Living in today’s modern world, we have a great number of Christian parenting websites, blogs, and books available at the tip of our fingers. While this can be a good thing for so many reasons, it can also feel like searching for precious gems amidst the rocks and debris surrounding them, and then determining if the gems truly hold value. 
I want to encourage you to use God’s Word as the ultimate gem, and THAT gem you don’t have to go searching for. Then, compare every jewel or resource you find to see if it contains the same composition as your model gem and is not just an imitation, or a “feel good” strategy.
Gems should look different than the world- or the debris surrounding them. They should stand out in a way that reflects the light of God and ultimately leads your family closer to God and following in His ways.
I have found some great “gems” from the following Christian parenting websites that have encouraged my husband and me in growing our kids in faith, character, and a love for the Lord. I have not read every blog or tried every resource recommended on each of these websites, but in general, I have found some really great gems to help me on my journey to grow my kids for God’s kingdom. I hope you can find some great gems to help you on your journey too!
Christian Parenting Websites
Focus on the Family is one the most accepted and comprehensive Christian parenting websites available online. You will find encouraging blogs on a variety of parenting topics, educational broadcasts, as well as a “Focus on Parenting” Podcast. They also sell parenting books, children and teen magazines and books, and their famous Adventure in Odyssey audio dramas for kids that our family enjoys.
D6Family, standing for Deuteronomy 6, is a discipleship website for families and churches. They provide family activities that build Biblical connections and encourage conversations about Christ. They also offer blogs on family discipleship, devotionals, and other material to help you in discipling your kids!
Growingfamilies.life contains parenting curriculums full of wisdom on raising happy, Christ- following kids focused on a life-giving message. They offer free, online parenting classes and videos, as well as a book store with more great resources. Great Biblical principles and parenting strategies are taught which equip parents who desire to raise respectful kids that desire to love the Lord in actions and truth.
If you like growingfamilies.life, this is another great website providing related encouragement, resources, and printables. Contact moms have been trained through Growing Families curriculums and are available to offer encouragement as well. See growingfamilies.life for more on the programs offered.
The Character Corner is a great place to look if you are intent on building godly character in your children. With great wisdom, character curriculum, and other resources, you will be sure to find this website helpful!
Anther great website with practical parenting advice is Parenting Made Practical. Joey and Carla Link teach parenting classes at churches around the country and provide great blogs with practical advice that’s easy to implement. They have great resources and podcasts on their website as well! Their temperament podcast series is one of my favorites!
This blog by Jeff and Charmé Fletcher has some great wisdom and resources for parents AND grandparents! The Fletchers have a passion for passing their faith in Christ to the next generation. They have created a great and thorough Spiritual Discipleship Plan to help families stay focused on what really matters in life. They also explain how to create a Family Legacy Day to pass down stories of faith from one generation to the next!
Belinda encourages moms to be intentional, relational, and heart-focused in their parenting. She has such great wisdom and encouragement to share as a mom of grown kids, and also great encouragement and tips for new homeschool moms as well!
Websites with Printable Resources:
The following websites may also contain great blogs and encouragement, but I placed them in the printable category because they contain great hands-on resources to use with your kids!
While this site is primarily for Sunday School teachers, I have found some amazing Bible lessons and devotionals for my own kids! We have done lessons on the 10 Commandments and Psalm 23, and the site provides great craft and activity ideas to help the kids learn and memorize scripture. There is a parenting tab that includes great lessons such as 59 Big Questions Kids Ask About God and Modern Morals for Girls. If you are intent on teaching your kids God’s Word in fun ways and equipping them as Christians, I highly recommend visiting her site!
Amanda has some great Bible lessons for preschoolers and young elementary, including her famous Truth In The Tinsel advent devotional and A Sense of the Resurrection, which we have done in the past and thoroughly enjoyed when our kids were younger! She also writes Family Discussion Guides and movie reviews for new releases to discuss positive and negative aspects of movies and what your kids can learn from them!
Tauna’s website, while primarily for homeschool moms, contains a wealth of wisdom and resources for all parents desiring encouragement in family discipleship (look under her family discipleship and character corner tabs.) I love her links to book picks to build character and Bible printable packs. There are lots of fun ideas from her site to try with your kids whether you home school or want to use for the summer.
Movie/Media Review Websites:
The following movie review websites are so beneficial as a guide to help you determine if a movie or other media outlet would be a blessing to your children’s hearts and minds. It’s kind of like reading the nutritional label on a box of cereal. They help you know whether to let your kids eat it or if you should put it back on the shelf.
pluggedin.com Plugged in Movie Reviews, created by Focus on the Family, is one of the most well-known movie review sites available for Christian parents. They also review music, television, games, and other technology. The site provides a summary of the movie with lots of details of content in each media, such as sex, violence, language, drugs, and other negative elements. The site also points out positive elements as well to help you know if the movie is right for your family.
dove.org This great and conservative movie review site also provides a summary of the movie, and a rating scale for sex, language, violence, drugs, nudity, faith, and integrity. I like that they include integrity, so you can see what elements can have a positive influence on kids. The site shows you if each movie meets their Dove seal of approval for excellence in three different age groups: elementary, 12 + and adults.
