Archive for June, 2009
The toddler and preschool years are full of rapid development and growth. Cognitive growth is not our soul concern. Developing fine motor control and eye-hand coordination are also important. Christian puzzles can not only help motor skills, but can reinforce lessons learned in Sunday school and on veggitales videos and books you use to direct your preschooler in the right direction spiritually.
Toys which require children to manipulate pieces with their fingers and hands can be called manipulative. Puzzles are one manipulative toy that can be found in various sizes and patterns for many age groups. Puzzles are self correcting, fitting in only one way, and allow children to work until they acheive success and gain hand-eye coordination- using the hands guided by the eyes for accurate placement, gaining direction and spatial awareness and tactile perception – the unraveling of information transmitted via the fingertips to the brain.
The use of Christian puzzles, especially by preschoolers, can be a wise choice for the parent who wants to boost their child’s manipulative skills.
For many young teenagers, one of the best ways to earn a little extra cash is by babysitting the kids of their neighbors or friends. But babysitting isn’t always an easy proposition. If you’re stuck with bored kids, it can be downright stressful, as bored kids are much more likely to be rowdy or otherwise troublesome. That’s why you always want to come armed with a variety of games that can serve as your fallback should the kids utter that dreaded phrase, “I’m bored!”
But with these games, you always want to make sure that they are something the parents would approve of. While not that many board games or puzzles would prove offensive or objectionable to parents, it’s still a good idea to come prepared with Christian puzzles. This way, the games are sure to be squeaky clean and parent friendly. There are numerous options available, so look around for ones you think the kids would enjoy. And if you’re loath to spending your hard-earned cash on these games, just consider it an investment in your sanity!
Do something different tonight. Eat dinner together at the table, clear the table and play a fun and bonding Christian card game. Playing games with your children is an improvement on sitting around the TV. Not only can you grow together playing together, but kids can grow in understanding and gain new insight on life by following rules, taking turns, and not always getting what they hoped for.
Christian card games are built around Christian concepts and teach about biblical subjects by intergrating biblical ideas, people, and events into the game play. There are games contrived to fit the needs of many age groups, whether you play memory with your little ones, or more advanced strategy games with 8 year olds and up. Play with your kids tonight and you will all grow some.
Young people need to feel they belong to the group they’re in, even if they’re new to the group. One way to get acquainted is through fun games. There are good Christian games, some versions of secular games, that can perform this trick well. Some are more serious, asking questions and expecting opening up, some more on the fun side for lighter times when fun is the main point, but getting to know each other will add to the fun.
It is important in Christian youth activities to let everyone participate to the degree they choose to. Fun activites are what encourage friends to invite friends the next time. With new kids coming in all the time, try a variety of quick, friendly and fun entertaining icebreakers that allow kids to interrelate. From Christian games to Bible studies, investigate all the ways a youth group can reach out to young people.
It’s important to provide Christian books in your home to give alternatives to secular writings that can even be damaging to Christian growth in our kids. Having Christian alternatives to adventure comics can be a plus when trying to entertain and instruct adolescents and teens. There are good choices out there with professionally put-together artwork and morally uplifting story lines for all ages. Christian comic books contain good metaphores and allegories concerning Christian truths and strong heroes working for God. Christian childrens books can draw the readers into the fight against dastardly evil using ‘hip’ teen slang and can build a deeper relationship with the God of all creation who’s power is available for the Christian in every day life to win the battles we all fight.
Tempt your young person, and even yourself with literature that grows you inside while entertaining you outside.
Busy, busy, running here and running there. A parent’s day is filled with many demands and it’s tempting to let the kids entertain themselves. Growing together as a family happens when we spend time together. Kids learn to know how to approach their parents with their problems, and that they can depend on you as a parent and a confidant. Some ideas for staying in contact are:
Involve your children in chores you do together
Try to eat one meal together every day
Share what is the best and worst of your days
Have a family night when the TV is off
Share activities or Christian games that build morals and in which you can share how you feel about life.
The more your kids realize who you really are and what your values and concerns in life are, the closer you will grow, and the more likely they will be to share those values and concerns.
As we see so many of our young people wandering away from the church as they grow, we must begin to realize the importance of early Christian training and getting our little ones into God’s Word. There is so much competition in their lives from secular sources. It’s never too early to introduce children to the Bible.
There are many good Christian books for young minds, but a christian computer game with a Bible theme is also a useful tool. Learning is best done and retained when it is fun. Applications to everyday life really make the lessons of the Bible stick.
In this day of sedentary children, parents need to be particularly aware of the level of activity their child’s activities provide. Regular exercise is beneficial in decreasing stress, increasing self esteem, improving concentration and the ability to learn, maintaining a healthy weight, building and keeping healthy bones, muscles and joints, reducing the chances of diabetes and improving sleep. But kids just want to have fun. Where do we draw the line?
Physical activity needs to be fun. Game and toy companies are beginning to realize the need for this combination and there are healthier choices on the market,computer games that get kids off the couch and promote activity, and yet are fun and progressively challenging. Video game time should be limited to help prevent inactive kids becoming inactive adults, but games that provide an active game-play can be a viable aid in reaching this goal.
Children, especially toddlers, are still developing their gross motor skills as well as fine motor skills. What is the difference between the two? Gross motor skills involve bigger movements like jumping, running, or going up and down the stairs. Fine motor skills, on the other hand, make use of finer movements particularly of the hands. These include writing, tying the shoelaces, or stringing beads together.
Some kids develop these skills faster than other kids. The use of different educational games, such as children’s building blocks, can improve a child’s small motor skills. Wooden blocks are particularly encouraged especially by educators. Other educational games, especially for children, that give your brain a workout include card games, computer games and puzzles.
If you’re an avid reader and a Christian, it can sometimes be frustrating perusing the aisles of your local bookstore. So many of the books seem to deal with racy or controversial topics simply to bolster the popularity of the book. But this kind of pandering to the shock culture can leave Christian readers at a loss. Luckily, there are plenty of books that are well written, riveting, and deal with a Christian theme.
These Christian books include “The Shack” by William P. Young. A challenging piece, it deals with issues of faith and Christianity but without sugarcoating anything or avoiding the hard questions. Another popular option is “Fireproof,” which was recently made into a film. It deals with the issue of a shaky, dying marriage and what it takes to rekindle that love. Other popular options include “90 Minutes in Heaven” or “For the Tough Times” or “The Five Love Languages.” The list goes on, meaning every Christian reader is sure to continually find something with both literary and spiritual value.