Give It to God!
Items Needed: Small box, variety of craft supplies
Bedtime is a great time to talk about things that might be bothering your child. Find a small box and let your child decorate it. Draw a picture of a hand on either side (as if the hands are holding the box) and write “God’s Hands.” Ask your child to draw a picture, write out, or dictate to you what is troubling them. Place the paper inside the box and say a prayer asking God for help. Remind your child how God helped people in the Bible who were anxious and afraid (David, Paul, Elijah, etc.). Say this together: God calms our fears! Thank You, God, for calming our fears!
Below are a few basic principles to remember when a child seems anxious or afraid:
Know your child—what upsets and comforts them. (Is there a sudden change in mood or behavior? Is there a pattern?)
Listen to your child.
Hug your child.
Tell your child about a time you were afraid or anxious and what you did and how your fears sometimes were worse than the actual outcome.
Don’t tell your child they shouldn’t feel anxious.
Ask your child’s teachers for insight and share your ideas with them.
Talk to your child’s doctor if the anxiety persists.
Offer distractions. (Exercise, play a game, read together, etc.)
Pray with your child.
Replace Those Thoughts!
Items Needed: Jar, paper, writing utensil
Ask your child:
Do you think you would have felt afraid if you were David getting ready to fight Goliath?
Would you be afraid if you were Paul sitting in prison all alone?
Life is hard, and there will be times when we feel afraid or anxious—a feeling of worry. But there is something we can do when we feel afraid or anxious. We can replace those feelings with God’s Truth.
Teach your children the “replace it” trick. Instead of telling your children not to think about it or not to be afraid, give them some faith-filled words from the Bible. Replace those fearful thoughts with faith-filled thoughts (Romans 10:17).
Here are some faith-filled words to share with your children:
God is with me.
God loves me.
God is for me.
God wants to help me.
God is powerful.
Optional activity: Write faith-filled statements on slips of paper and keep them in a jar so they can be pulled out and read when needed.
*A good website to help you find verses is http://www.biblegateway.com. You can type in a word, and it will bring up all the verses with that word in it.
Rock Solid Faith
Items Needed: Rocks, a variety of art supplies
Find three rocks and write one of the following truths on each rock. Decorate the rocks if you like. Hide them for others to find and build their faith.
- God is with me!
- God is for me!
- God will help me!
Talk about what each truth means at dinner or choose one and talk about it at bedtime (a time when children are usually eager to stay awake and talk).
- God is with me! (Read Psalm 27:1.)
How would you feel if you were walking late at night and met up with some robbers? (scared!) Would you feel differently if you were walking late at night and met up with some robbers, but you were surrounded by 10 strong policemen? (Yes, I would not be afraid!)
What’s the difference in these situations? (who is with you)
We can be brave because God is with us! He has promised to never leave us. (Hebrews 13:5b)
- God is for me! (Read Psalm 124:1–5.)
The psalmist could not even imagine what it would be like if God was not on his side. If God hadn’t been on his side, his enemies would have swallowed him up. God is all powerful. No one or nothing is greater than Him. David had courage because God was on His side. Paul could praise because God was on his side. This means we can have great confidence no matter what we face, because God is for us, and He is bigger than all our fears and anxieties!
- God will help me! (Read Psalm 121:1,2.)
Where did this writer, probably David, say his help came from? (from the Lord, from the Creator, etc.)
David knew he could call out to God for help no matter where he was. He could count on God to help him, and we can too! It pleases God when we rely on Him for help. It does not have to be a long prayer. We can simply say His name or one word, “Help!” God promises He will help us.