|
|
Here is a suggested routine
This is to help set a rhythm for each day and provide alternatives to screen time. You can download other schedule options by clicking the button below.
|
|
Learning Time
Character Focus for Today: Forgiveness
Forgiveness is: “Clearing the record of those who have wronged me and not holding a grudge.” This means letting go of being angry or upset with someone for something they did to you or to someone you love. It doesn’t mean that you always forget about what they did, but you are choosing not to stay upset or let what they did affect you in a bad way. You can show forgiveness by not getting back at those who have hurt you, forgiving them right away, speaking kindly to them, and asking for forgiveness when you’ve done something wrong. When you show forgiveness, it keeps you from being bitter and angry and helps you show kindness to those who have wronged you. Also, it can help you be an example to encourage others to forgive and do what is right.
|
|
Forgiveness Activity
Forgiveness Activity: Bean Bag Battle
Supplies:
10-15 bean bags (small stuffed animals or other small, soft toys will also work)
Pillows
Divide your children into two teams and give the bean bags to one team. Have each team use the pillows to build walls to shelter behind. When everyone is ready, the team with the bean bags can start throwing them gently at the other team, who can then start throwing them back. Once the teams have thrown the bean bags back and forth for a few minutes, tell them to pause. Ask them how the “battle” will stop if the two teams are always throwing the bean bags back and forth at each other. The only way for them to end the “battle” is if one or both sides decide to stop throwing the bean bags. Have your children come into the middle, shake hands, and end the “battle.”
Talk About It: When someone hurts us, we may want to hurt them back. This is called revenge. But when we try to take revenge, we aren’t showing forgiveness. It can also create a dangerous cycle of revenge if we do something mean to the person who hurt us, then they do something mean back, and so on (like when you were throwing the bean bags back and forth). The cycle won’t end until someone decides to stop seeking revenge and chooses to forgive. When someone wrongs you, forgive them and don’t try to do something mean back.
|
|
Hands-On Activities
First Activity: Aluminum Foil Stained Glass Windows
Supplies:
One medium-sized, sturdy piece of cardboard per child
Plastic wrap
Aluminum foil
Sharpies (black and colored)
One coloring page per child
Tape
Begin by gently crumpling a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to wrap around one piece of cardboard. Unfold the foil carefully and wrap it around the piece of cardboard. Next, lay the coloring page on your kitchen table or other hard, flat surface. Place a piece of plastic wrap, also big enough to wrap around the cardboard, tightly across the top of the picture. Carefully tape the corners to help hold it in place. Let your child outline the picture with the black sharpie, being careful not to tear the plastic wrap. Then they can take the other markers and color the picture in. When the picture is colored, help your child lift the plastic wrap, while leaving the tape intact, and place it on top of the aluminum foil. Once the plastic wrap picture is positioned where your child wants it, secure it tightly in the back with the tape. Apply more tape to help keep it in place. Put you r stained glass window somewhere you’ll be able to see and enjoy it.
(Images from: afaithfulattempt.blogspot.com, http://afaithfulattempt.blogspot.com/2018/01/faux-stained-glass-using-tin-foil-and.html)
|
|
Second Activity: Personal Play Time (30 min.)
This is a happy time when children get to be in their room and play something of their choosing by themselves. Siblings who share a room can be together. The children might greatly oppose this idea at first, but after several days (up to a week) they may be begging you for more time. Keep it positive! Be excited about it! After the time is up, they must clean up what they were playing with and "Personal Play Time" is over. After this, they must come out of their room. Changing up locations throughout the day keeps things interesting and creates anticipation for the next activity
|
|
Creative Play
|
|
Activity: Boarding House
Have one child create the boarding house by making different “bedrooms” in their room or the living room. Everyone else can then make up a name and story for themselves. Let them have fun using their imaginations and finding out different things about the people their fellow boarders are pretending to be.
|
|
|
Quiet Time Ideas: reading books or listening to audio adventures.
Audio Adventure Idea: Lamp Lighter
You can listen to a free episode from Lamp Lighter Theater every week.
https://www.lamplightertheatre.com/listen-online
Your Story Hour Listen to Your Story Hour for a new story every day about historical figures, Bible characters, and other adventures!
https://www.yourstoryhour.org/
|
|
As the afternoon is starting to come to a close, have your children update their journal. Encourage them to write or draw something that happened today and also something for which they are grateful. (If they don’t have a journal they can decorate a notebook or make a journal from scratch using paper, a stapler, stickers and/or markers.)
After the devotional tonight, have your child write down in their journal one thing they learned from the lesson along with their action step.
Here is a review question from last week's devotional:
What do the lost sheep and the lost coin represent?
|
|
Family Devotional Idea
|
|
|
Click the button below to download today's devotional!
|
|
In The Gap Kid's Forgiveness Video
|
|
|
|
Watch this fun video to learn how you can show forgiveness!
|
|
|
If you know of someone who would benefit from this email, please forward this on to them and encourage them to sign up to receive these daily activity emails for themselves. They can subscribe at: https://www.inthegapkids.org/sign-up/
|
|
|
Did you miss our past issues? Click the button below to view them now!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
