This is definitely something you want to nip in the bud!

Here are a few things you might try:

Talk to your child about the fact that God gave us hands to love, help, pray, etc.

Sing “Be Careful What You Do Little Hands.”

Share 2 Timothy 2:24 – “Be gentle to all”.  Make up a song using the verse and naming who or what we should be gentle with:  be gentle to your friends, your pets, your books, etc.

Demonstrate a gentle touch.

Find pictures of children hugging or touching an animal gently.

Pray with your child, asking God to help him be gentle to all.

You might try putting him in his crib to isolate him.  Tell him he can come out when he learns to control his hands and be gentle.

Read Under Loving Command (Children Fun or Frenzie) for some really helpful discipline pointers.

Don’t give up! Be consistent and pray.  You will see the fruit of your labor – the fruit of gentleness which is one of the 9 fruit of the spirit!

Easter is the time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but this usually gets pushed aside by traditional Easter activities such as the Easter Bunny, colored eggs, and new clothes.  Easter comes at springtime and some of our traditions at Easter are actually a part of the pagan springtime celebration.  But that’s ok . . .  we can use these tangible things to help children understand intangible ideas.

The bunny stays in a rabbit hole in the ground all winter.  When spring comes, the bunny comes out of  his hole.  We can relate this to Jesus being in the tomb for three days, but on Easter morning, He came out and is alive today.

Eggs remind us of new life.   Coloring them reminds us of how beautiful our world is as the earth comes back to life again with new flowers and new leaves and grass.  Relate this to Jesus coming back to life.

New chicks, bunnies, lambs, and ducks are  also reminders of new life.    Jesus gives us new life by what He did on the Cross for us.

Put Bible verses on the eggs you hide and then gather together to read them all.  Some suggested verses are:

Revelation 21:5 Jesus makes all things new.

Galatians 2:20  Jesus Christ lives.

Matthew 28:6  Jesus is risen.

Song of Solomon 2:12  The flowers appear on the earth.

2 Cor. 5:17 (Living)   When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!

Make a cross out of twigs or craft sticks and keep it in a prominent place during the Easter season.  Point out that it is empty because Jesus didn’t stay on the cross or in the tomb . . . He is alive!!

A great book to teach the real meaning of Easter is Easter Bunny, Are You For Real?

10-hooray This is a song that children really love about the empty tomb .  It is from Every Song a Bible Story from Maranatha Music.

Make Easter a family time of worshiping together and thinking about the risen Lord.  Read the Easter story together from Matthew 27-28, Mark 15 – 16, or Luke 23-24.

Happy Easter from my family to yours.

Music

Music Machine: The Fruit of the Spirit

Hide Em in Your Heart Vol 1 & 2 by Steve Green

Especially for Children…of all ages by Bill Gaither

Songs for Saplings

Kids’ Praise: Sunday School Songs

Books

The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes

Joseph Forgives His Brothers – Arch Books This is just 1 of about 200 Arch Books; each one tells a different Bible story with colorful illustrations.

The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale

Santa, Are You For Real?

Easter Bunny, Are You For Real?

Thanksgiving, What Makes It Special?

My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts

Sammy’s Gadget Galaxy: A Book About Patience (Building Christian Character) This is 1 of many character building books by Michael Waite

9 Fruits Alive (GodCounts Series)

http://www.trainupthechild.org/2008/11/19/keeping-thanks-in-thanksgiving-a-thankful-walk/

http://www.trainupthechild.org/2008/11/17/keeping-thanks-in-thanksgiving-songs-and-psalms/

Our son Jon proposed to Mallory tonight!  She is an answer to 25 years of praying.  “We didn’t even know her name, but we were praying for her just the same, that the Lord would write His name upon her heart, because somewhere in the course of this life, our little boy would need a Godly wife.”  We are very thankful for God’s gift of Mallory to Jon and our family.

Please listen to this song.  We first heard it when our boys were very small.  It is a father singing about the little girl that will one day become his little boy’s wife.  Becca and I listened to it together when Josh proposed to her;  Mallory and I just finished listening to it together.

11-somewhere-in-the-world [mp3 download available at Somewhere In The World (LP Version)]

Pray for your children’s future mates.  God is faithful to hear and answer your prayers.  Thank you, Father!!!

Honesty is “being careful of what you say and do so others can trust you”.  As usual God is our example.  Many times in Scripture God says, “I have said it; I will perform it.”  Hebrews 10:23 says “Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

We are encouraged throughout Scripture to be honest:

Proverbs 11:1  The Lord hates cheating, but he delights in honesty.
2 Chron. 18:15  … say nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord
Ephes. 4:15  …speaking the truth in love…

In teaching our children honesty, we must be an example to them.  Always do what you say you will do.  If you make a promise, keep it; and never make a threat in disciplining that you can not follow through with if they disobey (example: I will throw you out the window if you scream one more time)  Children need the security of knowing they can trust Mom and Dad.  A child’s healthy relationship with his parents paves the way for a healthy relationship with God.  We are God’s representative to them and need to show them they can trust us and Him.

Tell your children stories of men and women in history who told the truth and those that didn’t and suffered the consequences.  Here are a few book or website suggestions:

Who Can Trust You, Kangaroo? (Sweet Pickles Series)
Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln
The Son Who Said He Wouldn’t (Arch Books)
George Washington and the Cherry Tree

The following is a song with signing about honesty:

Take a walk around the house or outside and point out things you are thankful for.  Turn it into a prayer of thanks as you say “Thank you God for”  and name each thing.  You can also take pictures of these things and put them in a thank you box that you can decorate together.  Each night you can pull out a picture and thank God for it. You can include in your box pictures of family and friends to be thankful for.  Older children may want to draw pictures or make a thank you notebook.  These activities are for the whole family.  You never get too old to be thankful for the things and people around you.

Click on the link to hear a song you can use to sing your thank you’s as you walk. I apologize for the quality. . . it is from a 32 year old tape . . . but you can still get the tune and the idea.

13-we-are-glad-today