September Family Time for 1st-5th Grade
September WordJeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Memorize together as a family.
Week 1– We are talking with our 1st-5th this month about the importance of being teachable. Many people have to learn things the hard way; because they are not teachable. Read 1 Timothy 3:16-17
Spend some time talking to your kids about the difference between being teachable, and being impressionable.
- Teachable- A heart that is soft toward God with appropriate respect for authority so that we can learn and become wise.
- Impressionable- Changing to reflect whoever is around them, or influenced by whatever comes along.
Take time together to discuss their day and moments they were teachable and when they were impressionable, good or bad.
Seize time to make teachable moments and always praise them for making a choice to be teachable.
Week 2– Consequences……….They are the result or effect of an action or condition. Israel had to live under a lot of consequences because they were not teachable. Consequences are meant to teach us so that we don’t make the same mistake again. Read Galatians 6:8
Read as a family this week Ezekiel 11:19-20. God said He would remove the people’s hearts of stone and give them hearts of flesh. This means the people would be moldable, teachable.
- Take a Rock and play-doh. Show your kids how you can’t mold a rock. It only changes if it is hit and broken. Play-doh is easily moldable.
- This week watch for opportunities to remind your kids to not be like a rock, but be moldable, teachable to walk in God’s ways, the right ways.
Week 3– Hearing God Through The Word. There are a lot of ways to hear God. We know what He is saying through His Word and through the voice of the Holy Spirit. We can get great help from people too, but God’s voice and His Word are the most important. Read John 10:27-28
- If we want to recognize God’s voice, we must spend time in His Word. Getting in the habit of digging in the Word with your kids will be depositing truth for a lifetime. Take at least a few minutes in the morning or before bedtime to get in the word.
- Your kids can take turns finding a Word they want to share with the family. This will help your kids develop a love for the Word.
Week 4– Hearing God Through The Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is hard for a child to grasp hearing God with their heart, or the audible voice (which is wonderful and more rare). Galatians 5:25
We don’t have to church it up, and I have found it is easier to be practical. God can direct us with our thoughts, pictures, dreams and ideas. Have you ever had a thought and questioned if it was you or God? A great way to discern is through the Word. Does that thought line up with the Word? God will always speak in accordance with His Word.
- Take some time to let your kids share some thoughts, ideas or words that think are from God. This is a great time to help encourage them that they are hearing Him.
- Write down the words that you want to hold onto and bring back to remembrance. When my youngest son Spencer was 4 years old he heard God for the first time. It was not this wild, elaborate thing; he simply heard God say, “Hey I like you”. He is 17 and we still talk about it. Value what they hear no matter how big or small.
