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MORE Great Parent Resources for Kids!
We are so blessed at LSC by the opportunity to encourage one another and build each other up as we strive together toward parenting our children in the Lord. As parents we are reminded again and again of our complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of our children and grow them in grace. It is our calling and privilege to be faithful stewards of these precious eternal souls, but it is God’s work to penetrate their hearts. I’m excited to pass along some more excellent resources gathered by wise and godly people to help us along the way!
Here are some thoughts on family worship (or family devotions – whatever you call it!). These are 10 helpful tips for those just getting started and those who have been practicing consistent family worship for years!
Some favorite resources for family worship:
The Ology by best-selling children’s author Marty Machowski is a stunningly illustrated beginner’s theology book to help kids of all ages understand who God is and how we, as his children, relate to him.
Arranged within a traditional systematic theological framework, each truth in The Ology is also connected to the larger redemptive story of Scripture. This storybook of systematic theology takes abstract concepts in the Bible and makes them easier to understand with the use of creative examples, illustrations, and analogies.
The world-famous, much-loved classic Pilgrim’s Progress is here retold for children. This abridged version uses the original words of John Bunyan as selected by Oliver Hunkin to present a gripping narrative. Filled with intricately detailed illustrations, this handsome, large-format book makes an ideal gift.
Your children may know of the psalms, but with WonderFull by best-selling author Marty Machowski, young readers learn to use the whole book of the Psalms to pray, worship, and find help through the challenges life is certain to bring.
Oliver and his grandfather spend days sitting in front of an old Oak tree, reading through the book of Psalms together. As Oliver’s curiosity about God evolves into a deep and abiding faith, his grandfather continues to read to him and pray with him, discovering together the beauty of the Psalms.
A classic, trusted children’s Bible
Hundreds of thousands of children throughout the world have been introduced to the riches of the Bible through this classic Bible storybook. First published seventy years ago, the much-loved Child’s Story Bible continues to instruct and delight today’s children and parents.
The Revised Edition incorporates the many archaeological discoveries of recent years which affirm the biblical stories. Every effort has been made to preserve the original style, and especially to remain absolutely faithful to the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God.
BIBLE PROJECT | Another resource for your family worship time might be any of the videos put out by Bible Project. They provide overviews of different books of the Bible, as well as more in depth videos
Are you interested in helping your children develop a personal habit of Bible reading? Check out these plans by Navigators. My favorite for elementary and middle school students is this New Testament Plan which takes just 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Are you interested in helping your children develop a personal habit of Bible reading? Check out these plans by Navigators. My favorite for elementary and middle school students is this New Testament Plan which takes just 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Remember Me is a great app to help your student memorize Bible verses – you can even store the verses they have memorized for review!
The “What To Do” series covers many different areas of struggle for elementary age children including fear and worry, difficulty sleepy, and grumbling. Here is one for kids who struggle with anger: What To Do When Your Temper Flares. Pair Bible verses with the studies as you work through them together (e.g., Proverbs 25:28, James 1:20, Psalm 37:8)
Another favorite series is the “Good News for Little Hearts” series that addresses a variety of topics including anger, greed, shyness, becoming overwhelmed, and more.
David Powlison, Ed Welch, and Paul Tripp – all are reformed Biblical counselors who have worked with many children over the years. The entire series is fabulous!
Many parents want to have intentional conversations and time with their children while in the car. In addition to putting screens away during drives, try listening to one of these episodes from Adventures in Odyssey. There are lots of opportunities for Biblical real-life conversations as you listen together. (There are always free episodes that change each day so you can listen without committing to a subscription.)
Julie Lowe, a counselor and professor at Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, wrote a great blog on Young Teens and Social Media. Parents of children of all ages might appreciate her counseling activities book as well – Building Bridges by Julie Lowe of CCEF. This book includes some great activities for drawing your children and teens out and promoting meaningful conversation.
Our culture is sending lots of messages to our children about gender and sexuality – here are some great resources for our elementary-age kids to talk about God’s design for gender and marriage. You can click the image for a link to purchase.
We all want to help our secondary kids engage their culture with a Christian worldview! The Colson Center has a great “What Would You Say?” series on youtube where teens are challenged to think through a biblical response to cultural norms and assertions. Topics include critical theory, pornography, gender issues, homosexuality, abortion, assisted suicide, politics, laws and justice, and more. Your teens want to know how to engage these topics in their culture! Listen to a few together! Check it out here.
We all want to help our secondary kids engage their culture with a Christian worldview! The Colson Center has a great “What Would You Say?” series on youtube where teens are challenged to think through a biblical response to cultural norms and assertions. Topics include critical theory, pornography, gender issues, homosexuality, abortion, assisted suicide, politics, laws and justice, and more. Your teens want to know how to engage these topics in their culture! Listen to a few together! Check it out here.
The Gospel Coalition put out some thoughts on helping children who have experienced trauma:
“Children can experience trauma from a variety of experiences including neglect, physical, sexual, or psychological abuse, death of a loved one, bullying, racial trauma, sickness, and more. Trauma, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHS), results from “an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being” (Concept of Trauma, 7).”
Read more here: How To Help Children Who’ve Experienced Trauma
Learning & the Brain wrote a cool blog post for your teens on when technology is helpful for learning, and when it’s distracting – have them check it out!
Check out Read Aloud Revival for great booklists for kids of all ages as well as helpful podcasts for parents!
If you missed our first “Conversations That Matter” post, click here to see the great resources we included last year!
May the Lord enable us to be faithful as we labor together to “tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” (Psalm 78:4)