By: Kara Durbin, author of Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments. Read more from Kara on her blog. Read part I here.
3) Singing with Scripture
Have you ever had the experience of hearing a song that takes you back to a specific place and time? Wouldn’t it be neat to create that memory for your kids with Scripture set to music? Great options for summer sounds for younger children are Hide ‘Em in Your Heart – Volumes 1 & 2 by Steve Green. For older children, try Seeds of Faith 2, by Seeds Family Worship.
4) Cooking & Snacking with Scripture
Bake up a batch of your favorite baked goodies with your children to give to a friend or neighbor. While they are cooking, pick a verse applicable to whomever you are surprising with the treats. Your children can write the verse on plain paper, note cards, or even with a permanent marker on the baggies that will hold the treats. If you have a child that can’t write, let him decorate around the verse. Some suggestions:
- “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31
- We love these treats and hope you do too! Thankful you’re our neighbor!
- “A cheerful heart is good medicine.” Proverbs 17:22 So is chocolate! Hope these treats bring cheer to your heart!
Have fun delivering these goodies that will bring smiley faces and happy tummies!
Or try snacking with Scripture! Use Alphabits cereal or Cheez-It Scrabble snacks crackers to write out words of verses, or the first letter of each word. As each letter or word is eaten, see if your child can still say the verse.
5) Praying with Scripture
Think of someone you know who needs prayer. Who doesn’t? Find a topical verse that fits and remember to pray those words for that person for several days at meal time or bedtime. Help your child write and decorate a card with the verse on it. Mail it to the person with a note added that you are praying the verse particularly for him or her. Consider having your child decorate a second verse picture that you can post on your fridge or put by your child’s bedside to help you remember to pray for the person that week.
6) Playing with Scripture
Many children are tactile learners. Consider these fun boredom busters for a hot summer day.
Shaving cream or Cool Whip: Squirt some on a table, tub, or any surface that can be easily wiped down after the activity. Spread it out with the palm of your hand and let your child use a finger to “write” each word of a verse you are learning, “erasing” with the palm of your hand in between each word. If your child can’t write yet, guide his finger to make the first letter of each word as you say the verse.
Playdough: Use playdough to make the first letter of each word of a verse you are learning.
Sidewalk Chalk: Help your child write a favorite verse with sidewalk chalk. If he can’t write, let him decorate around the verse. If it’s a verse you are helping your child learn, make a game out of it and hop alongside each word as you say them. Start slowly and then see how fast you can get at hopping and saying the verse.
Scrabble Tiles: Use Scrabble tiles to write out words. Or, make clues with the first letters of words of a verse your child is learning.
Balloons: (For older children) Write each word of a verse on a slip of paper, roll it up, and put it in a balloon. Blow up each balloon, tie it off, and let your child have fun trying to keep all of them up in the air. After he’s had a chance to play with the balloons, have your child put on tennis shoes or boots and stomp the balloons to pop them and find the word slips. Then, his challenge is to put the words of the verse in order. Once correct, he can paste them to a paper to keep as a reminder card or memory help for the verse.
What fun ideas do you have for cultivating spiritual growth in your kids throughout the summer months?
Parenting with Scripture is an easy to use topical resource that parents of toddlers through teens can use when teachable moments arise. This effective guide helps teach children how to think and apply God’s Word in their daily lives.
The 101 alphabetically arranged two-page topics address behavior, attitude, emotions, and actions. Examples include Forgiveness, Humility, Anger, and Procrastination. Each topic is comprised of Scripture passages, discussion questions, action items, and parenting tips. This revised edition of Parenting with Scripture adds detailed help for parents to quickly identify teachable moments and know what to do when they appear.
