Let your children know the history of special days or the reason for celebrations. God commanded His people to do this in Joshua 4:20-24:  At Gilgal Joshua set up the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan. [21] He said to the people of Israel, “In the future when children ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ [22] the children should be told that Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. [23] The Lord your God dried up the Jordan ahead of you until you had crossed, as he did to the Red Sea until we had crossed. [24] The Lord did this so that everyone in the world would know his mighty power and that you would fear the Lord your God every day of your life.”

We are familiar with February 2 being called Groundhog Day. But did you know it is also called Candlemas?  It is celebrated forty days after the birth of Jesus Christ.  In Luke 2:22-35, it is recorded that Mary and Joseph took infant Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for the ritual purification of Mary after childbirth  and in order to present their first born which was required by the Law of Moses. As they presented Jesus to Simeon, he prophesied: “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of manyhearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).

Celebration of Candlemas Day began by Roman Catholics with lighting candles and parading through the streets as a commemoration of the presentation of Jesus and the prophesy of Simeon.  German immigrants known as Pennsylvania Dutch brought the tradition to America in the 18th century.

But where does Groundhog Day come in?  Candlemas occurs half way between the first day of winter and the first day of spring.   Ancient thought was that hibernating creatures were able to predict the arrival of springtime on this day.  Traditionally, it was believed that if Candlemas was sunny, the remaining six weeks of winter would be stormy and cold. But if it rained or snowed on Candlemas, the rest of the winter would be mild. If an animal “sees its shadow,” it must be sunny, so more wintry weather is predicted.

So now you know and can tell your children.  Be sure and read Luke 2:22-35 and tell in your own words about Jesus going to ‘church’ for the first time.  Then just have some fun with groundhog crafts:

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mgroundhog.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/groundhogday/popuphog/ (my personal favorite!) Sing this song Mr.-Groundhog when you finish this craft.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/groundhogday/

…for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Cor. 6:20

Have you ever been given a flower picked by a child?  We say ‘Aww, thank you’, then we lay it down and forget about it.  But the child will come back later to see if you still have the flower –  to see if you valued the gift enough to care for it.

In the same way, God has given us our bodies and He wants to see that we value the gift enough to care for it.  Eric Velazquez aptly puts it this way: “Our bodies are exquisite and unparalleled works of art. Formed from the dirt in His own garden, each for a unique purpose. And like flowers handed to you by a child, they were given to us with an expectation of continued care. How we express gratitude for our bodies doesn’t just matter to us. It matters, perhaps more than we’ll ever know, to the One who gifted them in the first place.”

Let’s be examples to our children of valuing the bodies that God has given us and training our children to value theirs as well.   One way to do that is to exercise and  I have found that children love to exercise with you.  Here’s an idea to get yall going:

Make a simple cube out of card stock and write different movements on each side such as jumping jacks, hop on one foot, touch your toes, march like a soldier, hop like a bunny, crawl like a bug, etc.  Take turns throwing the cube and doing the movement that is showing.

(Click Cube pattern then print, cut on solid lines, fold on dotted lines, and tape together)

This is a simple way for you and your children to have fun exercising together.  Be sure to share the verse as you explain that by exercising you honor God by caring for the bodies He has given you. 

Children find it hard to wait and often wonder why they can’t do something when they want to do it.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 is an excellent verse to use to help them understand that there is a time for everything.

This is a lesson from Here a Little, There a Little, a compilation of Bible activities I created to use with my preschool children. It was designed to spend a week memorizing the verse and reinforcing it through Bible lessons and activities.

Read the suggested passages for Bible stories and tell them in your own words or find them in a children’s Bible storybook.  I have given you suggested things to share about each. Share the verse as you go about your day.  Do at least one of the suggested activities each day.  I am sure you can come up with better ideas on your own – this is just to get you started.

Bible Verse: Ecclesiastes 3:1  There is a time for everything

Bible Stories:

Ecclesiastes 3  God says in the Bible that there is a time for everything.  God planned it that way.  He said that He has planned for a time to plant gardens and a time to pull up the plants.  He has made a time for sickness and a time to heal.  There is a time to laugh and a time to cry.  There is a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones.  There is a time to talk and a time to be quiet.  There is a time for rain, now, sunshine, wind.  God has made a time for everything.  Ask God to help you know what is the right time for each thing – when should you be quiet and when should you talk – when should you walk and when should you run.  God will help you know the right time for everything.

Luke 10:38-42  Mary and Martha were sisters.  Jesus was their friend.  One day Jesus went to visit Mary and Martha at their house.  Martha was busy working but Mary sat quietly and listened to Jesus.  Martha wanted Mary to come help her work, but Jesus said there is a time for working and a time for listening.  He said Mary knew that while He was there it was a time for listening not working.  Which sister chose the right thing to do at the right time?

1 Samuel 1:21-24  Hannah had a little boy named Samuel.  Hannah’s husband was going on a long trip and wanted Hannah to leave Samuel for a while and go with him.  But Hannah knew there is a time for everything and she knew that it was not the right time for her to leave her little boy so she stayed with him to take care of him and to teach him the Bible.  There is a time when parents leave for a while and there is a time when they stay.  God will help them know what is the right time to do the right thing.

Matthew 21:12-13  Jesus went to church one day and there were people in the church selling things and making money for themselves.  Jesus was angry with them and told them to get out.  Jesus said that the church was to be a place of prayer not a place for selling things. There is a time for everything.  There is a time to sell things, but not at church.  The church is a time for praying and singing to God and teaching the Bible.

Mark 2:15-20  Jesus and his friends were sitting at a table eating one day and some men came and asked Him why they were eating.  They said that the preacher John and his friends did not eat for many days.  Jesus said that there is a time to eat and a time not to eat.  He said that while He was with them, it was a time to eat.  Jesus wants us to eat when it is time to eat.
Prayer:  Help us know when is the right time to do something

Activities:

Make a clock out of a paper plate and write the Bible verse on it.  If you need instructions, here’s a video showing how to make one

Divide another paper plate into 4 sections and draw or find pictures of the 4 seasons; put hands on it like on the clock.

Find pictures of different activities.  As you look at them or mention them, let children point clock hands to appropriate time of day or time of year.

Make up a tune to the Bible verse and sing it during the day

Read with expression Ecclesiastes 3 from Living Bible

Never stop praying. – 1 Thes. 5:17 
When they call on me, I will answer;  - Psalm 91:15
. . . men always ought to pray and not lose heart,  - Luke 18:1
Continue praying, keeping alert, and always thanking God. Colossians 4:2

“The reason we should teach little children to pray about the little insignificant things but are significant to them, very early in life, is so they learn that if they talk to God, He will answer their prayers.” Dr. Charles Stanley

Begin early to establish a pattern in your children to pray.  Teach them that prayer is simply talking to God about anything and everything just as they would with a friend.  Prayer can be saying thanks for something or asking for help with a problem.   Jo Bevington in her book, I Can Pray, described prayer as ‘feeling, thinking, listening, and talking to a very special Friend’.

With your older children, help them to start a prayer notebook with a list of things to be thankful for, things to pray about, and people to pray for.  Encourage them to make note of when God answers.

A tangible way to establish prayer in a younger child’s life is by beginning a prayer box. Definitely have pictures of people and things to thank God for.

Also include pictures that will be a reminder of things to pray about.  Look together through magazines to find pictures or draw your own.  For example:

Help me share with my friend

Help me go to the potty

Heal my neighbor’s dog

Mark these pictures with a ‘PTL’  or a sticker and the date when you see an answer.  Help your children know that they can trust God to hear and answer.  In Luke 18 Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up until the answer comes.  The answer may be yes, no, or not yet –  but God will answer!!!

The excitement of Christmas has already begun at our house. Our California children are flying in next week for the month, the tree is decorated, the Christmas lists are made out, and soon the baking, shopping, and parties will be in full swing.  It is so easy in all this activity to let the real meaning of Christmas go unmentioned.  We adults know that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday but how are our children going to know unless we tell them.  They may see this only as a time when all the relatives get together or there’s lots of goodies to eat or everyone gives them gifts.

Enjoy the traditional practices of Christmas.  Don’t be so different from the world that the world wouldn’t want what you have. An old English historical writing contains a letter from Pope Gregory to Saint Mellitus, who was on his way to England to do missionary work among the pagan Anglo-Saxons. Pope Gregory suggested that converting heathens would go easier if they were allowed to keep some of their traditional practices, while reinterpreting those traditions spiritually towards the Christian God instead of to their pagan ‘devils’.

Today we as Christians should hear what Pope Gregory said and enjoy the traditions of the world, but be sure to give them Spiritual meaning for our families. Make every effort to teach the real meaning of Christmas through everything you do:

• While decorating the tree share that the evergreen tree reminds us of the everlasting love Jesus has for us.  The tree is like a big birthday cake for Jesus and the lights are the candles.  The lights remind us that Jesus is the Light of the world and that “God lights our darkness” (2 Samuel 22:29)
• While wrapping gifts share “It is better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) Point out that because it is Jesus’ birthday we give gifts.  Jesus said when we give to one another it is the same as giving to him. (And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40) Share “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).   Make sure your children are involved in making or purchasing gifts to give so they are not just on the receiving end of the gifts.  Also point out that giving is not only things, but he can give love, friendship, help, and joy.
• Make the manger scene central in your decorations. Be sure your children hear the Christmas story from the Bible often. It’s fine to tell them the pretend stories of Santa and elves, Rudolph and Frosty, but be sure to tell the true story of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, angels, Shepherds, etc.  Also help them understand the true story of Santa.  He loved Jesus so much that he wanted to give to others.  A good book about Santa is “Santa, Are You for Real? “ by Harold Myra.

Check Train Up The Child for ways to relate the real Reason for the Season to traditional seasonal objects.  Just search on the site for ‘Christmas’, ‘Keeping Christ in Christmas’,  or for a traditional object (ex. Santa, trees, wreaths, mistletoe, etc.)

For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. To him be glory evermore.
Romans 11:36

Encourage each family member to thank God for something; be ready with suggestions or even have pictures of things to be thankful for.   Here are some questions taken from Dee Brestin Ministries to ask around your Thanksgiving table to help promote thankfulness:

• What can you be thankful for this year that you couldn’t have been last year?
• Lift up the name of each person and have two to four people share one reason they are thankful for that person.
• Is there a way that God met you in a challenging time this year? If so, how?
• Did you receive an unexpected kindness this year?
• Is there a Scripture passage that became more meaningful to you this year – if so, what is it, and how did it help you?
• Is there something a little child said that delighted you?
• Was there wisdom received from a book, a mentor, or a sermon?
• Was there a time when circumstances lined up so you knew God was behind it?
• God said He would shake our world so that what was unshakeable would remain – give thanks for one of those unshakeable realities.

Have a Happy Family Thanksgiving as you give thanks to the Giver of all things!!!

Always help your children understand the holiday you are celebrating.  Have fun telling the story of the first Thanksgiving and acting it out with Indian headbands and Pilgrim hats.

Click here for a coloring book you can download and print that gives a simple explanation of the first Thanksgiving.  Talk about each page as you color.

The following sites have patterns for pilgrim hats and Indian headbands:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/pilgrim-hat-for-girls.html

http://crafts.kaboose.com/pilgrim-hat-for-boys.html

http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/crafts/indian.htm

The following site has many ideas to help you celebrate Thanksgiving with your children:

http://ministry-to-children.com/thanksgiving-ideas/

Happy Thanksgiving!!

How’s your thank you list going?  Regularly writing down what you are thankful for can increase your level of happiness by at least 25%.   I have always believed that an attitude of gratitude is vital to your happiness and your health because of what Scripture indicates. Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” is just one example.

However, Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier offers scientific evidence of this and that a grateful spirit actually improves your health: “The person who experiences gratitude is able to cope more effectively with everyday stress  . . . recover more quickly from illness, and benefit from greater physical health.”   I haven’t read the book yet, but I am always thrilled when scientists discover the reality of what Scripture has always said.  Read more of the research results here.

I read Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy two years ago as I was going through a difficult time in my life.   The book was a fresh reminder to concentrate on being thankful, which did tremendously help me cope with my circumstances at the time.   God doesn’t just tell us to do something for no reason.  He has our best interest in mind when He says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thes. 5:18

Let’s teach our children early to have an attitude of gratitude, not just at Thanksgiving and not so we look good when they utter an unsolicited thank you to others, but so that throughout their lives they will experience all the positive effects of thankfulness that God intends for them.

God deserves all our praise and thanksgiving, but He also wants us to have a grateful spirit toward others. God says in Matthew 25:40 that when we do something for others, it is like doing it for Him.  So lets use this Thanksgiving season to not only deliberately express thanks to God, but also to show gratefulness to those He has placed in our lives.

Everyone needs to feel appreciated. Tell others how thankful you are for them, what they do, their attitude, their smile, their words, etc.

Make thank you notes for people in your life that you don’t normally think of thanking, such as the mailman, doctor, teacher, grandparent, the men who pick up the trash, your waiter, the paint mixer at Lowe’s, the UPS delivery man, your children, your spouse.

Be specific and creative.  Lead the whole family to participate in making cards or expressing thanks in some way.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”- William Arthur Ward.

About the 1st of November, I always put a large piece of paper on the refrigerator with the words, “Thank you God for” at the top.  Family members are encouraged to regularly write down something they are thankful for.  This has been a tradition for many years in our home. We enjoy writing our own and reading what the rest of the family has written.

This year since we are all separated, we set up a Thanksgiving GroupMe account  for group messages just for our family.  If you are separated from your family, you might consider the same thing. We love reading what our children are thankful for and seeing them interact with each other on this account.

It is encouraging to see a lot of giving of thanks on Facebook this year.  Writing down your blessings can really change your outlook.   As the old hymn by Johnson Oatman says, “Count your many blessings; name them one by one; and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”