Bible puppets

 Something my children enjoy is using puppets to retell and explore the meaning of Bible stories. One way I’ve made the puppets is to buy 2 identical sets of Bible storybooks. We then have one copy for reading and I cut up the other and stick pictures onto lolly sticks. It takes about 20 minutes … Read more

Pasta pictures

Most families have some dried pasta in the house, so here’s a few ways to use it to explore Bible stories together. While 1 type of pasta works fine, it’s fun to have a few different types. In this picture we used lasagne sheets, spaghetti and twirls (what are they called?). You could read the … Read more

My favourite books for under 5s

A Mum on the GodVenture Facebook page asked me this question the other day: “I imagine you’ve done quite a bit of research. Can I pick your brains? What are your favourite Christian books for 0-5 year olds? Could be Bible-based stories or more vague.” I love books, so that’s a fab question, but which … Read more

Faith at home in the summer holidays

What word would you choose to describe summer holidays? Wonderful? Relaxing? Memory-making? Long? Stressful? Childcare? Expensive? Exhausting? Whatever the age of our children and our unique blend of work and childcare, summer holidays change our daily lives. Our routines are different, our goals are different, and we face challenges which don’t exist during term time. … Read more

How can I give my children spiritual play opportunities at home?

A little post in response to Kate Mitchell’s question on Facebook Offering spiritual play opportunities is something a little different from our usual tell a Bible story and do Thanks / Sorry / Please prayers. It involves more trust – trust in the methodology, in our children and, of course, in God! An easy way … Read more

Buttons and lollysticks – exploring the crowd

One of the things I like doing when reading the Bible is considering the crowd. Who are the non-speaking people in this story? Which people from other Bible stories might have also been in this one as part of ‘the crowd’. This is especially interesting when looking at stories about Jesus as the Bible often … Read more

Open Ended Felt Activity

This is a simple activity which can be used as an exploration of any Bible story. I use it at home and also in our church as part of our intergenerational service at Easter. The idea is to have lots of abstract shapes for people to create their own pictures with. The pictures could be … Read more

Open-ended response activity for the Easter story

I wonder what part of the Easter story you like best? Which part have you particularly noticed this year? I wonder what you might make out of these shapes? I love open-ended activities. We have creative materials out all the time for my daughters to create something whenever the mood takes them. And they do! Often … Read more

The Easter Story Photobook

I’m really keen on reading the whole story of Easter from the Bible every Easter. However, as I’ve mentioned before, I think it’s hard to find a Bible which is accessible for children who are early readers, around age 5-7 years. They are moving on from children’s Bibles, wanting more depth and more stories, but … Read more

Review: Treasure Box

Title: Treasure Box Author: Becky and Adam May Useful for: parents of children aged 3-10 wanting to do faith together at home Best bit: the lovely Bible storybook and ready-to-go craft activities – my 5-year-old especially loved the weaving loom Worst bit: the wooden door included in the box was lovely, but the prayer ideas didn’t actually use it Price: RRP … Read more

Review: The Big Bible Activity Book

Title: The Big Bible Activity Book Written by: Maggie Barfield Published by: Scripture Union Price: £11.99 Buy from: Scripture Union Useful for: parents of children age 1-6 years old Best bit: My daughter (age 4) said it was the stickers. Of course. We love stickers. For me, the best bit was the fresh new contemporary … Read more