Title: The Gift of Christmas – The boy who blessed the world By: Mary Joslin and Kristina Swarner Price: £7.78 Published by: Lion Good for: children age 5-10 years Best bit: Lovely, whimsical artwork and a re-telling of the story which is very close to the Bible version told in Luke and Matthew. It also … Read more
Last week a tragedy happened in a town near us when two young boys were killed in a hit-and-run. One mother whose daughter knew the boys contacted me asking if I knew of any resources to help them. As it happens, we’ve had a family bereavement this week, as my Grandad died at the age … Read more
It’s sometimes easy to feel that to do faith at home we need lots of resources and materials. I’m very into having specific items to do faith at-home activities. I love my Godly Play sets for sharing Bible stories and playing with them as we explore where we are in the stories. However, I believe … Read more
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
You may well have come across Sarah Bessey and her Breath Prayers for Anxious Times. (NB The full post from Sarah is behind a paywall, but if you leave your email, it won’t cost you a thing!) I love using this myself, so I’ve adapted it into a guided meditation which I use with my … Read more
I don’t know about your children, but mine love things in boxes. So here’s an Easter activity in a box. I’ve used it with my children since they were toddlers, but the simplicity of it lends itself to use with all ages, including adults. And using it each year, gives further depth to each Holy … Read more
This weekend I went on a 3 hour walk with a friend and our five children. At one point we found ourselves hiking up a steep, bogey hill, which was covered with very spikey gorse which was taller than three of our children! It was tempting to turn back, but that wouldn’t have taken us … 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
Title: Cold Cups of Tea and Hiding in the Loo Author: Annie Wilmott Price: £8.99 Published by and available from: Eden Good for: anyone who’s been a parent, knows a parent or is thinking about becoming one Best bit: Annie’s honesty and humour Worst bit: Perhaps a bit pricey? And I’d like audio version with … Read more
“I do it! I do it BY MYSELF!” It’s a cry we often here from young children, desperate to be independent and master skills. It’s something my husband and I chose to intentionally nurture when our children were young, especially as they are only 18 months apart in age. I remember number 1 coming into … 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