A little story from when my children were a bit younger “What’s pancake day all about?” I ask my 7 and 8 year olds over breakfast. “Pancakes!” my 7 year old replies gleefully. O-Oh. I have work to do here! “What else?” I ask. No response. “It begins with L and rhymes with Bent.”“Lent!” *phew! … Read more
My children love small world play. When they play with Lego, they make models then use them to create a world and tell a story. They love Play Mobil (although not as much as me!), and any sort of small toy they can tell stories with, so this is an easy way for me to … Read more
“I got rhythm, I got music, I got my man. Who could ask for anything more.” Ella Fitzgerald We all love rhythm. It is one of the first things accessible to us. Have you seen a baby moving their body in time with music? This is because before we understand words or can hold a … Read more
Have you got some old Christmas cards stashed? Here’s some ideas of ways you can use them to explore the Christmas story together: 1. Sort them Go through your cards and split them into two piles: ones which feature something in the Christmas story and those which don’t. You might need to do a quick … Read more
One thing we’ve found helpful during December is to celebrate Saint Nicholas. There are lots of lovely story books out there about him, and his story is a combination of fact and myth. What I love is that our traditions of gift giving and specifically Father Christmas are linked to him. I really like this … Read more
Make your own nativity scene using lollysticks, paper, glue and pencils Glue 4 or 5 lolly sticks together to create a house. If you use 5, you can make a pointed roof. To make this fast, you could use a glue gun (You can get cool ones for children to use too).Next glue a piece … Read more
Make your own wrapping paper, keep it environmentally friendly and use it to pray for and bless the people who will unwrap it! Use an angel-shaped cookie cutter to print paint over a large sheet of paper. You could also make Christmas cards and gift tags in the same way. Chat about what the angels … Read more
Have you ever wondered what Jesus meant when He said we needed to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven? I think at least one of the things he may have meant is that we need to play. Daddy Pig (Father of Peppa) is an expert at everything. He is a skiing … Read more
Home is the perfect place to have a nativity scene which children can play with. Often sets are so beautiful and delicate that they aren’t appropriate for children’s touch, which is a shame. Play is a wonderful way for children of all ages (and adults!) to explore the meaning of this incredible story–the one which … Read more