Right now we are all being pulled in different directions, with so many new expectations from not only being a parent at home (which is hard enough!), but also an employee, teacher, entertainer, and public health educator. All in close quarters at home!
I would like to lift a burden off, and say that what you are doing is enough. We are all living day by day and trying the best we can. I could give you a flurry of devotionals, website links and daily emails but let’s be honest, we all don’t have the mental energy to process the additional flurry in our inbox.
With this in mind, I want to encourage you that the best faith-based activity you can do at home right now is to talk about faith with your kids. Small rituals like praying before a meal, singing a camp song together in the morning, or reflecting on what you’re thankful for before bed will go a long way. Rather than cramming in scheduled activities in Sunday morning with glue, glitter, and paint galore, a little bit of faith conversations each day will make all the difference.
A great example of this is a simple examen for the end of the day, using the pattern from Faith 5:
Share – your highs and lows of the day
Read – a Bible story or passage
Talk – about how that might relate to your highs and lows
Pray – for one another’s highs and lows
Bless – one another
Turn off the TV, phones and other technology and make a quiet space for your family to gather. Start with reflecting on your day. What were the highs and lows for each member of your family? Accept each person’s thoughts and express care for each answer given. Have a bible story ready to read. You might choose to read some of the post resurrection stories from the latter part of one of the gospels and/or from the book of Acts, or pick up a children’s bible story book such as the Spark Story Bible or Growing in God’s Love: A Story Bible by Caldwell and Wehrheim and read together. You don’t need to make the story fit the highs and lows expressed earlier. Just carry on with your daily bible reading, talk about the story read, and let each family member draw their own connections with the story. Close with prayer inviting everyone to offer their own simple prayer for one another. Finally bless one another before heading off for a night’s rest.
Sparkhouse Sunday School At Home (For Younger Families)
Each week Sparkhouse, our sunday school curriculum provider, is providing families with content for continuing sunday school lessons in family form. You can find the updated lessons each week here.
Growing List of Free Resources for Home
- 35 Tech Free, Faith Forming, Fun Activities For Families to Do at Home
- Cairn Connects – Online Camp Resources Everyday
- Camp-based Chapel for Families at Home ‘Chapodcast’ (from Camp Kintail)
- 30 Days of Lego Play
- Digital Story Time: Holy Troublemakers & Unconventional Saints
- Explaining Coronavirus to Kids Graphic from NPR