Author: Madeleine L’Engle Illustrator: Frescoes by Giotto Published by: Simon and Schuster Available second-hand from sellers on Amazon and Abebooks “Possible things are easy to believe. The Glorious Impossibles are what bring joy to our hearts, hope to our lives, song to our lips.” Good for: Families with children aged 7—14 and adults who like … Read more
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
Make a plan to remember Jesus and what he means to you together as a family. When Jesus had his last Passover meal with his friends, He broke bread and asked them to remember Him “whenever they did this”. The text isn’t clear whether He meant whenever you break a piece of bread, whenever you … Read more
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
This week I was asked by a friend on Facebook: “I’d like to start introducing the children to Christianity but no idea where to begin. I thought pancake day/lent/ easter would be a good place to start. Do you have any recommendations for a family of non-Christians?? I have a good understanding of the Bible/the … Read more
Have you seen my family activity sticker book: GodVenture through the story of Lazarus? It’s a collaboration with Yvonne Morris from the Diocese of Oxford, and perfect for use during Lent due to the poster in the middle with 40 days of Bible verses and activities. Don’t worry! It’s designed to be easy to use, … Read more
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