12 Ways to Share the Easter Story with Under 5s

I know lots of people do things as a family to celebrate Jesus at Christmas, but what about Easter? In some ways, Christmas is harder as there’s so much else going on, but Easter is trickier to tell, especially to younger children. Here are some ideas to help you: Looking for more ideas? Here’s 36 … Read more

Pinwheel Prayers

This is a simple activity using pinwheels to think about God’s Spirit being like the wind and to pray using them. This is a great one for under 5s, but everyone might enjoy this very tangible way to pray. What do I need to begin Pinwheel Prayers? To begin, you will need a pinwheel! Perhaps … Read more

Fruity Prayer

Have fun choosing and preparing fruit. If possible, arrange to visit a pick your own farm to pick it first! Look for suitable moments during the preparation to help everyone reflect on what fruit they like and why, and to tell god about this, thanking him for his brilliant creations. Open ended questions are good … Read more

Discovering Saints Days as Part of Our Faith at Home

Maybe it was because I grew up in a protestant, evangelical tradition that I always thought anything to do with the saints was kind of catholic and probably a bit wrong. A few years ago, I went on a Godly Play retreat in which we explored twelve saint’s stories. To be honest, I wasn’t keen … Read more

Review: Who made God?

Title: Who made God? Author: Joanne Gilchrist Illustrator: David Kuiavskii Published by: Sarah Grace Publishing Price: £5.99 Useful for: children age 4-7 with big questions about God Best bit: I like the bright, bold illustrations, the rhyming text, the way we’re introduced to the different characters and the use of child-appropriate similes to describe God, but … Read more

Review: Found (Psalm 23)

Title: Found – Psalm 23 Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones Illustrator: Jago Published by: Zonder Kids Price: £5.95 at WHSmith £6.99 on Amazon Useful for: people age 2+ Best bit: Simple, beautiful words and stunning images communicating God’s love for you Worst bit: As a board books it’s brilliant for young children, but might make older children feel … Read more

Build A Story Set

Build a story set for a Bible story using a construction toy e.g. Duplo, Lego, Jenga blocks). Plan the route the characters will take through the set. We built a set for the story of Ehud using Duplo and Lego combined. We then created characters for Ehud and the king, and played out the story … 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

Chocolate Star Prayers

Read the story from Matthew 2 or listen to it being read by David Suchet. Invite everyone to chat or think about the impact the star had on the wise men, what impact did it have in their lives? The sorts of things they might say include that: it guided them when they saw it, … Read more

Review: You are

Title: You are – a book of God’s promises By: Emily Assell and Lauren Copple RRP: £6.99 but £5.94 here Published by: Hodder Faith Young Explorers Available from: Eden and a host of other places Best bit: a board book with gentle, beautiful Biblical truths in it Worst bit: I might have put less Bible verses … Read more

Review: Tonight

Title: Tonight – a book of God’s bedtime promises By: Emily Assell and Lauren Copple RRP: £6.99 but £5.94 here Published by: Hodder Faith Young Explorers Available from: The Book Depository Blackwells and a host of other places Best bit: a simple way to read God’s promises over your child at bedtime Worst bit: I … 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