A Small Step to Raising Thankful Kids

Thankfulness doesn't come naturally to children, at least from what I've observed these past 3+ years of being a mother.  "Thank yous" need prompting and some days I'm unsure how to reach her heart so she will view her every day blessings not as expectations, but as gifts from God.  Did we have a dry, safe bed to sleep in last night?  A gift.  Did you get to play on the playground with a friend?  Another gift.  What about that yummy breakfast, lunch, and dinner you ate?  Keep counting those gifts!  The list goes on and on and on. 

I read Ann Voskamp's post sharing insight on how to help raise grateful kids and raising happier kids.

I love this...

Because what will the math really matter if they are bitter?

If the house is immaculate — but my attitude a mess?

If they can count — but they don’t know how to count all things as joy?

If we get the lists done, but have lost happiness in Him?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil. 4:8).

Focusing on what is beautiful, good, true –isn’t this the truest education?

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So this past week, Addison and I began counting gifts.  I started by weaving the term "gifts from God" and being thankful throughout our days.  Then one night before bed I gave her a very special notebook and described to her that we are going to start writing down our gifts.  She was very excited and had many ideas!  I wrote down exactly what she said.  This week we are starting to keep our book close by throughout the day so we can write down gifts as we recognize them.  At the end of each day I write "Mommy is thankful for...." and I focus on a character trait that Addison displayed throughout the day.  Was she extra kind to her brother?  Did she share her toys?  Did she listen first time when I said it was time to come inside?  I'm hoping to show her that gifts are not always tangible items.  And soon I'll start talking to her about the not-so-fun parts of life that are also gifts (ex. laundry!). 

I'm looking forward to finding more ways to help her view her life through the lens of "I don't deserve this" and everything truly is a gift in hopes that she will BE the gift to others. 



Bible Verses for Toddlers

It has been a joy to teach Addison Scripture from a very young age.  I love how conversations and applications regarding memorized Bible verses flows throughout each day.  God's word is brought to life! 

Here is a short list of verses that are appropriate for toddlers (I will add to it as we learn more!)...

Matthew 22:37 - "Love the Lord...with all your heart."
1 John 4:8 - "God is love."
Ephesians 6:1 - "Children obey your parents."
Proverbs 17:17 - "A friend loves at all times."
Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens declare the glory of God."
Psalm 56:3 - "When I am afraid, I will trust in you."
Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Ephesians 4:32 - "Be kind and loving to each other."
1 Thessalonians 2:13 - "Give thanks to God."
Psalm 85:8 - "I will listen to what God says."
Romans 8:39 - "Nothing can separate us from God's love."
Philippians 4:19 - "My God will meet all your needs."
Judges 6:12 - "The Lord is with you."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - "Pray without ceasing [stopping]."
Acts 16:31 - "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."


I want these verses to be written on her heart so they are never forgotten.  The Bible is living, active, and a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).  Knowing these truths will be invaluable as she grows up.  Here's a simple activity we have been doing to promote long-term memory of these verses (this is after we've spent a few days memorizing the verse)- I have written each verse on a separate index card.  Each night she picks an index card.  I read it and she repeats the verse.  We practice several times.  Once she tells me the verse by herself, she chooses a small star sticker and places it on the index card.  She loves being able to place a sticker on the card and I love the excitement she has about learning her verses (even if stickers are involved!).  :)  We talk about the verse throughout the next day and make real-life applications. 

Prayer Flowers

I came across these "prayer sticks" on Pinterest and I knew they would be a great way to teach Addison that we have the amazing privilege of praying for others.  She LOVES picking a flower before breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then praying for the chosen person.  It is so cute because she holds the flower close to her while hugging and kissing the person.  I hope this simple activity will be the building block that fosters a life-long desire to interceed on another's behalf.

So, so simple and inexpensive to make!

Teaching Toddlers: 2 year old edition

Addison and I have been having fun playing and learning in 2012!  I am excited to share some recent activities we have done together.  I hope you find them helpful as you teach your little one!


Number Cards (idea found here)
Materials needed:
foam sheets (I used two colors- one for even numbers and one for odd)
permanent marker
beads, beans, etc (make sure your child is old enough not to put these small items in his/her mouth!)

Addison is comfortable counting, but she doesn't recognize many of the numbers yet.  This game is great because we practice counting as we fill each bubble with a bead, and she has many opportunities to look at each written number as we count.  It also encourages fine motor skills practice.

Shades of Colors (idea found here)
Materials needed:
paint chips
clothespins
glue

Before introducing this activity to Addison, I'm not sure to what extent she realized that each color has a variety of shades.  The word "match" was also new to her vocabulary.  Since playing this game she's frequently picked up two objects and told me that they match!  :)  This activity fosters hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as your child pinches the clothespins.

Memory Game

Materials needed:
Mickey Mouse paint chips (found at Home Depot)

I had not played a memory-type game with Addison prior to this one.  She caught on quickly and this has been one of her favorite games so far!  I usually only put out 3 color pairs at a time so she doesn't lose interest/get confused before the game is over.

Counting Boards (idea found here)

Materials needed:
number caps (I used baby food jar lids and foam sticker letters)
card stock
stickers

When reading books, Addison and I practice counting objects often.  She likes to hold onto my pointer finger as I point from one object to the next while counting.  This skill is difficult for her at this age as she wants to just touch the objects randomly while counting quickly.  It is taking a lot of practice for her to touch one object at at time while counting.  She loves this game and I am happy to have found another way to teach her to recognize written numbers.

Alphabet Train

Materials needed:
alphabet flash cards or puzzle (the puzzle works perfectly as the pieces are self-correcting)
various household toys and objects

Some good friends of ours gave Addison this great puzzle.  I love this puzzle because it creates one long " ABC train."  She is able to see that B and D are towards the beginning of the alphabet, L and P are in the middle, and U and W are at the end.  As we complete this puzzle over and over, I am able to have conversations with her such as "what letter comes after M?"  I give her a few moments to determine the answer herself.  If she does not know, we start singing the ABC song (while pointing to each letter) and I stop singing before I give away the answer.  She is quick to say the correct letter and then find it. 

Recently I've extended this activity into also working on her letter sounds.  Prior to beginning the puzzle I will have gathered various small toys or household objects.  I will pick one up and ask her what it is.  She will say "bottle" (for example).  Then I'll ask her, "what sound does bottle start with? /b/ /b/ /b/"  She will repeat the /b/ sound.  I'll say, "what letter makes the /b/ sound?"  She will respond by saying B and I will encourage her to find the letter B and put the bottle on it.  We continue this process with other objects until I notice signs that she's losing focus.  She loves this part of our game and again, it teaches her to remember which letters are in the beginning, middle, and end of the alphabet.

Teaching Toddlers - Learning Fun!!!

We had so much fun today with these simple, recycled learning activities that promote fine motor skills, learning the ABCs, counting, and an unexpectedly long time of fun for my little girl! 

Baby Food Lid Letters

Need:
26 baby food jar lids (more if you plan to make lowercase letters as well)
ABC foam letters (I found them at Michael's for about $5)
Empty plastic container with slit cut into the lid

Games to play: 
1)  Place 4-5 lids face-down on a table.  Ask your toddler to turn over each lid one at a time and tell you which letter was "hiding."
2)  Play a game of memory...match uppercase to uppercase letters or uppercase to lowercase letters.
3)  Place 3 lids letter-side-up on a table.  Point to each letter and say them with your child.  Cover 1 letter up.  Ask your child which letter is covered up.
4)  Arrange the letters in order of the alphabet while singing the ABC song.
5)  Encourage your toddler to stack the letters to make a tower.
6)  Practice saying the letter sounds as your child fits them into the slit in the container.

Beans in a Parmesan Cheese Container
(Thanks Dana for this great idea!)

Need:
1 empty Parmesan cheese container
dry beans or other small objects

**Note- This game is only suitable for children who are past the stage of putting everything in their mouth.  Even then, do not allow your child to play this game unsupervised!! 

Games to play: 
1)  Allow your child to put the beans in the container while counting each bean.  Dump the beans out and start again.
2)  Have your child shake the container with beans in it to make "music."
3)  Give your child another container and practice pouring the beans from one container to another.

 

What are some of your favorite, inexpensive learning activities to do with your toddler??

God's Promise to Abraham

God’s Promise to Abraham

18+ Months

Subject	Focus	Time	Activity
Bible	The story of God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 15, 18, 21)	During breakfast	Read the story of Abraham's desire for a son and God's promise to make him the father of many nations in a toddler’s Bible.  (One of our favorite children's Bibles.  It also comes in a toddler version which I'm sure is great too!)  If your child is a bit older, we highly recommend   The Jesus Storybook Bible. Throughout this week, reinforce the truth that God keeps His promises just like He did with Abraham.  If your child is old enough, explain that often times we have to be patient as we wait and trust God to fulfill his promises.
Music	Reinforce Bible story through music.	Soon after breakfast	Father Abraham song
Letter Awareness	To recognize the capital letters	Morning, before nap	ABC Driveway Game In very large, capital or lowercase letters, write about 10 letters on your driveway with chalk.  Walk to all of the letters with your toddler.  Allow him or her to stand on each letter while you review the letter’s name.  Play the game as follows, “Run to B!  Great job!  Walk to F.  Yes!  Sit down on H.  Way to go!  Spin in a circle on Q.  Very good!  Stand on M.  Perfect!  Your turn!  Pick a letter and tell Mommy what it is.”  Child runs to U and says U!  “Great!  Now pick another one.”  Game continues until child show signs of becoming uninterested. (see picture below)
Math	To recognize basic shapes	Any time of the day	Play the driveway game listed above, but instead of writing letters, draw basic shapes such as a square, rectangle, circle, and triangle.  Draw each shape big enough so your child can walk along the outline of each shape as you are reviewing the names of the shapes.
Following Directions/ Obeying	To learn to recognize Mommy’s voice and obey what she says	Any time of the day	Coloring Letters On a piece of paper, write 6-7 letters (in capital or lowercase).  Choose 6-7 different colored crayons (depending on how many letters you wrote).  Tell your child, “Color V red.  Great!  Color P purple.  Purple starts with a P and P says /p/.  Wonderful!  Now color Y green.  You did it!”  Game continues until all letters are colored the correct color.  (see picture below) Since we are focusing on shapes this week, you can also play this game with shapes instead of letters.
Play time with a  purpose	To learn through play	Afternoon	Copy Cat Tell your toddler to repeat what you do.  Clap once then have your child do the same.  Continue the game…some possible actions are to clap 2-3 times, jump, run to a specific location, stomp quietly, stomp loudly, touch nose, etc.
Art	To express oneself creatively	Afternoon	Go outside and look at the stars before bed one night.  Impress upon your child how huge the sky is and that it is impossible to count all of the stars.  Remind your toddler that God made the night and he made the stars (and the moon).  The next day focus on the following craft... Stars Craft As you and your child make the stars craft, continue talking about the significance of the stars in relation to God's promise to Abraham.
Story time	To snuggle and read together in preparation for going to sleep	Before bed	Re-read the story of Abraham childhood (maybe from a different toddler Bible) and remind your child that God keeps His promises and we can always trust Him.

A few pictures from our week...

ABC Driveway Game

Coloring Letters