(PreK - 5th Grade):

Rock Out to God's Love as a Family

A fun way to help your children learn about God’s love is to make instruments from household items, play music, and sing songs about God’s love. As you are crafting together, tell your children how much God loves them and how God loves it when we praise God. Singing together is a great way to love God and others. To make a guitar, decorate an empty cereal or cracker box with stickers or paper and markers. Cut an oval shaped hole in one of the wider sides of the box and stretch 4 or 5 large rubber bands over the hole. Optional: Cut an X shape in the top of the cereal box. Then take an empty paper towel tube and push it through the top of the box to make a neck for your guitar. Strum away!

To make a shaker, decorate 2 paper plates and then tape the front sides together. Leave an open space to fill with dried pasta, rice, or beans. Tape over the gap once filled. Teach your kids how shaking it in different ways can make different sounds. One can also use it as a drum and tap a beat while shaking!

Sing songs about Jesus’ love with your kids while they play their instruments. Songs that teach us about God’s love may include: Jesus Loves Me, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, and My God is So Big.

(6th - 12th Grade):

Who You Are in God's Eyes

From time to time in our youth group, we remind ourselves who we are in God's eyes by engaging in a simple activity. You can do the same activity with your family. Print and cut out the one-line phrases below. Distribute the phrases randomly. Each participant selects a family member's name from the phrase and reads the phrase out loud to that person. Another variation is having the cutout strips in a bowl by your front door. Before leaving the house for the day, select a phrase from the bowl and read it out loud as a reminder of God’s promises and love for you. 

• You (name) are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s eyes (Psalm 139:14)
• You (name) are the salt and light of the world in God’s eyes. (Matthew 5:13-14)
• You (name) are complete in God’s eyes. (Colossians 2:10)
• You (name) are loved in God’s eyes. (Jeremiah 31:3)
• You (name) are beautiful in God’s eyes. (Psalm 45:11)
• You (name) are chosen, holy, and dearly loved in God’s eyes. (Colossians 3:12)
• You (name) are God’s handiwork. (Ephesians 2:10)
• You (name) are a new creation in God’s eyes. (2 Corinthians 5:17)