Parenting Archives - LeeAnn G Taylor - Embracing the Mosaic Life

The Legend of the Sand Dollar – An Easter Object Lesson

March 6, 2021 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Type of Activity: Hands-On Activity

Supplies Needed: Sand Dollar

Don’t live near the beach? You can purchase sand dollars here.

Biblical Truth Shared: God’s creation reminds us of the truths of the Easter story (Romans 1:20)

Have your child look at the sand dollar and all its unique properties. Ask him or her to describe what they see then read the Legend of the Sand Dollar poem.

Have your child break open the sand dollar to find the beautiful doves inside. My mother did this activity with my kiddos and we both were fascinated and have a new appreciation for the reminder in Romans that God’s creation speaks clearly about his power!

legend of the sand dollar — There’s a lovely little legend
That I would like to tell,
Of the birth and death of Jesus
Found in this lowly shell.
If you examine closely
You’ll see that you find here,
Four nail holes and a fifth one
Made by a Roman’s spear.
On one side the Easter Lily,
Its center is the star,
That appeared unto the shepherds
And led them from afar.
The Christmas Poinsettia
Etched on the other side,
Reminds us of His birthday
Our happy Christmastide.
Now break the center open
And here you will release,
The five white doves awaiting
To spread Good Will and Peace.
This simple little symbol Christ left for you and me,
To help us spread His Gospel Through all Eternity

Scriptures:

John 19:34: “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.”

Matthew 2:2: and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:10: “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

Matthew 1:23: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”

Matthew 3:16: “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.”

Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Looking for more Easter activities?

10 Ways to Teach Your Kids About Easter (at Home — COVID-19 Edition)

Parenting With Purpose at Easter

10 Ways to Teach Your Kids About Easter (at Home — COVID-19 Edition)

April 5, 2020 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

10 Ways to Teach Kids About Easter - Hands-On Activities and Books to share the story of Easter

Affiliate links are used in this post to provide links to relevant resources.

With Easter upon us in a few short days and all our normal Easter festivities cancelled, I wanted to share a few ideas you can use with your kids to focus on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, the true meaning of Easter.

It’s so important to us to make sure we’re planting the seeds of truth in their little hearts and minds during a time when the world around us is spinning from all the uncertainty. We can remind them about the most important truth that IS certain — Jesus is RISEN!

While it can feel overwhelming to explain Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection to a child, these resources will give you lots of ideas that you can use or adjust based on the developmental needs of your child and their level of understanding.

10 Ways to Teach Kids About Easter (COVID-19 Edition)

Resurrection Rolls

These are by far our kids’ favorite Easter activity. They remind me every year when it’s time to make these sweet treats!

Supplies Needed: crescent rolls, marshmallows, cinnamon & sugar (or red sprinkles), melted butter, Bible

Biblical Truth Shared: Jesus went into the tomb and then rose again. Jesus is alive!

For this activity, start with reading the Easter story from the Bible. Our favorite Bible for preschoolers is the Jesus Storybook Bible. As you work through the steps of the activity, remind your child about what you just read.
Spread out the crescent roll triangles individually on a baking sheet. These represent Jesus’ tomb.
Next roll one marshmallow first in butter and then in the sugar/cinnamon mixture. This represents Jesus’ body being prepared for burial with oil and spices. If your child is like mine (not okay with cinnamon), then try using red sprinkles to represent blood.
Place the spiced marshmallow in the center of the crescent roll, wrap it up, and press the edges together so the crescent roll seals. This represents the tomb being sealed with the stone.
Bake the crescent rolls according to the directions on the package.
After they cool a bit, let your child open up one of the rolls. The marshmallow is gone – Jesus is alive!

Teach With Music

Music is one way I process things and reflect when my heart and head just can’t seem to get on the same page. The melodies melt my anxiety and the words speak truth into the weary places.

Let these songs play this week around the house and allow your own worries to be transformed by truth.

Or create your own family Easter playlist with your family’s favorites. You can come back to these year after year.

Easter Playlist on YouTube

Read from a Children’s Bible

Our favorite children’s Bible is the Jesus Storybook Bible, but use what you have at home and read the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection this week with your kids.

It’s a simple way to remind them of what happened this week so many years ago that makes the difference between despair and hope to us as Christians.

Sin Rocks & a Jesus Basket – a twist on the Easter Basket

Every year for many years now, the kids have what we call a “Jesus Basket” instead of the traditional Easter basket.

The night before Easter, we take large rocks, use a permanent marker to write sins that we’ve been struggling with on the rocks, and take turns reading them to one another. The rocks are heavy and we discuss how our sins can hurt one another, just as throwing heavy rocks can hurt one another.

This time of recognition and confession is both sweet and difficult, as we have to take the time to really consider the sin in our life. You’ll find as your kids get older, this can be a very impactful time together if you’re willing to lead the way and share vulnerably.

After the rocks are in the basket, we cover them with a red cloth to symbolize Jesus’ blood covering our sins. This basket is then set where our Easter baskets usually appear. In the morning, the sin rocks and the red covering are gone, and simple Easter baskets with treats appear for each child.

We remind the kids that Jesus’ sacrifice was a gift and that he has taken all our sins away with that gift.

When we first started this tradition, I felt like this was the first time our kids really “got” the concept of Jesus paying for our sins. I know personally I learn better with object lessons and this one was impactful to my adult-heart too!

Watch an Easter Video Designed for Kids

There are so many great videos to watch at home that share the true message of Easter with our kids.

I’d encourage you to find one, sit down and watch it WITH your kids (it’s so easy for us to just put it on in the background and go on with our tasks), and then use the time afterward as a time of reflection.

Ask the kids questions that get them talking about the message. I’m always surprised at what they notice or what impacts them the most.

Right now, Minno Kids is offering free content for families “doing church” at home because of COVID-19. You can find videos about Palm Sunday and Easter topics to watch this week to jump start your conversations.

Wash Each Other’s Feet

Supplies Needed: warm water, a large bowl or basin, washcloths

Biblical Truth Shared: Jesus taught us to serve one another

Jesus washes the disciples' feet — photo credit

Read the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in John 13:1-17.

Ask your children what they think that would be like to be the one washing another person’s feet or to be the one receiving the washing. Take them to another room where you have prepared warm basins of water and washcloths.

Play soft music in the background and encourage them to quietly take turns washing one another’s feet.

As a parent, you can participate in this process, potentially going first to visually show your children what to do and how it feels to be served in this way.

Afterwards, talk about how Jesus taught his disciples to serve one another before he was arrested and crucified and the powerful impact that made on them as they took on the job of spreading the gospel to the world.

Remind them that God calls us to serve just as Jesus did. Have them write down one way they can intentionally choose to serve someone else in the next week.

Resurrection Eggs

Supplies Needed: Set of Resurrection Eggs or make your own set

Biblical Truth Shared: Overview of the entire Easter story and the gospel message

Resurrection eggs are a visual way to walk your children through the Easter story. Each egg contains a small trinket that provides a reminder of a portion of the story. Use the pre-made resurrection eggs set or make your own using an egg carton, plastic eggs, and small items you can find around your house.

Number the eggs with a marker so they will be in the correct order when you’re ready to talk about the contents.

You can hide the eggs around your home for a mini Easter egg hunt, then have your child put them in the egg carton in number order.

Egg #1: Oyster cracker (or bread) – Matthew 26:26

Egg #2: Silver coins – Matthew 26:14-16

Egg #3: Purple cloth – Matthew 27:28

Egg #4: Thorns – Matthew 27:29

Egg #5: Rope – Mark 15:15

Egg #6: Cross – John 19:16-17

Egg #7: Nail – John 19:18

Egg #8: Sign that says, “This is the king of the Jews.” – Luke 23:38

Egg #9: Sponge (with vinegar) – Matthew 27:48

Egg #10: Cloves or spices – Luke 23:5-6

Egg #11: Rock – Matthew 27:59-60

Egg #12: EMPTY! – Matthew 28:55-56

Annette from This Simple Home shares these scriptures and a free printable you can use to have all the scriptures quickly on hand while you’re doing this activity.

Decorate Your Yard

One simple way to celebrate Easter and share the message of resurrection with your neighbors while we’re all at home is to put up a homemade cross in your yard the week before Easter.

You can use whatever you can find around your house or yard — sticks work great! Have your kids participate in finding the materials and put up the cross as a visual reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice.

Then, on Easter Sunday, remove the cross and replace it with a homemade sign that says “HE IS RISEN” to share the reason for our hope.

Sidewalk Chalk Encouragement

If you have a sidewalk in front of your house or even just your driveway, use that stash of sidewalk chalk you’ve been saving to create a mosaic of encouragement for your neighborhood.

For younger kids, draw out an outline of a cross or a dove and let them color them in. Write PEACE HOPE LOVE or HE IS RISEN or other encouraging words underneath.

Older kids can design their creations on paper first and make them come to life on the sidewalk to encourage others as they walk by.

Give a Gift to a Neighbor or Essential Worker

Take time this week to remember those who either are isolated or who are essential workers.

Often, this week is typically Spring Break and families are taking time to enjoy family and friends. However, as we’re all staying home right now, you may have neighbors who are feeling isolated and forgotten. Or you may have friends who are healthcare professionals, delivery people, grocery store clerks, or drive-thru workers who are experiencing high levels of stress.

While you’re out on your weekly essential trip to the grocery store, pick up one of the small potted plants or flowers and deliver it to a neighbor or friend with an encouraging note from you and your kids.

It’s one way we can share the love of Jesus after the incredible love He has shown us.

If you find these ideas helpful, share this post to let others know about these practical ideas to share the message of Jesus with our kids. You can find more parenting resources on my blog here.

I truly hope you are able to use this extra time at home with your family to sink deep spiritual roots into your children, reminding them that when all else is uncertain, our hope in Jesus IS certain.

With you on the journey,

Family Honor Plate & Table Thyme Discussion Cards Review

February 18, 2018 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

I’m always on the lookout for fun and engaging ways to bring Biblical truth into our everyday experiences in our home.

With 5 small kids, the reality is that most days are composed of daily household essentials — get dressed, change diapers, eat breakfast, brush teeth, grab backpacks, drive to school, drive to work, get home, review homework, sign papers, make dinner, pack lunches, clean kitchen, work some more, get ready for bed — and repeat.

While I desperately want to plant truth into the hearts of the little people in my care, during this season it’s often woven into the everyday experiences instead of looking like some big elaborate family study.

It’s always an exciting day when I find a tool or resource that I can easily incorporate into the everyday rhythms and the Family Honor Plate and Table Thyme Discussion Cards are both fabulous ones!

The Family Honor Plate is both a one-time family painting activity and a long-term tool that can be used ongoing to celebrate “catching” one of your children or your spouse exhibiting one of the fruits of the spirit.

The kit comes with a white plate, a painting set, and instructions. Thankfully if you make a mistake, the paint wipes right off until you bake the plate in the oven to “set” it and make it safe for use with food.

I’m excited to start using the plate to highlight when my kids make good choices.

Lately we’ve been battling a certain 2 year old’s use of the phrase “stupid dummy” and I’d much rather be celebrating positive behavior and kind words than constantly reminding her that we don’t use those negative mean words.

I like that the Family Honor Plate, with regular use, has the ability to facilitate a family culture of building one another up in love.

While I’m certainly not the most crafty person around, thankfully you don’t have to be to still have a pretty, festive plate! 🙂

A sample of the Table Thyme Discussion Cards come with the Family Honor Plate but the full set is worth investing in as well.

There are some really fun questions like “would you ever go sky diving and why or why not?” and then others that are more serious in nature. I really love this one below, because I think it gets kids thinking about the responsibility of the parents to teach the kids obedience.

Communication is the key to connecting, building and maintaining healthy relationships. When we raise our children to be confident in their ability to communicate with others and get their point across, situations are less stressful and they have better outcomes.

Learning communication skills is a lifelong process and it’s critical that we start the process early in our homes.

With Christmas coming up in the next few weeks, both the Family Honor Plate and the Table Thyme Discussion Cards would make a great family gift!

I’m all for “experience” type gifts that create memories and opportunities for connectedness. These do both!

Here’s to more family connectedness through the holidays and all year long!

Thanks to FlyBy Promotions for sharing a review copy of these with me. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used in this post.

Keeping Your Children Safe Online: A Parent’s Guide

March 27, 2017 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

There isn’t a week that goes by where my Facebook feed doesn’t show a picture of a missing child, usually in conjunction with a warning about internet safety for kids.

As a pregnant mama of twins and with three kids already at home, these stories cut me to the core. I imagine the heartbreak of these kids’ mothers as they struggle to understand what went wrong and how their child could have become a victim of an online predator.

I also want to think this would never happen to our family. The reality is though, it happens everyday to “normal” families like yours and mine.

While my kids are still young, we do set parameters around screen time use in preparation for when they will begin needing to search online for school projects and when they’ll start asking about connecting with friends online through social media.

girl using ipad

My husband is more attuned to the dangers lurking online than I am, as he teaches life skills classes to at-risk middle and high school students weekly. The program includes the district attorney as a guest speaker to explain to the kids the dangers of unrestricted internet use and the implications their actions online may have legally or socially as they grow older. It’s a sobering talk!

Internet Safety for Kids

While I truly want to trust that my kids will follow our guidelines for using devices both in our home and when they are out with others, the truth is that this technology often provides more options and opportunities than their developing minds can appropriately process and handle with the maturity needed to stay safe online.

That’s why I’m thankful for organizations like KidGuard, a company providing a software program that equips parents with tools to monitor their children’s activities online.

From their website:

KidGuard provides a software for parents to monitor their children’s text messages, GPS location and phone logs allowing the parent to stay on top of issues such as cyberbullying, online predators, teen depression, and other risks to their children arising from the internet.

Getting parents more involved with their children’s digital activities will prevent unforeseen dangers that children may face on a daily basis.

We strive to help educate parents on how to protect their children from online threats while encouraging honest communication between family members.

The actual KidGuard software tool is robust and includes features such as the ability to monitor:

text messages
GPS location
cell phone logs
social media activity

I particularly love the focus on encouraging honest communication between parents and children about the dangers online and how to stay safe while using the powerful tool that the internet is.

KidGuard is also committed to educating parents and their Parents’ Survival Guide to Online Safety is an absolute gold mine of information, covering topics in detail including: 5 popular apps among teens to keep track of

Internet Safety Facts Parents Should Know About
Cyber Bulling
Online Predators
How to Help Your Children Protect Themselves Online
Popular Apps Among Teens Parents Should Keep Track Of
Do’s and Don’ts of Online Safety
7 Online Safety Reminders for Your Child
How to Talk to Your Child or Teen About Online Safety
7 Tips on Setting Cell Phone Rules with Your Child
How to Edit Privacy Settings on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp
How to Enable Parental Controls

The information in the parental guide is available topic by topic by clicking through each section individually on the site for more details, the PDF can be downloaded directly from their site, or the hard copy written version can be purchased on Amazon.

If you’re not sure if the KidGuard service is right for your family, I’d encourage you to check out the live demo showing you how the service functions and the 7-day free trial. I was able to connect to the service and start viewing information in less than 5 minutes, so it’s definitely a simple process.

Whether or not KidGuard is the right solution for internet monitoring for your family, I encourage you to take the important steps needed to keep your children safe online by starting the conversations now and by putting boundaries in place for online use in your home and with any devices your children may have access to.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post created in partnership with KidGuard. All opinions are my own.

Parenting with Purpose: New Year’s Reflections for Kids (and Adults)

January 1, 2017 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

The clock just hit midnight and it’s officially the new year. For me, the change of the calendar offers a built-in reminder to reflect on the year that just passed and to think through the coming twelve months.

This year I’m going to try out this New Year’s Resolutions and Reflections for Kids printable with my kids.

I have thoughts on their accomplishments from 2016 and ideas for things I’d love for them to learn and areas of growth for 2017, but there is certainly also something to be said for gaining your child’s perspective on these as well.

My plan is to use this to help guide their thoughts on challenges they faced, things they learned, and opportunities for growth. We’ll think through a variety of areas, including personal, educational, and spiritual growth.

What makes it even more impactful for our kids though is to see us working through the same things in our own lives. If we’re committed to ongoing growth, our kids will likely follow along and begin to understand the importance of evaluating the past and setting goals for the future.

If we’re committed to reflection and growth in the new year, our kids will be too! https://leeanngtaylor.com/parenting-with-purpose-new-years-reflections-for-kids-and-adults

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One of my favorite resources for this process each year is this list of 20 Questions for New Year’s Eve from Tsh at The Art of Simple. This year she’s also added a version for kids and a more in-depth planning guide for the new year.

I can’t wait to check it out and dive into the different areas — Inward Health, Physical Health, Financial Health, Family Health, Relational Health, and Your Children’s Health.

Maybe I’ll start off the year a bit more organized instead of all of the plans and goals I have just swimming around in my head…as they sometimes do…(it’s not just me, is it?!).

Do you have a favorite tool you use to reflect on the prior year and plan for the coming year with your kids or for yourself? I’d love to know about it!

Back to School Parent Survival Guide

August 26, 2016 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

It’s hard to believe the summer is coming to an end! Are you scrambling a bit to get the final school supplies together?

I know I still need to buy new tennis shoes for my 4 year old (who knew feet grow so much faster in the summer?!) and a few school supplies too for my sweet girl who is headed to 2nd grade. We’re out of town this weekend (what were we thinking…) and the first day of school is Monday. At this point I’m just holding on for the ride!

There have been a few things that have been helpful though as we’ve been preparing our routine for the transition back to more structure in the mornings and more busy afternoons and evenings.

So here it goes…10 tips to help you survive the Back-to-School season. I hope these will add some sanity to your life along with providing some practical tools you can use for creating a more God-centered home!

Practical Tips — Around the House

I don’t know about you, but if my exterior world is in chaos, so is my interior world. Before we can create healthy homes where God is at the center, it’s helpful if we focus on some practical ways to create peace in our homes.

1. Prepare the night before.

This is all about setting yourself up for success. Get the kids into a nightly routine of tidying up, setting out their clothes, shoes, and bookbags for the next day, and packing their lunch box. The more you have ready in the morning, the less stressful the morning will be.

PRO TIP: Play a silly song on YouTube and then race to see who can finish first. The kid who wins gets to pick the book we read before bed!

2. Set aside a specific place for schoolwork ahead of time.

There’s nothing that drives me crazy more than piles and piles of school paperwork strewn all over the house. There’s so much paperwork to keep track of at the beginning of the year that it’s essential to come up with a strategy to deal with all the paper ahead of time.

We designate one box per child for papers and then go through the box weekly. If I’m looking for a permission slip or details on a school fundraiser, I’m more likely to find it if it’s in the child’s box instead of stuffed in his or her backpack or buried in a pile on the kitchen table.

PRO TIP: Also designate one box or extra large zippered bag per child for papers to keep throughout the year. Let your child know ahead of time that whatever they want to keep from that school year must fit into the designated container.

3. Have last minute school supplies shipped to your door.

Instead of getting frazzled when your child’s teacher requests yet another school supply, then running out to the local Wal-Mart late at night just so you can go without a gaggle of kids begging for every last thing on the end caps of the aisles, utilize my secret weapon of choice — Amazon Prime.

There is something truly glorious about picking out what you need from the comfort of your computer or phone and then it showing up on your doorstep two days later.

Not an Amazon Prime member? Try Amazon Prime Family free for 30-days. In addition to free 2-day shipping, you also get free access to unlimited music streaming and videos, storage for your photos, an extra 20% off diapers, and more family-friendly discounts.

PRO TIP: You can also share certain Amazon Prime features (like free shipping) with a family member for FREE! Just add them onto your membership through the Amazon Household function.

4. Plan your meals. Or better yet, have groceries delivered to you!

In an ideal world, we’d all have our meals planned out for the week, all the groceries we need on hand would be in our kitchens, and we’d never be scrambling for something for dinner at 5pm. In reality, more days than not I’m still pondering what’s for dinner on my way home from work. This inevitably creates a grouchy momma and hungry kids.

As the school year begins, it’s the perfect time to try out a meal planning system that works for you. Whether it’s a schedule on paper, on your phone, or an online service, taking the time to get even a tad bit more organized in this area will significantly reduce the chaos of your evenings.

These are my favorite printable menu planners – available in 12 different formats for free!

This is my favorite online meal planning service – it’s very reasonably priced and a there’s a 30-day free trial option. This is where I store my favorite recipes from both family members and my favorites from online.

PRO TIP: If it’s in your budget, use a service like HomeChef to deliver groceries for meals right to your door. This is a “secret weapon” type service we use on busy weeks when we still want a home-cooked meal ready in 30 minutes.

5. Go to bed on time.

This might seem like a simple one, but there’s no bigger detriment to peaceful school day mornings than grouchy, sleepy kids who won’t get out of bed or are miserable after they’re up. And let’s be real…sometimes it’s US who need the reminder to go to bed on time, right mamas? If we’re not well rested, we’re more likely to be short with our kids and sabotage our mornings.

If you’re not sure how much sleep everyone in your family needs, the National Sleep Foundation shares a handy chart with updated sleep recommendations for each stage of life.

PRO TIP: Give your children the tools they need to succeed in the morning. Try providing them with a basic alarm clock and empowering them to get up on their own.

Spiritual Life Tips — Create a God-Centered Home

1. Pray for your kids.

There’s nothing more powerful than prayer, especially praying specifically for your children. As much as we desire to protect our children, God truly is the ultimate provider and protector and our purposeful prayer reminds us of those truths.

Need some direction or practical resources? Check out the following resources here: Praying With Purpose: Praying for Your Kids.

Praying Daily for Your Children Calendar (free)
Praying God’s Word for Your Kids – 12 Lesson eDevotional (free)
Book: The Power of a Praying Parent
Book: Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things They Need Most

2. Create a morning routine that includes scripture, prayer, or worship music.

There’s lots of talk online about the importance of morning routines. Even I’ve thrown my two cents into the ring with a post on Maximizing Your Mornings.

The key to creating a God-centered home in the mornings though isn’t the perfect morning routine. Instead, focus on the one or two things you KNOW you can do with your children in the mornings and know that anything you do will reap a harvest in their hearts.

Say a prayer before breakfast.
Keep a family gratitude journal and write in it each morning.
Work on memorizing one scripture together at the breakfast table. Keep the same one for a week so you’re more likely to actually memorize it!
Play music like Seeds Family Worship while kids are getting ready for school to start their day off with truth.

3. Try memorizing scriptures as a family based around what your kids are struggling with.

Last school year I sent my daughter to school with a scripture printable of Joshua 1:9 on the front of her binder, a daily reminder for her to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid since God is with her wherever she goes.

Maybe your kiddos struggle with fear or anxiety or something else. Encourage them by memorizing key scriptures to they will be armed with truth as they head to the challenges that arise in daily life at school.

Here are some examples to start with: (2 pages – free printable)

4. Send scripture with them to school.

It’s so important to plant seeds of truth in our kids’ hearts. One extra way to do that is to include scripture notecards in their lunchboxes.

You can download and print these or make your own!

5. Invest in your own spiritual development — you can only pour out when you’ve been filled up — local or online Bible study

Finally, don’t forget about investing in your own spiritual development. You can only pour out encouragement and love to your children when you’ve been filled up.

I’d encourage you to find a local or online Bible study to connect with other moms as the school year begins. We thrive in community! It’s the way the body of Christ was designed to function at its best.

If you’re looking for an online study, I’d love to have you join me in the Parenting with Purpose private Facebook group for a book club! We’re going through the book and study guide of Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses starting Monday, August 29th.

What are YOUR best tips for surviving the “back to school” season? Leave a comment below and share your wisdom!

Linking up with Literacy Musing Mondays and From Messes to Messages.