Scented, grainy paint that sort of sparkled! The inside of the card was colored with marker, and we wrote on the hearts: "heart, soul, mind, and strength."
While the jello was drying, we talked about ways to show God that we love Him with all we have. The kids cut hearts out of construction paper and glued strips of paper around the edges that showed ways we could show our love to God. We also brainstormed ways they were going to show love for God during the following week. This wasn't a fancy lesson, but by the time they left, they all seemed to have a decent grasp on our need to show our love for God.
Kindergarten Bible Class "Syllabus"
Here are the stories and lessons we cover in our kindergarten class (for the most part). As I can, I'll post about individual lesson plans.
Unit 1 – The
B-I-B-L-E
- God Made Me Special
- What is the Bible? (Josiah)
- Respect the Bible (Ezra)
- The Bible is the Best Book – basic Bible facts – we review these facts most of the year at the beginning or ends of classes as time allows
- Memorizing all the books of the Bible – we continue this until all the children have accomplished it, and then we review it periodically throughout the year.
Unit 2 – Children
of the Bible,
based on the verse “Even a child is known by his doings;
whether his works be pure and whether they be right.” I use the Hanna Publications Even a Child booklet as my basic
starting point. We stress that even
children can do good things for God!
- Joseph
- Miriam
- Samuel
- David
- Widow’s Sons gather oil
- Boy Kings
- Naaman’s servant girl
- Daniel & Friends refuse the king’s food
- Loaves & Fishes
- Timothy
- Jesus in the temple
Unit 3 – Prayer
no printed curriculum used
- What is Prayer? How do we do it? (Model Prayer, use “web” to discuss)
- Daniel – Pray even when no one else is
- Jonah – we can pray anywhere and everywhere and anytime!
- Elijah and Mount Carmel
- Solomon
- Sometimes we cover Nehemiah
- Prayers of Thankfulness
- Prayer Booklet – we make a flip book of people in their lives for whom they can pray
Unit 4 – We
Worship God Because He is Powerful
adapted from Young Reader’s Bible lessons
- God Makes Everything (Creation, Adam and Eve)
- God Sends a Flood and Rainbow (Noah)
- God Promises Abraham and Sarah a son
- God Repeats His Promise to Jacob (his dream; rock pillow)
- God Helps Joseph Explain Dreams
Unit 5 – We
Worship God because He Helps His People
adapted from Young Reader’s Bible lessons
- Baby Moses
- Burning Bush
- Pharaoh & the Plagues
- Red Sea
- God Gives 10 rules
Unit 6 – We Obey
God Who Helps Us
adapted from Young Reader’s Bible lessons
- Joshua and Caleb
- Joshua and Jericho
- Ruth Makes a Good Choice
- Balaam & His donkey
- Gideon
- Samson – discuss disobedience and consequences
Unit 6 – Armor of
God
- learn different parts of God’s armor and why they are important, where we get them, etc.
- review/reinforce basic Bible facts learned throughout the year
Unit 7 – varies
with each class, and sometimes is done earlier in the year
Lessons vary depending on how much time we have used
throughout the year to review, for snow days, for unusual circumstances, etc. I try to cater this particular “unit” to the
needs of each individual class.
- Some examples we’ve done include:
- women of the Bible (when I had all girls) & things girls can do to help
- “Unusual” Bible stories
- Balaam
- Jehoshaphat
- Babel
- the Ark and Dagon
- Items of worship
- Behavior in Worship
- MISCELLANEOUS
- Love the Lord your God with all your Heart
- What does a godly kid look like?
VBS fun!
Now that the kids have seen everything, I can post pictures!! Here is one of our bulletin boards. We'll put the kids' pictures in the train windows.
This board gave us some trouble...
Monday, July 23, 2012
Worship Training
A sweet friend of mine asked me to do a post on this based on a facebook conversation we had a long time ago. (As a matter of fact, she prompts most of my posts with her questions!). She had asked what we did in worship with our little ones when they were even younger than they are now. Here is an edited/revised version of the information I sent her then. I think she gives us way too much credit with our children, but she thought it would be helpful to others, so here goes! :)
First of all, when we took the kids to worship as babies/infants/toddlers, we had VERY few books/toys/etc. When they were very tiny we'd have something for them to chew on (Discovery Toys has a really nice teether that hooks to some links that is soft, smells good, and has lots of sensory nubs on it). When they got a little older we'd sometimes take a little snack like goldfish crackers, and we almost always had a drink with us. Looking back, I'd probably not do the snacks. They were distracting and messy and probably not the best idea. I am still fighting battles with my kids about them saying they are hungry during worship. I'm afraid maybe I set the precedent for that to be a problem early on! The drinks weren't a big deal at the time...neither of mine could go that long without a drink because of allergies, so it kept us in worship and away from germy water fountains.
The #1 piece of advice someone gave me (and I agree) is that when the time comes that you have to start taking them out for behavior, do NOT make it pleasurable, and always, Always, ALWAYS bring them back in so they don't learn to "force" you out and get their way. Even if you only bring them back in for the closing song, ALWAYS bring them back in to the assembly. Also, don't fall into the trap of leaving them in the nursery for someone else to train (or play with!) during worship. It's easy and convenient, but it can cause so many problems later on that are anything BUT easy and convenient!! Keep them with you anytime you possibly can so that they are learning from day one where their proper place is during the family's time to worship.
As far as books and toys goes, once they got past needing something to chew on, we rarely brought anything not Bible-related. We had a board book "Baby's first Bible," and our daughter would look at it the whole time, silently. When our son came along, on the other hand, he felt the need to comment on EVERYTHING in it, so he wasn't allowed any books at all. Keep in mind your end goal, and be careful not to start anything that's inconsistent with your end goal of teaching your child to respect worship and to behave there. I never ever wanted my kids to think that worship/the church building was a place for entertainment, so it's possible that we erred too far on the side of not making it "fun." We tried allowing each of mine to color some Bible coloring pages that related to the story that week, but they both got to where they couldn't wait for the lesson JUST so they could color. VERY early (before they could talk), we'd discuss on the way home what we talked about in the sermon, and we sing songs from the songbook ALL the time at home so that they learn them and can participate. We took them each a tiny Bible and let them VERY early flip through it and the songbook. Some people disagree with that b/c it can be hard on the songbook and/or Bible, but we just chose one Bible and one songbook and let them play with it/feel it/turn the pages/pat it, etc. We decided that when they get old enough to NOT mess it up, we'll purchase a new songbook to replace it b/c the experience of letting them be a part of worship is invaluable. We also do not allow them to look around the auditorium, talk, etc., as much as possible. I have found lately that is even more of a challenge because they want to discuss the LESSON during the lesson, and I find myself trying to talk to them about it right then instead of waiting until later. That's my mistake!
The few Bible toys/books we DID use I kept separate from our stuff at home and only let them look at them/use them in worship so that they weren't bored with them. We also whisper(ed) the story of the crucifixion to them while waiting for the Lord's supper (so they wouldn't talk the whole time and so we could focus on it). I did, for a while, take each of them a fabric book that had snaps, buttons, shape matching, etc. b/c it was a "quiet play" book. My daughter did fine with it, but our son was too noisy. He wanted to discuss everything. There's no "one solution" that works for every kid, and you have to adapt along the way. We've had a lot of trial and error, and most people think we are too harsh/strict, but I'm seeing the results of it now. By age 3, neither of ours had to go out very often. They still have their days (don't we all?!) when they act up or distract others, but I do believe they have an understanding of the importance of worship. Our son gives us much more trouble than our daughter ever did, so with him, we are still learning and adapting. (He's 4). Most of my friends who allow their children to "play" during worship with toys, magnets, etc., are still taking them out for discipline when they are 5,6,7 on a regular basis. Also, AS SOON AS my kids could trace, we'd do "dotted" letters on pages and have them trace words that related to the lesson being taught. Our preacher does outlines with blanks to fill in, and now they both copy our words onto theirs. We also found some pages online that can be used for active Bible lesson listening. I'll try to find the link online or figure out a way to post those.
Oh...another thing...as soon as our kiddos could sit up a little bit on their own (not completely), we'd prop them up for a few minutes between us on the pew to train them to sit there (as opposed to always in our laps). It would just be for 2-3 minutes at first (sometimes not even that long), but we were setting the precedent for the future. We never EVER used the nursery unless I was feeding them (mine were so noisy with a bottle we couldn't do it in worship) b/c people tend to talk in there and it's very distracting and not conducive to training a child. Start early, train often, and don't get discouraged. Consistency and patience WILL result in the kind of behavior you want.
Most importantly, try really hard to not make any decisions that are in conflict with your end goal. I can't say that enough. Little things that make life "easier in the moment" can really mess up our future goals...trust me on that one. :) Hope this helps!
NOTE: Now that my children are older (I'm writing this today), we have a few other things we do. One of our most important rules is that they are not allowed to sit with anyone besides us. It is our job to train them, and we don't expect anyone else to take on that responsibility. The only exception to that is if the grandparents are visiting with us, and then they may sit with them ON OUR PEW. Also, we practice "appropriate worship behavior" even in our home Bible studies. Another thing that helps them to give worship the proper respect and attitude is by making no distinction on our part as to the importance of Sunday morning vs Sunday night, Wed. night, etc. The clothing appropriate for Sunday morning is the same for Sunday night, Wed. night, lectureship, VBS, etc. We stress the importance of all services equally. Finally, we never EVER let them run in the building, climb up and down the stairs to the pulpit, climb on pews, and such. They sometimes CHOOSE to do that, but there are always consequences. We want them to know that worship is serious, and that God deserves our respect and honor.
I know this is long! If you've stuck with me this long, I appreciate your desire to train your kids! Hit me with questions and/or comments. Please know that I do not consider myself an expert by any means, and we have made many MANY mistakes!!! My children are not perfect, my husband is not perfect, and I am not perfect. My God, however, IS perfect, and it in His honor that I give parenting my best shot and fervent devotion.
First of all, when we took the kids to worship as babies/infants/toddlers, we had VERY few books/toys/etc. When they were very tiny we'd have something for them to chew on (Discovery Toys has a really nice teether that hooks to some links that is soft, smells good, and has lots of sensory nubs on it). When they got a little older we'd sometimes take a little snack like goldfish crackers, and we almost always had a drink with us. Looking back, I'd probably not do the snacks. They were distracting and messy and probably not the best idea. I am still fighting battles with my kids about them saying they are hungry during worship. I'm afraid maybe I set the precedent for that to be a problem early on! The drinks weren't a big deal at the time...neither of mine could go that long without a drink because of allergies, so it kept us in worship and away from germy water fountains.
The #1 piece of advice someone gave me (and I agree) is that when the time comes that you have to start taking them out for behavior, do NOT make it pleasurable, and always, Always, ALWAYS bring them back in so they don't learn to "force" you out and get their way. Even if you only bring them back in for the closing song, ALWAYS bring them back in to the assembly. Also, don't fall into the trap of leaving them in the nursery for someone else to train (or play with!) during worship. It's easy and convenient, but it can cause so many problems later on that are anything BUT easy and convenient!! Keep them with you anytime you possibly can so that they are learning from day one where their proper place is during the family's time to worship.
As far as books and toys goes, once they got past needing something to chew on, we rarely brought anything not Bible-related. We had a board book "Baby's first Bible," and our daughter would look at it the whole time, silently. When our son came along, on the other hand, he felt the need to comment on EVERYTHING in it, so he wasn't allowed any books at all. Keep in mind your end goal, and be careful not to start anything that's inconsistent with your end goal of teaching your child to respect worship and to behave there. I never ever wanted my kids to think that worship/the church building was a place for entertainment, so it's possible that we erred too far on the side of not making it "fun." We tried allowing each of mine to color some Bible coloring pages that related to the story that week, but they both got to where they couldn't wait for the lesson JUST so they could color. VERY early (before they could talk), we'd discuss on the way home what we talked about in the sermon, and we sing songs from the songbook ALL the time at home so that they learn them and can participate. We took them each a tiny Bible and let them VERY early flip through it and the songbook. Some people disagree with that b/c it can be hard on the songbook and/or Bible, but we just chose one Bible and one songbook and let them play with it/feel it/turn the pages/pat it, etc. We decided that when they get old enough to NOT mess it up, we'll purchase a new songbook to replace it b/c the experience of letting them be a part of worship is invaluable. We also do not allow them to look around the auditorium, talk, etc., as much as possible. I have found lately that is even more of a challenge because they want to discuss the LESSON during the lesson, and I find myself trying to talk to them about it right then instead of waiting until later. That's my mistake!
The few Bible toys/books we DID use I kept separate from our stuff at home and only let them look at them/use them in worship so that they weren't bored with them. We also whisper(ed) the story of the crucifixion to them while waiting for the Lord's supper (so they wouldn't talk the whole time and so we could focus on it). I did, for a while, take each of them a fabric book that had snaps, buttons, shape matching, etc. b/c it was a "quiet play" book. My daughter did fine with it, but our son was too noisy. He wanted to discuss everything. There's no "one solution" that works for every kid, and you have to adapt along the way. We've had a lot of trial and error, and most people think we are too harsh/strict, but I'm seeing the results of it now. By age 3, neither of ours had to go out very often. They still have their days (don't we all?!) when they act up or distract others, but I do believe they have an understanding of the importance of worship. Our son gives us much more trouble than our daughter ever did, so with him, we are still learning and adapting. (He's 4). Most of my friends who allow their children to "play" during worship with toys, magnets, etc., are still taking them out for discipline when they are 5,6,7 on a regular basis. Also, AS SOON AS my kids could trace, we'd do "dotted" letters on pages and have them trace words that related to the lesson being taught. Our preacher does outlines with blanks to fill in, and now they both copy our words onto theirs. We also found some pages online that can be used for active Bible lesson listening. I'll try to find the link online or figure out a way to post those.
Oh...another thing...as soon as our kiddos could sit up a little bit on their own (not completely), we'd prop them up for a few minutes between us on the pew to train them to sit there (as opposed to always in our laps). It would just be for 2-3 minutes at first (sometimes not even that long), but we were setting the precedent for the future. We never EVER used the nursery unless I was feeding them (mine were so noisy with a bottle we couldn't do it in worship) b/c people tend to talk in there and it's very distracting and not conducive to training a child. Start early, train often, and don't get discouraged. Consistency and patience WILL result in the kind of behavior you want.
Most importantly, try really hard to not make any decisions that are in conflict with your end goal. I can't say that enough. Little things that make life "easier in the moment" can really mess up our future goals...trust me on that one. :) Hope this helps!
NOTE: Now that my children are older (I'm writing this today), we have a few other things we do. One of our most important rules is that they are not allowed to sit with anyone besides us. It is our job to train them, and we don't expect anyone else to take on that responsibility. The only exception to that is if the grandparents are visiting with us, and then they may sit with them ON OUR PEW. Also, we practice "appropriate worship behavior" even in our home Bible studies. Another thing that helps them to give worship the proper respect and attitude is by making no distinction on our part as to the importance of Sunday morning vs Sunday night, Wed. night, etc. The clothing appropriate for Sunday morning is the same for Sunday night, Wed. night, lectureship, VBS, etc. We stress the importance of all services equally. Finally, we never EVER let them run in the building, climb up and down the stairs to the pulpit, climb on pews, and such. They sometimes CHOOSE to do that, but there are always consequences. We want them to know that worship is serious, and that God deserves our respect and honor.
I know this is long! If you've stuck with me this long, I appreciate your desire to train your kids! Hit me with questions and/or comments. Please know that I do not consider myself an expert by any means, and we have made many MANY mistakes!!! My children are not perfect, my husband is not perfect, and I am not perfect. My God, however, IS perfect, and it in His honor that I give parenting my best shot and fervent devotion.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday School Final Review
It's almost promotion time in our congregation, so I'm losing my sweet kindergarteners! I'll miss having them in class, but it's always fun to get a new group, too! This group has come SO far! I love this age, because I get to see them learn to read and write, and as they start school, their real personalities really come out.
Today we are doing a review "test" about all the things we have learned this year. Here's a copy of it. See how well you can do! :)
Today we are doing a review "test" about all the things we have learned this year. Here's a copy of it. See how well you can do! :)
Kindergarten Sunday School Review!
See how much you remember! Let your parents help you if you need to, and
bring back next week for a treat!
·
Is this book in
the Old Testament (O) or New Testament (N)?
Genesis ______ Malachi
_____ Ephesians _____
Matthew _____ Revelation
_____ Isaiah _____
·
Name one book of
the Bible named after a woman.
____________________
·
There are
___________ books in the Bible.
·
Who wrote the
Bible? ____________
·
Who Am I? Draw a line to match the person with his or her
description.
I
watched out for my baby brother. Ruth
I
heard God calling me and thought Miriam
it
was Eli, the priest
Along
with Joshua, I was a faithful Joshua
spy
to the Promised Land.
I
loved my mother-in-law, Naomi. Caleb
I
trusted God to help me fight a giant! Samson
God’s
instructions may have sounded
strange
to others, but I faithfully marched David
7
days around Jericho.
I
was very strong until I broke my vow Samuel
to
God and let Delilah cut my hair.
·
Name at least one
of the ten commandments. (Exodus 20)
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
·
Name 2 of the 10
plagues in Egypt.
(Exodus 6 – 7)
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
·
Draw a picture of
something unusual that happened to each of these people in the Bible.
MOSES
BALAAM:
JONAH:
NOAH:
·
What did these
people pray for in the Bible? Match
them.
Solomon a baby
Hannah fire from heaven
Elijah wisdom
·
Name a child in
the Bible who did something pleasing to God!
____________________________________________________________
·
MEMORY VERSES
(Fill in the Blanks)
v
2 Tim 3:16 All _____________________________ is given by
inspiration of __________. (NKJV)
v
Proverbs
3:5 ___________________ in the
_______________
with all your __________________. (NKJV)
v
Proverbs
20:11 Even a _______________ is known by
his doings,
whether
his work be ________ and whether it be _____________.
WAY
TO GO! I AM SO PROUD OF ALL YOU HAVE
LEARNED THIS YEAR IN BIBLE CLASS. I WILL
BE PRAYING FOR YOU AS YOU MOVE TO THE FIRST GRADE CLASS IN A FEW WEEKS. COME VISIT ME BEFORE CLASS ANYTIME! I’LL MISS HAVING YOU IN MY CLASS!
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