There are many great benefits to reading a big chunk of the Bible all in one go. We see many themes better when viewing a story from a distance, and see how the characters and plot of one story fit into The Big Story of the Bible. It helps us not to take one verse … Read more
I came across Lectio Divina quite a few years ago but it was only recently that I thought of using it as a way of exploring the Bible together as a family. Lectio Divina seems to be most closely linked with monks and reflective living, but it’s a practise of praying with the Scriptures, which … Read more
As part of our Passover preparations, we listened to the Exodus story (Exodus 1-15) using the NIVUK version on Biblegateway, streaming the audio read by David Suchet (aka Poirot) from my phone over breakfast and in the car. Afterwards, as we began to reflect on the story, my 6yo ask: Why did Joseph’s family stay … Read more
If you’re looking for something for older children say 7-14 years, this is actually a bit fiddly but very fun. Choose a variety of sweets with links to different parts of the Easter story. We went to one of those shops where you can buy from large jars so we had a lot of choice. … Read more
Easter is a fab time to do faith at home, but sometimes it’s tricky to work out what to do, and what will work best for our family. Here’s a list of things I love to do, not all of them every year, but as we have space and time.
Have fun seeing if you can re-tell parts of the Easter story in similar locations to where the Biblical events took place. Now, I’m not suggesting going to Israel, although that would be a pretty cool field trip! No, I’m meaning the types of places in which different parts of the Easter story occur, such … Read more
It’s always good to thank God for the good things in our lives. Here’s a fun and simple way to pray while eating yummy pancakes. Add sugar (or something else sweet, chocolate spread…mmmm) to your pancake and thank God for something ‘sweet’ or good in your life. God intended life to be good, but it … Read more
Making an Easter garden is a great way to share the Easter story together. We made ours after my daughter decided to collect a selection of things from the garden when we were outside on a sunny Spring day. I added a biscuit tin lid, lemon and cumin glitter playdough, some play people and we were … Read more
Challenge: Read the whole Easter story by Easter. You have four gospels to choose from, so maybe pick the one you like or one you’re less familiar with. You could choose a different Bible version from that which you usually use. If you’re doing this with very young children, you might want to use a … Read more
This is a lot like sweets prayer but with mini eggs. The concept is simple: 1 For each colour egg, decide on one category of things to thank God for. 2 Take it in turns to take a mini egg and thank God for something in that category before eating your egg. Prayers can be … Read more
I love paper decorations. I can recycle them after the season instead of storing them and it gives my family a chance to have fun making them each year. Discuss: What do angels look like? Do they have wings? Are they male or female? Can angels be children? Do they have swords? Discussing these questions … Read more
When having some fun in the snow, why not add in some prayer? The opportunity for this type of prayer is very seasonal and geographically limited but may be more special for it. Get everyone to write, draw or make a snow model of something they’d like to say sorry to God for doing, something they … Read more