Just for Fun

Since the motivation for these gifts is to help your children grow spiritually, they will probably not get as excited about these gifts as they would Christmas presents. So it’s good to include some frivolous things that they can get excited about. I tried to find a new cross puzzle every year for my children, and surprisingly, the 100 yen stores obliged quite well--all the items pictured here, except the globe ball, were purchased at 100 yen stores. The rubber eggs are a lot of fun, too, since they can fool their friends with them, and the eggs bounce every which way since they are not round like regular balls. They even make egg relay games an indoor option.  My 16 year old son was delighted to see our rubber eggs again this Easter season, since he had taught himself to juggle with them. Silly putty that comes in an egg shaped case, is always fun, too.A chocolate cross or lamb (or bunny) will always bring a smile. Craft sets, and and Bible games would be good choices as well. At the end of the Easter season, I put all these away with the Easter decorations, so that when the Easter season began the following year, there were fun things to do, and the toys almost as good as new presents, since they had not seen them for a whole year.

Elementary is a good time to help your children begin having devotions on their own. These easy reader Bible story books allow even beginner readers to do this. That does not mean you should stop having family devotions and reading the Bible aloud to them. This is just when they can begin to sit still longer, understand deeper truths, and therefore be weaned away from Bible story books, and begin listening to the real thing, like moving from baby food to real food. Once they can sit still for reading chapter books that don’t have pictures, they can listen to the Simplified Living Bible. (shown on the right.) It becomes more work for you, because now you have to decide what stories you are going to read, and which ones you will leave out. But it is also a relief to finally branch out from the same 20 stories that all the Bible story books seem to include. This is also a good choice for children to read on their own when the NIV or other translations are still too difficult for them to understand if there is not an adult around to explain it to them.

Once your children begin having devotions on their own, a book with some guidance might be just the thing to help them know what to do, sort of like training wheels on a bike. If you give them a Bible handbook, or Bible dictionary made just for children, they will be able to look up things that they do not understand, and hopefully by doing that, they will begin good Bible study habits early.

 

Another kind of book that might be good to invest in, are books that encourage them to learn new life skills, including Bible memory. But you have to be involved if it is going to work. Providing encouragement, motivation and know-how are a good beginning, but acknowledging accomplishments with prizes and/or ceremonies, are important, too.

Below are just a few examples of the vast array of materials available in America. It can be mind boggling to try to figure out where to start, and as often as the market changes, you may not be able to find the exact same items as what are shown here. However, this was not meant to be a shopping list, but rather, a few hints to get you started thinking about the categories of things you may want to invest in to help your children grow spiritually. Many of the books and games will require involvement from you--and that is how it should be if you want to teach your children about God, and how Christians should live-- in order for them to be in the world, but not of it. And don’t try to get it all in one year--just pick one or two items from some of the categories. You know your children better than anyone, and what they are ready for, or where they could use some stretching. May God grant you wisdom in the choices that you make.

Getting your children involved in missions, and what God is doing in the world, is another category you may want to invest in. The book on the far left is a prayer guide to enable you and your children to pray knowledgeably for the people of the world. We used this book once a week during our family devotions, and our children took turns reading a page, then we all prayed for that country. If a country you don’t know much about is seen on the news, you can look it up in this book and pray for that country.

 

Bibles

Bible study tools

Missions

Money, Evolution, etc.

There are so many things to teach our children before they become adults, it can make your head spin. But thankfully, there are a lot of good materials out there that are geared toward children. So it is a matter of taking stock each year, of what you think they need to study next. A 10 year plan can make sure there aren’t any big gaps in their knowledge by the time they move away to college. I know that seems like a long way off, but if you don’t plan ahead, now, they will be packing their suitcases for college, and you will be left fretting about all the things you meant to teach them but never got around to doing.

 

So, once you have a plan, you can go research what is already written on those subjects, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes a book is better, sometimes a DVD is better, and sometimes a game is better. And it always goes better if you are involved--reading and studying, or playing it with them, or even teaching it to them.

Witness tools

Some children are bold, and some are shy, but they can all benefit from training so they can share with their friends.  Giving them cool pins or t-shirts to wear can give them the boldness to admit that they are Christians, first by what they wear, and then by what they say. The Evangecube, if you have never seen one, is a fun toy that has the whole evangelistic message in pictures. It is 8 blocks that have 8 different picture that have been glued onto the faces of the blocks, and as you open to each new picture, you wonder how in the world anyone came up with such a creative idea. So if this is sitting in your child’s room, and a friend comes over and starts playing with it, and asks, “What is this?” your child has a natural opportunity to share his faith, that is, if you have helped him learn how to explain it--and don’t worry, the Evangecube comes with an explanation sheet.

An Easter Basket to help your child grow