Have you ever wished you could eliminate those countless hours of screen time on long road trips? What if you could give your kids a constructive activity that the whole family enjoys? I know books are great, and we encourage our kids to read in the car as much as possible. It’s also important to use some car time to talk or play family games, but it’s nice to have other options as well. One of the activities we enjoy on road trips and when traveling around town is listening to audio dramas: stories that come to life through the character’s voices and sound affects without the visual input.
While it’s fun to buy chocolates and other Valentine’s gifts that show our kids we love them, we can also buy gifts that remind them how much their Heavenly Father loves them! With this in mind, here are my favorite Valentine’s gifts for kids to lead them closer to the Lord!
As Christian parents, if we know from heart the greatest commandment, then we understand that the most important thing we can teach our kids is to love the Lord our God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, as Jesus teaches.
As each new year approaches, I begin to think about what I want to do differently and ask God how I can be more effective and intentional in different areas of my life. One of the areas I have been praying about is how to be more intentional with my kids. As a mom, one of the most important assignments I have is to raise my children to know, love, and follow the Lord.
Every year as Christmas creeps closer and closer, I am filled with anticipation for the joy of the season, but also anxiety sets in as I wonder if I will be able to get everything done in time. From preparing kids for Christmas plays, to hosting and attending parties, to determining the perfect gifts for each family member… it’s a crazy time of year!
What do your kids love about Christmas? Mine love decorating the Christmas tree (my husband’s least favorite part), making, icing, and eating Christmas cookies, and spending time with their cousins… Christmas is fun and full of exciting activities, but with so much to look forward to, if we are not careful, it can become easy to loose sight of the main reason for Christmas.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s fun to think of something special to give our kids to celebrate the occasion. I enjoy giving my kids Thanksgiving books and books about thankfulness. Reading books together on thankfulness is a great way to encourage our kids to be thankful and get them excited about celebrating Thanksgiving!
One of the things I enjoy most is picking out the perfect gift. I want the gift to leave a lasting impression on both mom and baby, whether practical or sentimental. Gifts that plant seeds of faith and teach little ones how special they are to God are by far some of the most precious treasures they will ever receive. Here are a few gift ideas to make an eternal impact the next time you are looking for just the right gift for a baby shower.
One of the most profound gifts that we can give our children is to teach them to pray. It is such an honor that the God of the entire universe wants to have a RELATIONSHIP with us. And this relationship can only happen through prayer, communing with God… I believe one of the best ways we can encourage our children to have a relationship with Jesus is to teach them to pray. And the best way to teach them to pray is to pray with our children.
I enjoy working with teenagers in ministry and believe that teen discipleship is so important because they are at a pivotal point in their walk with God. By this age, teens have heard a lot of information from the many influences around them, including parents, youth pastors, peers, music, media, teachers, and education, and they are coming to their own conclusions about life. If they do not have the foundation of knowledge about what they believe, coupled by a growing personal relationship with Jesus, they are more apt to fall away from their faith.