No-Bake Monster Cookies

What do you do when it’s hot outside and you really want to avoid using the oven, but your family is still craving cookies? Answer: You make No-Bake Monster Cookies!

This recipe is a variation of peanut butter energy balls I make often. But these cookies are extra fun for kids with all those crunchy M&Ms.

This super simple recipe is great for little helpers, and it’s a nice source of protein with all the peanut butter. (You could easily sub in other nut or seed butters if you prefer.) The most challenging part of making this recipe is waiting until it’s all done to sneak a taste. 😉

Bonus: these cute, colorful treats are healthier than your average cookie as they are packed with lots of oats, honey, and dark chocolate. Win-win!

…and they are just SO yummy!

Here’s the recipe if you want to try them out too.

NO-BAKE MONSTER COOKIES
Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups oats
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup M&Ms
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips/chunks

Instructions:

1. Mix together first three ingredients in a large bowl—you can use a mixer or just some elbow grease!

2. Add in M&Ms and chocolate chips. Stir together.

3. Form mixture into cookie shapes.

4. Place in the refrigerator for an hour—or try the freezer for a frozen snack.

5. Enjoy!

10 Ways to Cultivate Faith at Home

The Challenge: Finding Time to Cultivate Faith

Cultivating faith inside the home is something Christian parents want to do, but actually doing it can be hard. We’ve all been there: we wake up with the best intentions to prioritize what matters most, and sometimes the things at the top of our to-do lists are quickly demoted to the bottom. Do you ever find the things that matter most to you are the most challenging to prioritize? I’ve been there, too.  

As a Christian mom, I want to build a faith-filled home with Jesus as our foundation. I’m passionate about cultivating faith and helping my kids grow in character and be the hands and feet of Jesus. But despite my background as a kids’ ministry content developer, I can still find it challenging to be intentional with my own family. This was especially true during the early years of parenting when my kids were three and younger! Phew!

And there’s a reason for this.  If you’re the parent of small children, you already know that your time is not your own. There are dishes to be done, work projects to finish, diapers to change, sibling arguments to mediate, bedtime routines to implement (yes, you can have another last sip of water), and the list goes on.  And although these trials can also bring great joy, the challenge of finding the time to devote to faith is real. How do we cultivate faith inside the home with all of these other chores begging for our attention?

Amidst these struggles and joys of parenting young kids, it’s difficult to keep faith as a top priority.  How can we ensure that our home cultivates a life where our children want to follow Jesus when all of these household and parenting chores are competing for our attention?  Lack of direction, time, and energy are always going to be significant hurdles.  But here’s some good news: I’ve got a some ways for you to easily cultivate faith in your home!

Because I, too, am in the throes of parenting, I wanted to find a way for parents to make their homes filled with faith and point to Jesus - yes, even among all of the mess (and memories!) that comes with parenting little kiddos.  These tips for how to cultivate faith inside the home will help you build faith routines that are easy, that save you time, and that help you raise little disciples! 

The List: 10 Ways to Cultivate Faith at Home

1. Try bringing some Bible time to breakfast.  Let’s be honest…morning time can be a crazy time when your house is full of little humans. But this is usually a time where you’re all together, and what a great opportunity to bring in Jesus!
   Simply grab a children’s Bible or short devotional and read a story your littles can enjoy and understand. Even if the story or devotional is a quick three minutes, that’s okay! Every single minute we can introduce them to the love of Jesus is time well spent.
   Consistency is key—not the amount of time you spend.  Short and sweet is the name of the game here…because we all know that yogurt is going to fling across the table and beg our attention any second!

2. Grab my FREE Made to Be Kids Devotional Set HERE!  If we’re going to talk about fun ways to spend faith-filled time with our kids, then I hope this will quickly move to the top of your list! My Made to Be Kids Devotional is a FREE seven-week series that focuses on different aspects of how God made us. They concentrate on the fact that God made children a special way and for a purpose. These devotions are accompanied by sweet animal illustrations that will quickly become loved by your little ones.
   What can you expect from these devotionals? Well, there’s no need for elaborate crafts and step-by-step instructions. These devotions keep it simple and equip your family with the tools that you need to help you discuss emotions, friendship, faith, and more with your child. Included are fun facts, discussion questions, Bible verses, easy activities, and more—all tailored for 3-7-year-olds. I designed these resources to be easy for parents to use all the while being engaging and fun for kids. These devotionals will help your kids build a foundation of faith as they learn more about who God is and who He created them to be!
   And if you like these devotionals, you can get access to more free resources through my email newsletter that will make it easy for you to implement faith into your home!  True character is built over time as we are transformed to become more and more like Jesus. While only God can change hearts, these resources can be a great way to nurture seeds of faith. I want to raise kids who are kind, courageous, patient, and are daily becoming more like their loving Creator. If you share this desire, consider checking out our resources by subscribing to my email list HERE.

3. Say bedtime prayers.  Parents, this is one of the easiest ways to cultivate more faith into your home because it only takes a minute. What’s more, right before bed is a time where children tend to go into ‘tell all’ mode—their feelings and thoughts of the day come tumbling out and the floodgates of their heart are opened. Praying over these emotions and over their day is a great time to bring all of their cares and worries to Jesus. 
   A prayer that focuses on these emotions (and the character traits from Made to Be Kids!) is a wonderful way to show your child that we can bring all of our worries to Him.

4. Make car time extra meaningful.  As parents, the next trip to the grocery store or school drop-off is never too far off! The time you spend in the car can be so meaningful. Instead of seeing it as a means to get from one place to another, look at car time as a chance to connect with your child and deepen their faith.
   You can do this by listening to Bible stories or podcasts in the car (they have so many great ones for children!)  Listening to these stories not only gets them familiar with God’s word, but also deepens their faith and opens the door that allows your children to ask questions about people and stories of the Bible. These discussions allow them to make connections and show them that Jesus should be an integral part of their everyday conversations. 
   Listening to Bible songs and even making up and singing your own prayers in the car on the way to school is a meaningful way to send them off on their day. This enriching time takes up no time on your end, yet it can be deeply meaningful and build lasting memories. Car time is a great way to implement more faith into your family life!

5. Put church on your calendar.  Studies show that one of the biggest ways to cultivate faith in your home and to encourage a lifelong faith is by regularly attending church. And I hear you—taking small kids (no matter how many) to church is no small feat. 
   What matters most is that you’re getting there—no matter how you show up. If you make it halfway through the service only to find yourself packing up your backpack before communion, we call that a win! Our church community knows our crew is not the most timely bunch, but they love us anyway. 😉
   Going to church opens you up to being a part of a community of believers who can love and support you and your family in Christ’s love—no matter if you attend for ten minutes or two hours! This also provides children with the opportunity to be shepherded by other adults and mentors, which cultivates their faith that will spill over into your home.

6. Make Jesus a part of everyday conversations.  Whether you’re in the midst of raising the littlest of littles or have school-aged children, making Jesus a part of your everyday conversations or playtime is an easy way to bring Him into your home. If you’re the parent of young children, talking about Jesus while you play is a great way to whisper His name. 
   Maybe this looks each time you toss a ball, you say a character trait of God. This could also look like intervening when siblings aren’t sharing. “What does God say about sharing with and caring about others?”
   If you’re a parent of older children, talking about God while they share their emotions and the hardships of their day with you is key to understanding who they are made to be and Whose they are. This could look like chatting about a difficult situation and how Jesus would respond to it. Perhaps they come to you with a whirlwind of emotions and you pray together over their concerns. Incorporating His name into your daily play and conversations sends the message that God is a part of our everyday and He is with us in all joys and hardships.

7. Faith-based decor.  Got an empty space on a wall that you’d like to fill? Consider hanging a sign that has a family-favorite Bible verse written on it, or a daily prayer that your family says before a meal. These visual reminders can also be a great way for children to memorize Bible verses!
   Having a sign, cross, or faith decor is a visual reminder for our children about God’s love. These reminders say it all without saying a word. And the best part about these faith-inspired accents is that they don’t have to be fancy or expensive. 
   In fact, you can have your kids make their own! Consider a sign or prayer wall of Bible verses they can write down or draw a picture of.  Want to change up the prayer or Bible verse? Hang up a whiteboard or chalkboard and change it out each day or week!

8. Family Bible time.  Although I love the idea of family reading time, this feels like an idea that is better off for the future when kids are older.  In an ideal world, I imagine all of my children happily reading their Bibles on the couch in front of a cozy fire while Mom and Dad read theirs as well. Everyone is quiet and reading with ease. Sounds picturesque, right?
   If you’re the parent of young kids, this probably seems like a far-fetched idea. But no need for the kids to read on their own or to have the most perfect, peaceful setting. Grab a Bible and read as a family together. Choose one story and sit down on the couch and swap out story time with Bible story time a few times a week. This fun routine can help you squeeze in your Bible reading, too!

   Looking for an awesome full-text Bible for kids ages 7-12? We love the Go Bible over here! It’s also very near and dear to my heart because I had the honor of serving as the general editor, which meant I got to work with an incredible team and some super talented writers to help create over 600 engaging features. Check it out HERE!

9. Quiet time with God for YOU.  As a mother of young kids, this one can feel particularly difficult to set aside time for. But you can do it, friends! This might look like waking up 20 minutes before the kids so that you can have some time in the quiet to start your day with prayer. It may look like staying up 20 minutes past your bedtime so you can finish that book of the Bible you meant to finish last week. 
   Don’t have that kind of time either? Turn on a Bible-reading app in the car so you can sneak it in that way. Or another favorite idea…turn on an extra episode of Daniel Tiger for your littles while you wrap up your Bible study session! This time for parents is so important because we need to equip ourselves and “fill up our own cups” to help us build a faith-filled home for our entire family. It might seem selfish at first, but you’re actually serving your family in a big way when you do this! While it might be cliche, the truth stands: you can’t pour from an empty cup.
   Furthermore, this time isn’t just for your children, but for you. Our days can feel long and difficult, and we need the words of Jesus to help us through these demanding days. The more we are equipped with the truth of scripture, time with God, and learning about the grace of Jesus, the better we can help serve our kids in this way, too.

10. Serve together as a family.  Consider swapping out a family lunch for a serving opportunity in your community. As parents of young kids, it’s sometimes hard to find one that’s age-appropriate. But no act of service is too small. Jesus can take our seemingly small or insignificant acts of service, and multiply the good that comes from it!
    Maybe this looks like buying someone’s groceries behind you and showing your children that opportunity. Maybe it looks like your kiddos making cards for the local nursing home, stocking up the community food pantry, or making cookies for the neighbors.
    Either way you spin it, this shows your kids that as Christians, we aim to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Serving is a great way to cultivate faith within your home by helping those outside of your home!

Foundations of a Faith-Filled Home

Amidst all of the chaos of parenting young kids (not to mention the modern day expectations of parents), it feels difficult to incorporate one more routine into your home. But the truth is, friends, faith is the most important routine you can build into your home. Yes, more important than the bedtime or before school routine. More important than the after-dinner routine or the bath time routine. If you’re building a home where faith is the foundation, all of the other routines, schedules, and in’s-and-out’s of the home will likely fall into place.

The consistency is what makes a routine effective, not the amount of time you spend doing it. Some weeks will be easier than others, but give yourself grace. The more grace we give ourselves, the more likely we will come back and try again and again to implement these faith-based routines. 

Building a home on a foundation of faith has lasting effects on our family and our children’s futures—and there is no better way to spend your time!

Help Kids Understand Feelings & Emotions

Do you wish you could help your kids better understand their feelings? With three kids ages four and under, we have lots of big emotions at our house. And I’ll admit, it’s not only on the kids’ end either!

Emotions aren’t the enemy. Of course we love feelings of joy and happiness, but emotions like anger or sadness can help us too by signaling that we need something. Maybe we need community. Maybe we need to make a change. Maybe we need to connect with our Creator. God gave us different emotions for a reason, and we can honor Him by learning how to handle our emotions well.

So, how can we help our kids better manage and understand their feelings? One way is to show them through our own words and actions. It won’t look perfect, but our kids learn a lot from our example. We can talk about our feelings out loud and then say how we are going to handle that emotion.

Example: “I’m feeling frustrated. I’m going to take a few deep breaths to help me calm down.”

Of course we won’t do this every time we experience a big emotion, but demonstrating this can be helpful for littles. Kids will still learn from us simply by our actions because they are watching!

Another great way to help our kids learn to handle their big emotions is by providing them with tools and opportunities to talk about their feelings openly. Making faces out of food can be a fun + yummy way to do that!

I originally wrote the activity below for Clubhouse Jr. magazine, but I’m sharing it here as well for anyone who wants to try it out. Have fun!

FOOD FACES: HELP KIDS UNDERSTAND BIG FEELINGS

Make snack time with your kids extra fun while learning about different feelings & emotions! 

GATHER:
Paper plate
Yarn or pipe cleaners (for hair)
Scissors
Glue
1 apple
1 bell pepper
1 large carrot or several carrot sticks
1 strawberry
1 banana
2 blueberries
(Feel free to get creative and substitute or add in other foods too!)

GO:
1. If you’re using the yarn, cut several pieces of yarn to the desired length. Attach the yarn to the plate with the glue. Let the glue dry completely before step 3. Or use pipe cleaners and shape it into the hairstyle of your choosing. :)

2. Prepare the fruits and veggies.

Apple: cut slices into half circles or crescent shapes
Pepper: cut the pepper into thin, long slices
Carrot: cut the carrot into several short sticks
Strawberry: cut the strawberry in half
Banana: slice the bananas into full circles

3. Place two banana circles on the plate and put a blueberry on top of both slices for “eyes.” Use half of a strawberry for the “nose.”

4. Use the other pieces for the mouths and eyebrows, and create a variety of faces that show different emotions. Answer the questions below and enjoy your healthy snack as you go!

Emotion Ideas:

Happy: Use the crescent-shaped apple slice to make a smile!
-What or who makes you happy?
-How can you try to make someone else happy today?

Sad: Use the pepper slice to make a frown.
-What makes you feel sad?
-Who can you talk to when you’re sad?

Angry: Arrange the little carrot sticks in a zig zag pattern to make a mad mouth and then add some angry eyebrows.
-When is the last time you were angry and what made you mad?
-What helps you calm down when you’re angry?

Surprised: Use an extra banana slice to make a surprised face.
-What is one of the best surprises you can imagine? 
-How could you give someone else a good surprise this week?

God gave us emotions for a reason. Let’s not shy away from helping our kids understand and manage those big feelings so they can continue to become the very best version of themselves!

Treasure Hunt Clues for Kids

I’ve been trying to be more intentional about finding fun activities that also get my kids thinking & moving too, and one thing we’ve been loving are treasure hunts! 🔎 I may enjoy them just as much—if not more—than my kiddos do. It’s so fun to watch them run around and get excited as they find clue after clue!

If putting together a treasure hunt sounds like a lot of work, it really doesn’t have to be. I like to keep them pretty simple.

Here are a few ideas to get started with your own treasure hunt!

1. Choose the treasure. This could be a little prize, a surprise movie to watch together, a fun snack, a birthday gift, etc. We did fruit snacks the other day, and it was a huge hit! ;)

2. Pick a theme/lesson. I like to incorporate a little lesson into our activities when possible so it’s like a 2-for-1 (fun+learning)! A theme we did recently was “searching for the truth.” In our family, we talk about how the best place to find truth is in the Bible!

3. Write/type out the clues. I write them out on little pieces of paper—nothing fancy. But you could totally take more time with it and make the clues more official looking too. You can create your own clues or use some of the ones we’ve done below. Use whatever clues apply for your home/location and just skip over or switch up the ones that don’t.

4. Hide the clues and go have fun! 

CLUES YOU CAN USE! 🔍 

🔎 If you make a mess, you might need a good scrub.
Splish and splash here while you go rub-a-dub-dub.

🔎 When you want to sit and just watch a short show,
this is the spot where you usually go.

🔎 Some food is sweet, some is salty or bold.
Some food is hot, but head here where it’s cold.

🔎 When it’s getting late and it’s soon time for bed,
you go to this spot and you rest your sweet head.

🔎 To get some fresh air and enjoy a nice day,
this is where you like to go out and play.

🔎 Head right to the spot where feet reach for the sun,
where pushing and pumping can be lots of fun!

🔎 You might find some bugs or even a few frogs,
but for the next clue, find a big pile of logs.

🔎 The next clue’s not up so don’t look in a tree.
Instead look down low where your toes get sandy.

🔎 You might grab a chair to go sit near this spot. 
Roast marshmallows here, but be careful it’s hot!

🔎 You’re almost done searching so go and head back
and find some nice shade where you might eat a snack.

🔎 You followed the clues and found treasure—hooray!
Enjoy and keep looking for truth every day!

Raising Helpful Kids

[Originally posted on The MOPS Blog.]

While making dinner the other day, I noticed our 2-year-old setting silverware out on the table. Although I never taught her how to do this, it didn’t surprise me, since she loves mimicking her big sister. And big sister helps set the table. She looked so sweet attempting to place the forks in their designated spots.

As I walked closer, however, I realized that instead of taking the clean silverware from the drawer, she had pulled dirty utensils out from the open dishwasher. I praised her initiative as I explained how we use silverware from the drawer instead. Then I promptly put the silverware back in the dishwasher and finished setting the table.

All this got me thinking about how important it is for kids to know that they have a place at the table, literally and figuratively. Children want to know that their presence matters and that they can add value. I’m so quick to just do things myself because that’s usually easier, but our kids want to be part of what we’re doing in the home.

These days many of us have our kiddos around 24/7. Maybe this means it’s easier to come up with opportunities to involve your kids because you have more time. Or maybe you’re like us and things seem crazier than ever. Either way, we can all find ways to help give our kids a sense of belonging and stability in this ever-changing world. And bonus: something that can give children this stability might even help you, Mama, with your own to-do list.

Numerous studies have shown that children are inclined to help. They usually aren’t looking for a reward for helping either at young ages like two or three - they simply want to be part of what’s going on. I think this speaks to our innate desire to be part of something bigger, something beyond ourselves.

There’s a reason God puts value on relationships with him, with our family, and with other believers. We are created for community, and in a healthy community, people love and help one another.

While I believe it’s wise to offer positive reinforcement for behaviors we want to encourage, there might also be times when we can let the “reward” for helping simply be the joy that comes from being part of something bigger.

So how can we foster this innate desire to help? Here are four ideas:

1. Start them young. Even 2-year-old kiddos can be given simple jobs to do. Maybe it’s setting napkins on the table or holding the dustpan while you’re sweeping. They’ll likely embrace the opportunity to make a contribution and view this work as fun, since they likely haven’t yet been taught that work is hard or negative in any way.

2. Recognize the value they add. While you’re making lunch, you could give your kiddos a task to help you with meal prep. For example, my daughter loves to add that beloved orange powder to the mac 'n cheese. Then while you eat, remind your child how they helped make that meal possible.

3. Work as a team. When I ask my kids to clean up their mess, I’m often answered with, “Mommy, will you help us?” I don’t always help, especially if they were solely responsible for making the mess. It’s interesting, though, because when I do help, even just by putting away one or two items, my girls act as if it’s more of an activity than a chore.

4. Make it fun. Have a contest to see who can pick up the most toys or talk in silly voices as you set the table together. One thing my girls and I often do is turn on music so we can dance and sing as we clean. Helping really can be a lot of fun.

Maybe now more than ever, we can so easily get caught up in what’s happening in the world that we forget to focus on what’s happening in our homes. As moms, we have a unique opportunity to give our kids a sense of stability and belonging amidst the changes around us. And while it may add some extra work on the front end, the fruits of raising helpful kids can make a big difference for years to come, both inside and outside the walls of our home.

No matter what your home looks like these days, we can all find ways to raise helpful kids - even if that means dirty silverware on the table from time to time.

RAISING PRAYERFUL KIDS

By Steph Thurling, co-founder of Raising Prayerful Kids.

One of the questions we are most commonly asked when we speak to groups is, “My kids don’t want to pray, how do I make it fun?”

I think that one of the biggest misconceptions of prayer is that it is a very sacred, very solemn, quiet, eloquent, solo act. This can be true, but it is not the only truth. There is a time and a place for quiet and solitude, but there is also a time and a place for joy!

Kids are full of joy and life and enthusiasm and that is why we are passionate about praying in a variety of ways. Using variety teaches kids (and adults!) that prayer can easily fit into their day and can be done in a way that works for them. Faith is not supposed to be a separate part of our life. We are not Christians at church and at Bible study and regular people the rest of the time--we are Christians, living out our faith, consciously or not, all the time. 

The same goes for prayer. Prayer does not have to be a separate part of our day. There are a lot of things we can do to make prayer part of our daily life, we just have to be intentional about it and change our language a bit.

Grateful Game

The Grateful Game is our most simple prayer, but it is so fun and one of our kids’ favorites! All you do is take turns shouting out something you want to thank God for and try to keep thinking of new items to thank him for on each turn. 

Kids are competitive and love to think of new and creative praises. We start each phrase with “Thank you God for…” and add in our idea. Then we tell God why we are thankful. For example, we might say, “Thank you God for cookies because they are delicious.” For an extra challenge, go in order and avoid pauses just to make it a bit more fast-paced and fun! 

We like to play this one when someone is having a grumpy day or if we are in the car and the kids are getting restless or fighting. It’s amazing how showing gratitude and praising God can turn even the hardest day around and make everyone smile.

Nature Prayer Walk

Nature Prayer Walk is another really good example of how you can change your language to turn something that you are already doing into prayer. If you’re walking to the park, point out all the things you see that God made along the way. “Thank you God for the beautiful clouds.” “Thank you God for this big tree that is making shade for us to sit in.” Or you can bring a basket along and have your kids collect nature objects. Thank God for all of the items collected and then make an art project out of it. This is a really simple, but genuine prayer, and it is a wonderful opportunity to show your kids the wonder of our Creator.

Beach Ball Prayer Game

Sometimes it can feel frustrating when kids only ask for things when they pray. Even though it is developmentally normal, I still find myself annoyed sometimes! We have found that when we make prayer fun, kids are more excited to try new things. We started the beachball prayer game in Sunday School classes and it is always a hit. Here is how you play: 

You need a sharpie and a beachball (you can also use any other type of ball that you already have on hand, just improvise with the sections). Write one category of “fill-in-the blank” prayer prompts on each colored section of the ball:

1. I praise you for…

2. Thank you for…

3. Please bless…

4. Jesus, forgive me. (ends with a period because we don’t want to force confession)

5. Please help me with…

6. Hallelujah! (yell it out and do a crazy dance!)

Have fun throwing the ball from person to person. When you catch the ball, check and see where your right index finger landed and read off that prayer prompt.

If you don’t have a ball, you can print out our Dice Prayer Game HERE. It’s the same concept, just with a dice instead of a ball. Print it out, cut it, and tape it together. 

Be encouraged that prayer can be fun, accessible, engaging, and not a ton of work! There are so many ways that you can incorporate prayer into your family’s life. Check out our website HERE for more ideas but don’t be afraid to come up with your own ideas too. Pay attention to what your kids are doing, what they love, what they’re good at, and how they learn, then ask yourself how you can incorporate God into that. You will likely be surprised at your creativity! And remember, our job is not to be perfect and have scheduled daily devotions and prayer time that we never miss (though those are awesome goals!). Our job is to love Jesus and love our kids in a way that points them to Him.

Steph Thurling is a co-founder of Raising Prayerful Kids, a ministry that equips and encourages parents to be praying with their kids in a meaningful way. She is passionate about faith formation at home, almond milk lattes, deep friendships, and beagles. She lives in Minnesota (even though she hates the cold) with her husband and three kids.

MADE TO BE LOVED

I want my girls to know without a doubt that they are loved like crazy by me and many others. But most importantly, they are also loved like crazy by our Creator.

We’re going through the last week of our Made to Be series over here, and it’s all about how we are made to be loved.

Our activity for this week is memorizing John 3:16. There are lots of ways to make this engaging for your kiddos. Here are ideas to use with this (or any) verse you want to memorize:

• Write the words of the verse out on separate pieces of paper, hide them around the house, and then put them back in order like a puzzle.

• Come up with fun actions together and then repeat the verse using silly voices.

• Make up a tune to go with the verse, grab some instruments, and do a little performance.

• Write the verse on a wipeable surface with a washable utensil (you can get creative!). Read the verse. Then erase one or two words. Read again. Keep going until it’s memorized!

And hey grownups, remember…

God loves the world.

The whole world.

He hasn’t forgotten about us.

His love for you is the same today as it was yesterday as it was last month. And He will still love you tomorrow with a never-ending, forever-and-always, no-matter-what kind of love.

FIVE BRAVERY-BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Download this free Made to be Brave coloring sheet and find other coloring pages here.

There’s a lot of fear surrounding us right now. There are unknowns and questions. People are stockpiling toilet paper and canned goods in search of safety and security. Grown adults are running scared and kids are noticing.

So how can we help our kids handle their fear tied to the coronavirus? Or any fears they are facing for that matter? Here are five ways that we can help our kids process what’s going on and hopefully help them choose to be brave.

1.     Allow your kids to ask questions. Give them the space to express how they are feeling. If they genuinely don’t seem to be affected by what’s going on with COVID-19, we don’t need to push the issue or go into details that they aren’t asking about. Doing that could actually lead to more fear. But more than likely if you have kids who are in school (or possibly even younger), they’ll have some questions. Let them lead the discussion.

2.     Be aware of the words you say in front of your kids. Even your nonverbal cues or off-hand remarks about the current pandemic can have a profound impact on them. Remember, your kids are watching you closely. Now this doesn’t mean you need to feel guilty if you’re afraid or anxious right now. A lot of people are feeling this way, and it’s not healthy to totally brush everything under the rug either. But friends, if you are feeling the fear and forgetting Who’s in control this next point might even be more for you than your kids.

3.     Remind your kids of the Truth. We don’t need to pretend like nothing is going on, but we can talk to our kids about Who we can turn to with our fears. Yes, some crazy things have transpired over the last few days, weeks, months, but God’s not surprised by any of this. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this world, but He has already won the battle over the world. We can have peace and remember that God is in control no matter how out of control everything around us seems. And He loves us with a love so pure and so deep, we can’t even fully comprehend it. (Ephesians 3:18-19)

4.     Pray with your kids. Encourage your kids to tell God how they’re feeling. Ask Him for His strength and peace. Pray for those most greatly impacted by this pandemic. Ask God for courage to tell others about Jesus. Here’s a prayer I wrote recently that you can pray with your kiddos.

Dear God,
Thank You for being with me. I know that You’re near.
And when things seem scary, I don’t need to fear.
Please help me to trust You with big and small things.
Please give me more courage for what today brings.
Please help me give fear a great big goodbye wave.
I know You made me, and I’m made to be brave.
Amen.

5.     Have fun with your kids! Laughter is great medicine. Depending on your schooling situation, you may be looking at some more extended time with your school-age kiddos. Make the most of it! Here are some fun yet super simple activity ideas along with ways to incorporate faith & bravery into your day.

·      BRAVERY BADGES: Make your very own Bravery Badges! You could go all out (laminating, adding a pin, etc.), or keep this super simple like we did with some paper, scissors, and coloring utensils. As you’re coloring, read your kids verses about being brave. Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9, and 2 Timothy 1:7 are a few of our favorites. Once you’ve designed your badges, go around and share at least one way you’re going to be brave this week!

·      OBSTACLE COURSE: Set up an obstacle course, continuing to switch things around after going though it a couple of times. For older kids, you could take turns wearing a blindfold and leading each other through the course. Talk to your kids about how our lives can be filled with tricky obstacles too. We may not know what’s coming next, but God does. He wants to lead us!

·      THANKFULNESS POSTER: It’s hard to stay anxious or fearful when we’re focused on gratitude. Make a poster (you can tape together pieces of paper if you don’t have a larger sheet) and draw things that you are thankful for. If you’re feeling especially brave, get out the washable paints and turn this into a finger-painting activity. Hang the poster up and say a prayer thanking God for all of His blessings!

As you’re helping your kids find ways to be brave, remember to take care of yourself too. If you’re feeling anxious and fearful, talk to someone. Talk to God. Let’s get the help we need to process, but also make a conscious decision to trust and hand our worries to Him. Let’s be wise in the days ahead, while not letting fear win. Continue to laugh with your family and love those around you. We can be a beam of light in the darkness when we remain tethered to the Light of the World. 

[Originally posted on the Raising Prayerful Kids blog.]

RAISING KIND KIDS

I want to raise kids who are kind. Kind to their friends, to the underdog, and even to those who are unkind to them.

Choosing kindness almost seems counter-cultural these days, and it’s not always our first instinct. But like the ripple effect, when we practice kindness, it will lead to more kindness in ourselves and in others.

Although our kids ultimately make their own choices, we can encourage kindness. We can tell them stories about people who are kind, talk to them about why God wants us to be kind, and call out kindness when we see it. But this quality, like so many others, is often learned best by having it modeled to us.

Am I offering my kids an example of what it looks like to be kind? Even though I mess up often, I hope that overall I model this for them.

Now, we don’t need to freak out every time our kids refuse to share toys or pull someone’s hair. They’re re going to do that! While we might need to exercise new discipline strategies or have a heart-to-heart convo, this is part of growing and learning in a broken world.

We ALL fall short of God’s perfect standard, so let’s give our kids—and ourselves—some grace.

No matter how kind we are, there are still going to be critics and naysayers and people who just seem mean.

Be kind anyway.

And speak kindly to yourself. Our inner narrative shapes what we do and who we are. Kind words in lead to kind words out.

Then what about when we simply don’t feel like being kind? When I’m just not feeling it, I try remind myself of who I am. I’m made by a kind & loving God, Who created me in His kind & loving image. He created my kids the same way, and I want to do my part to help foster that in them. Even in these crazy yet wonderful “little” years.

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Here are some simple activities to encourage kindness in our kids:

• Read stories about others who show kindness and discuss why their actions were kind.

• Talk about why God wants us to be kind and share stories about how someone was kind to you.

• Do Random Acts of Kindness together as a family.

• Cut out hearts and write a note to send someone sharing something that you love about them.

• Make heart-shaped pizzas and talk about ways you can be kind as you eat.

• Find ways to make kindness fun like handing out Kindness Tickets!

Motherhood in a Snapshot

I love this picture. It was snapped while taking family photos last fall, during one of our last attempts to get a picture with all the kids smiling at the same time. (And after trying to bribe with various treats, we still had exactly none of those from this particular day.)

Yes, I’m smiling, but it’s more the “this is total chaos!” and “what are we doing?!” kind of smile. Instead of crying (which would have been understandable), my hubby, Brian, and I just laughed about how crazy it all felt. And we laughed A LOT during that photo shoot!

We tried for a baby for over two years before getting pregnant with our first daughter, so the gift these girls are doesn’t often get lost on me.

Not to say that being a mom isn’t hard (because it is) or that things like postpartum anxiety and mom-guilt don’t still get the best of me at times (because they do). There are tantrums and tears daily, but man oh man, being a mom to these three is such a blessing!

Even so, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the overwhelm of motherhood. Simply meeting the daily demands of these adorable humans is a lot of work. (Hello dirty diapers, piles of laundry, and filling hungry tummies!) All of that is valuable and holds meaning in itself for sure, but there are SO MANY MORE things I want to do too.

I want to spend time talking with them instead of just talking at them.

I want to read with them.

I want to have fun and be silly with them.

I want to incorporate faith and gratitude into our everyday routine, including the seemingly mundane tasks.

In the months after our third baby was born last summer, I was having a tough time keeping up with even the most basic things, let alone the things I really wanted to do. I was in survival mode.

All sorts of grace for mamas with newborns, but after a few months of this, I knew I needed to make some changes.

This photo shoot was around the same time I realized I needed to better address my postpartum anxiety and take additional steps toward being emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy. So, I asked for help, implemented a simple routine, spent more time in God’s Word, and lots more.

I’m in a way better spot than I was, and my whole family is better off for it too. I’m still learning, failing, and getting back up, but that’s how it goes, right?

This picture marks a special moment in time. It was hard and beautiful. Crazy and wonderful. It’s like motherhood in a snapshot. And despite the chilly wind and lack of cooperative smiles that also made up this moment, we were together. That was and is a wonderful gift.