good

Happy "first day of Spring!" Although it is slowly but surely warming up outside, some days are still a bit too windy and chilly for outdoor play. So I thought an indoor activity would be nice to share today. 
In both Genesis 1:31 and 1 Timothy 4:4, the Bible tells us that everything God created is good. Why not read those scriptures to your little ones, and then play a fun game with stuffed animals. 

Gather all the fuzzy toys and line them up on the floor or couch. While holding each animal, talk about where we can find a real one, what it likes to eat, and what sounds the animal makes. As you set an animal down, say together "...and everything God made was good." Then pick up another fuzzy critter and repeat. Have fun!

The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) can be difficult to explain to very young children. And while we might read all of them to our littles, I think it's OK for preschool-aged children to focus on learning one or two. I have a printable to share with you today, that might help: 

I thought these two would be simple enough to focus some energy on teaching. Even young children understand the difference between happy and sad, and can recall times when they have felt these emotions. And I don't know about you, but in my house we are often working on more peace and less arguing (use your words!). While I believe this scripture is more "global" than siblings arguing over a toy or whose turn it is, we have to start small and work our way outward. 
After you print this page for each of your littles, just fold on the dotted line to create a "table tent" for the nightstand or coffee table. Then you will have an easy way to practice these scriptures together.

Happy Valentine's Day

While explaining romantic love to children is difficult, teaching them how much God loves us is much easier. 

May you and your family feel God's presence and love every day of the year!

**Click here for a song I previously posted that would be perfect for Valentine's Day.

John 3:2

Well, it's February... and with a new month, comes a new Bible verse! Here's the scripture we will be learning this month: 

Luke 2:52

During the month of January, the remARKable friends will be learning more about the wise men who followed the star to find Jesus, and about Jesus growing up. Our Bible verse for January is: 

Luke 2:7

Our Sunday School classes are working on a new Bible verse this month:

Psalm 86:11

The Bible verse that the remARKable friends will be working on for November is: 

Psalm 23:6

Wow... it's October already! And that means we will be working on a new Bible verse. 

We will be listening to several Bible stories and working on a variety of activities, all to teach the littles that God's love is with them every day.

Serve with LOVE

Samuel says twice in chapter 12 of 1 Samuel that we should serve the Lord with all our hearts. I thought an activity to reinforce this concept for Pre-Schoolers would be fun. So today I have two printables for you. 
Print one "Cover Page" and as many copies of the "Inside Page" as you would like. It can certainly be printed onto regular, white printer paper... but if you would like to "bump up" the craftiness, print onto single-sided scrapbook paper. (You can often find 8-1/2 x 11" single-sided scrapbook paper sold in single sheets at your local craft store.) That way the space for your littles to color will be white, but the back of each page will be fancy!  :} 

When your child is finished, help him / her cut out the hearts. Punch a small hole through each of the little gray circles in the upper-left of each heart, stack your pages together with the cover on top, and hook your booklet together with a brad or small notebook ring. 
It would be a good idea to work on this project over several days... weeks... a month? As you know, little bitties have short attention spans.  :} 
Once finished,  this would be a nice, light-weight "time-filler" to carry in your purse. Won't the other mommies think you are clever and smart when they see you pull out your child's sweet little booklet the next time your doctor's office is running behind??? Feel free to share this activity with others!  :}

Prayer Partner

I found the neatest idea in our Pre-School Sunday School guide - giving children "Prayer Partners." I thought it would be a great idea to make into an activity and share with you today.
Arrange ahead of time with the parents of one of your child's friends for the two children to become "Prayer Partners." Then each child will make a special effort to pray for his/ her partner every day. 
I even created a simple printable activity for you! After printing the page, cut in half on the dotted line, help the children write each others' names on the solid line, color and decorate as desired, then fold in half to make two little table tents. Place your child's Prayer Partner reminder is a special place, such as on the nightstand in his/ her bedroom. 

It might be a good idea to lead your child in the prayer the first few times. A simple example would be, "God, please bless my prayer partner, (child's name), and take care of him/ her today. Amen." 

I'd love to hear how this worked for your family if you gave it a try. Feel free to leave a comment or suggestion.   :}

1 Samuel 3:9

Each month our little remARKable friends are introduced to a new Bible verse, which we practice in our Nursery and Pre-School classrooms. Throughout the month of September, we are working on 1 Samuel 3:9. 

Feel free to print out this scripture and hang it on your fridge. This scripture has been a good reminder for me to spend more time listening and being open to opportunities.

Psalm 30:4

Sing praise to the LORD, all his faithful people! Remember what the Holy One has done, and give Him thanks!   --- Psalm 30:4

What great words to share with your "littles!"
Warm up your vocal cords, because I'm sharing a song today... (you know the tune for Here We Go 'round the Mulberry Bush, right???)  Feel free to edit/ add your own verses.   :} 

Love thy neighbor...

I'll bet your littles like "helping" you in the kitchen as much as mine do. While it might take three times as long to finish, it's a great family activity. Why not make the most of it, and share some love with your neighbors at the same time???
Grab your favorite cookie recipe (or favorite tube of dough!) and bake a batch or two. While you are waiting for the cookies to cool, read Mark 12:30-31 together. After you wrap them up on a plate, tie on a fancy ribbon. I made a pretty little tag for you, that you can print, cut out, and tie with your ribbon. 

When you get back from delivering the goodies, brainstorm other ways we can show Christian love to our neighbors. Have fun!

Jesus in the bathtub

Ok, so maybe the title of this post is trying to catch your attention, but Jesus is always with us, right?  ;)

As parents are well aware, the days often feel too short to fit everything in. Why not share some scripture while your little one takes a bath? The story of Jesus and the fishermen can be found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I chose Luke 5:1-11 as it is a bit more detailed and perhaps easier for a preschooler to understand. 
Kids love activities that corespond to scripture, so grab a sheet of craft foam and a toy butterfly net. Cut fish out of the craft foam, and your child can use the net to scoop up the fish in the bathtub. How nice it is to know that Jesus wanted fishermen to be His helpers. We can learn to be Jesus' helpers, too. 
As you snuggle your little one into his/ her bed, show how we can use our hands to make a fish...

 ...as a reminder that God is always with us, and we should use our hands to help others.

Psalms 18:49

You know the tune for Mary Had a Little Lamb, don't you? Great!! You're ready to praise God today with your pre-schooler!

God's wonderful creations

Last week I was on vacation in Salt Lake City. FYI, it's a loooooong drive there and back. The neat thing about driving across the country though, is seeing how the landscape changes along the way. As I traveled the gently rolling hills in Iowa, past the flat and open farms of Nebraska, through the rocky hills and sage-brush in Wyoming, then into the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah, I enjoyed the beauty of the land and the variety of plants and animals that God created.

It made me think about a fun activity for pre-schoolers to help reinforce the teachings in Genesis, chapter 1. Grab some old magazines, and help your young child(ren) search for pictures of God's creations. Depending on the age and ability of your child(ren), you might have to assist with the cutting. Find a variety of plants, animals, people, and landforms. Then glue these pictures onto paper or lunch sacks to create a scrapbook (bound together with ribbon or rings along an edge) or a paper-bag scrapbook. Older children can help sort the pictures into groups (land animals, water animals, plants, etc.). 
This is a fun activity that can be worked on for several days. It might be easier to keep all of your supplies for this project in a tub, and then grab the tub on rainy days or when a quiet activity is needed. 
After all of the pages are finished, create a Title Page for your book (perhaps Thank You God For... ) and bind it together. As you "read" through the scrapbook, lead your child(ren) in thanking God for his creations. Have fun!! After your scrapbook is finished, I'd love to hear how it went!  :} 

Luke 10:25-37

We are learning so much this week at Vacation Bible School! One of the stories we read and discussed was about the Good Samaritan. Here are some ideas for reviewing this bible story at home...
While reading the bible together, pause to ask your child questions. Young children can sympathize with how the hurt man is feeling. Pause after reading about each character who saw the hurt man and ask, "Does Jesus want us to be like that person?" Let your child(ren) practice the positive behavior of the good Samaritan by bandaging a teddy bear or doll. Then, help your child(ren) draw pictures of ways to be a good Samaritan at home by doing kind, helpful things. 

welcome July!

It's hard to believe that July is here already! Are you wondering what the remARKable friends are up to this month???

Our Toddlers & Twos who stay for Sunday School will be learning about loving their families.

We will be reading the book of Ruth and talking about all of the wonderful families God made for us.


Kiddos between the ages of 3 and 10 will be learning about how God gives us courage. During Sunday School on July 7th, the children will be exploring the book of Esther.

And don't forget... play-time at the park!! 

Psalm 100:3

Toddlers and pre-schoolers have short attention spans, don't they? Just look at the trail of toys they leave in their wake every day! So how do you capture those teachable moments to teach him/ her about the Bible?
Well, I'm no "expert," but I've worked with little bitties for a long time (and well, sometimes my attention span is about as long as theirs!). I've often found that making learning fun, and including movement and/ or music is quite effective. 
Here's something to try on the next rainy day: 

Find a quiet spot and read Psalm 100:3 
"Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture."

Then, grab some chairs, couch cushions, whatever you have handy and build a "fence" in your living room. Create a gate by leaving an open space or designating one of the cushions as a gate. Everyone gets on their knees and pretends to be sheep. Repeat the scripture, and the sheep move out of the fence to graze and play. After a few minutes, the sheep should return to their fence for a rest. Then, repeat the scripture again, move out of the fenced area... You get the idea! Play for as long as it holds your child's interest.

I'd love to hear from you after you try this at home - feel free to leave a comment or catch me at church and let me know what your kiddos thought!

***And speaking of play-time, be sure you have Wednesday nights at 6pm saved for remARKable friends park play-dates! Our next play-date is July 3rd at Fletcher Park in Mt. Zion. See you there!!  :}