God’s Gift
Items Needed:
Small gift for each child (favorite candy; small toy; gift card for fast food or ice cream; favorite treat; etc.); Gift box or bag
Wrap and give each child a small gift. Talk about the importance of confession and repentance. Discuss the difference as well.
Read 1 John 1:9.
What does God do when we confess our sin? (forgives us)
Forgiveness is God’s gift to us. We must confess our sin and repent (turn away from sin and toward God). God’s gift of forgiveness has made a way for each of us to go to Heaven.
Close your time together in prayer. Allow a few minutes for silent prayer, providing the opportunity for confession. If you think your child understands about salvation, you might want to lead him or her to receive this wonderful gift.
Starting Out Right
Items Needed:
Devotional Guide; Bible
Model how to start the day with Bible reading and prayer (with everyone a favorite treat in their pajamas).
- Read a devotion or verse.
- Guide your child through prayer.
Here are two acronyms to guide them in learning to pray:
PRAY – praise, repent, ask, and yield
ACTS – adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.
For example:
P raise: Think of something about God we can praise (He is wise, He is love, He is powerful, etc.)
R epent: Is there anything we need to repent of or confess?
A sk: What would you like to ask God? Who needs prayer?
Y ield: Tell God that you want to obey and follow Him.
Discuss the importance of each aspect of prayer. Pray together as a family.
You Pick
Items Needed:
kitchen utensils: fork, spoon, knife, straw, toothpick, giant serving spoon, spatula, etc.; bags (that they can’t see through)
Put each kitchen utensil in a bag and allow each family member to choose his eating utensil for dinner (no touching to see what might be inside either). Each person must eat their dinner using ONLY the utensil he/she chose. (Hopefully, there will be some laughter!)
What would have made your choice easier? (being able to see what was in the bags)
We make lots of choices every day, and there are consequences to each choice. Our sins are the wrong choices we make. When we sin, it is important to confess our sin to God and ask Him to forgive us. Our next step is repentance, turning to God and His ways.
God gives us a free will to choose. Choosing His way is the best way!