A picture meditation for Pentecost

This picture was created by Peter Privett, part of Godly Play UK. If you’d like more Pentecost activities, you might like the GodVenture Pentecost Pack. You might like to print the picture out and display it somewhere in your home. This way you can think about it over the week. This is an activity which … Read more

Grinchy

Grinchy The Grinch. He goes everywhere with us. You may have seen him in some of my photos. He was a last-minute gift to my then 9yo for Christmas in 2020. Her sister had one more present than she did, so we bought this as a quick extra gift to balance it out. (If you … Read more

Snowdrop prayers

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

Two Types of Frosty Prayers

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

Duplo Prayer

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

The trees are on fire!

It seems this year that Autumn is particularly spectacular. The horse chestnuts seemed to go brown overnight a few weeks ago, but nothing else had happened. Then suddenly, I woke up to find trees which were green yesterday are now a brilliant, bold yellow. Others look like they have been dipped in the Creator’s massive … Read more

Fridge Magnets Thanks

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

Conker reflection

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot of conkers in my house this Autumn. It seems to have been a bumper year, and although I pretend I’m collecting them just because my daughters love playing with them, if I’m honest, they’re partly for me as I love the wonder of those beautiful … Read more

Conker prayers

Use the contrast between the spikey shell and the smooth conker to reflect on God’s transforming work. Collect conkers still in their spikey shells. Invite everyone to carefully pick one shell up and hold it while thinking of something ‘spikey’ or not nice they would like God to sort out. This could be anything, for … Read more

Review: The Good thing about Bad Days

Title: The Good things about Bad Days By: Margaret McAllister and Nigel Baines Price: £9.97 Published by: Lion Good for: children age 7-12 years Best bit: Lots of helpful guidance and strategy ideas for working through bad days, with lots of space to fill things in and make the book your own. Worst bit: Pages … Read more

Celebrating Shabbat

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

Handwashing Prayers

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