I’ve talked a lot recently about how being outside is a great way to worship and connect with God see HERE and HERE. Since it’s now Summer, the bees are busy and we have fewer and fewer excuses not to spend time outside. So I thought I’d share some ideas for focused faith activities which … Read more
I love finding ways to pray with young children. This works from the age where a child can point, and works well for any age above that! All you need to do is build two things, buildings, trains, whatever your children enjoy. Chat at your build them, and give them each a name of a … Read more
What fragile things could you pray for? If you can find some snowdrops, take a photo and use it to inspire your prayers. Every year I love it when I see snowdrops appear. I love their fragile beauty, intricate petals and flimsy stems buffeted by Winter winds. I love their tenacity in arriving while snow still threatens. While other … Read more
One This is a really simple, seasonal prayer activity to do as a family at home: When you see something looking beautiful because it’s covered in frost, praise God for it: You may well find younger children are good at this as they often have a better connection to awe and wonder. Don’t limit their … Read more
Wrap up 24 Christmas-y books then unwrap and read one a day during Advent. All you need to do is collect* and wrap up 24 Christmas books and number them 1—24. Open one a day and share together. I found seven Christmas books for £5.80 in three of my local charity/ secondhand book shops, so … Read more
A really simple way to pray without using words is to build a Duplo house and give it a title such as: The House of Peace. Invite people to choose a Duplo person to represent someone they know who needs more peace / they’d like God bless with peace and put them inside the house. … Read more
Write things you are thankful for with fridge magnets. You could use the words in a spoken time of prayer, for example before a meal once a week. I find this allows us to pray for things which we might not think are ‘important enough’ in a spoken prayer time, for example, I would thank … Read more
We’ve been celebrating Shabbat each Friday for 12 years now. We love it, and couldn’t imagine our week without it. If you’ve not come across Shabbat, it’s a traditionally Jewish ritual Friday night meal with prayers and blessings. Our two children, ages 4 and 5 join in with the songs, the actions, and some of … Read more
I love to make sorry prayers into an activity. The idea for this one is that cleaning our hands is a metaphor for the forgiveness Jesus gives us. Gather: All you need is a bowl of water and a towel. What does the Bible say: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive … Read more
You may well have come across Sarah Bessey and her Breath Prayers for Anxious Times. (NB The full post from Sarah is behind a paywall, but if you leave your email, it won’t cost you a thing!) I love using this myself, so I’ve adapted it into a guided meditation which I use with my … Read more
I don’t know about your children, but mine love things in boxes. So here’s an Easter activity in a box. I’ve used it with my children since they were toddlers, but the simplicity of it lends itself to use with all ages, including adults. And using it each year, gives further depth to each Holy … Read more
This weekend I went on a 3 hour walk with a friend and our five children. At one point we found ourselves hiking up a steep, bogey hill, which was covered with very spikey gorse which was taller than three of our children! It was tempting to turn back, but that wouldn’t have taken us … Read more