Walk With the Wise
Item Needed: Bible
Talk with your child about choosing friends wisely. Read Psalm 1:1 together. What does this verse tell us about who we spend time with? We will be blessed if we choose friends who don’t make bad choices. No one is perfect, but we want to choose friends who love God and want to obey Him. If we make friends with wise people, we will become wiser (Proverbs 13:20).
Here are a few tips to help your child build good friendships:
Practice a simple greeting for your child to use in a setting where they might meet a new friend.
Brainstorm some simple games or jokes your child can share with other children.
Be faithful to attend church and invite some children for a playdate.
Enroll your child in a new class or sport where they can meet other children.
Stay involved and encourage relationships with children who share your family’s values.
Together Again
Talk to your child about relationships. Explain that a relationship is the way 2 or more people are connected. Tell your child that sometimes things happen to hurt a relationship, resulting in a broken relationship.
When your children have an argument, ask them to stand on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. Set the timer for two minutes and ask one to share their side of the story while the other listens without interrupting. Set the timer again and allow the other one to share their side without interrupting. Then ask, “How can we solve this disagreement?” Reach an agreement and help your children work toward forgiveness. Then ask them to take turns taking a step toward the other and saying one good thing about them (something good about the other person or something they enjoy doing with the other) until they are face-to-face and can shake hands, high five, or hug.
Relationships are broken when we hurt one another with our words or actions, but we can be reconciled (brought together) when we listen and forgive. God’s plan for relationships is for us not to judge each other but to love others and treat others with kindness and respect.
A Broken Relationship Restored
Items Needed: Bikes and outside toys, cleaning supplies, tools
Drag out the bikes and outside toys and scrub off the dirt. Make repairs if necessary.
Talk about it:
How did we restore the look of the bikes? (Washed off the dirt; shined them up; etc.)
What does it mean to restore something? (To bring it back to its original condition)
Can you give an example of something that might be restored? (An old car can be restored to its former condition; a piece of furniture can be fixed and made to look new again; a toy that is broken can be fixed; etc.) Restoring something means bringing it back to its original condition. We restored these by cleaning them up and fixing the loose and broken parts.
Sometimes even relationships between people are broken and need to be restored. We must remember to love others and treat people with kindness and respect. We should also be humble, gentle, and patient, and we should be willing to offer grace and forgiveness too. That is God’s plan for relationships.
Ask your child:
How do you think our relationship with God could be broken?
Explain that sin breaks our relationship with God and separates us from Him. But Jesus came to the earth and died on the cross so we could have our sins forgiven. By believing in what Jesus did, our relationship with God can be restored.