Thanksgiving Snail Mail

Hey friends! While I wait for baby and then spend some extra time snuggling the new little one, I wanted to invite Kayla from Baby Devotions to share some fun ideas and activities to enjoy with your kids this holiday season. Be sure to visit her website or say hello to her on Instagram. She shares so many intentional and simple activities to do with your kids to teach them about Jesus, kindness, and the world around us :)

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and one of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is sending thank you notes to some of our loved ones. This year I decided to mix up the tradition a little by making our own Thank You cards. My toddler loves Daniel Tiger, and I have found Daniel Tiger's “Thank You Day” episode has really helped her raps the concept of what the holiday is all about. In the episode, Daniel's family journeys to the enchanted garden where they hang their Thank You cards on the “Thank You Day” tree. So we decided to make our own “Thank You Day” trees for our Thank You cards. 

What you need: 

Construction Paper

Black fine-tip marker

Ink pad 

What you do: 

1. Fold the construction paper in half

2. Using a black fine-tip marker, draw a bare tree trunk on the paper. This can be as fancy or simple as you want. If you have older children, let them draw the tree. 

3. Then have your child dip their thumb in ink and then press it on the paper. These are the leaves. Repeat until there are several leaves on the tree. 

4. Write a note of thanks inside and send it to a loved one. 

Variations:

The fun thing about this project is it can be used for all ages. For young toddlers and babies, you can simply help them print their thumb “leaves” and it becomes a sweet keepsake for grandparents that might receive the note. For older children, have them think of the person they are sending their note to. For each leaf they print, have them think of something they they appreciate about that person (i.e. taking them for ice cream, they're kind, playing catch with them, etc.)

Who might you send a thank you card to? What ways could you adapt this activity for your family? 

ps. Thanks for sharing Kayla! Snail mail really is so fun to send! If you are looking for another fun activity to do with your kiddos this season, check out the free gobbly cute turkeys and thanksgiving verse cards.

From A to Z: Letter Z

ps. the verse cards you see in this picture are part of the full A-Z download in the shop :)

Well, friends, we made it to letter Z! This A-Z Bible truth series has been such a joy to work on, do with my own family, and share with you!

Of all the letters, we actually haven’t done letter Z yet. But, with a baby coming in a few weeks, I wanted to be sure to get the pack up on the blog so that the whole A-Z series is available.

I am, however, excited to read the story of Zacchaeus with my boys and teach them to Seek God with Zeal. We’ll definitely have to talk about what zeal means (because most 5 and 2 year olds don’t use that word on a daily basis. Ha!), but I love how the word zeal describes so much of how can pursue and seek God and knowing more about Him. We get to seek Him excitedly, with passion, with devotion, gusto, and energy!

This lesson includes an easy craft that would also go well with these free nature printables. While you make the paper binoculars, you can chat about how we can seek God and look for all the ways He shows Himself to us (nature is a great place to see God’s handiwork!).

If you’ve made it all the way to letter Z, cheers to you! My prayer is that these lessons have helped you share more about Jesus, God’s Word, and Bible truths with your little ones.

Just as a reminder, the whole series will always stay free on the blog. You can start with the letter A and see all the posts in the series here.

But, if you’d like all the downloads in one place as well as some additional resources, check out the whole Explore Bible Truths Creatively in the shop.

I hope to be popping in here and there once baby arrives, but if this blog gathers a few cobwebs over the next few months, bear with me. I do plan to get back into the groove once life settles in with baby #3. I’ve been dreaming up lots of ideas, new products, free resources, and fresh blog series for you too!

Have a good one, friends!

Nicole

On the Bookshelf: Bible Infographics for Kids

You know those books that you buy and maybe (just maybe?) you end up enjoying or appreciating it more than your kids?

Well, this is one* of those books.

Of course, my oldest still likes to look through it, but my husband and I have loved reading through it and learning more about the Bible. I’ve definitely learned some new things!

It’s geared a little more for older kids (I’d say 7 or older would enjoy it best), but we enjoy reading a page or two at night with our our kids or using it to add some interesting facts to a story we are learning. For example, we’ve looked at the visuals about how big Noah’s ark was when we learned about Noah or learned fun scientific facts related to creation (like how fast the earth is moving around the sun). My oldest loves to learn about science and facts—so he gobbles it all up (even though he probably doesn’t understand it all).

If you are looking for a neat reference book with lots of interesting facts and cool visuals, I’d highly recommend this book to add to your bookshelf. Even if your kiddos are younger, I bet you’ll learn something new related to the Bible too!

Have a good one!

Nicole

*affiliate link (check out my disclosure for more info)

From A to Z: Letter Y

Letter Y is for Jesus loves YOU!

Letter Y is one of the simplest truths of all of them—but isn’t also one of the best? Of course, I want my kids to know all kinds of good truth about God. I want them to know that He rescues them, that He gives us grace, and that He is our helper. But, in the end, if the only thing they remember or take to heart is that Jesus loves them—I’d be fine with that!

The activity for this lesson is so easy, but it kept little hands scribbling for a long while, and it gave us lots of time to talk about how much God loves them (and how much we do too!).

As you sing, “Jesus Loves Me,” color hearts, and read the story of how Jesus welcomed the children, I hope that it reminds you and your kiddos of the depth of love that Jesus has for us. It may be a simple truth—but is truly is life-changing if we really, really believe it!

Have a good one friends!

Nicole

ps. we are almost to the end! But if you’d like to grab the whole A-Z pack + some extras, check it out in the shop :) 

From A to Z: Letter X

Letter X, you were a bit of a pickle. How many words can you find in the Bible that start with X. Well, a few. But I couldn’t quite figure out how to have Xerxes a part of a Bible truth. Ha! So, I cheated a bit and decided that Follow Jesus’ Example would work—because it is such an important truth! Jesus lived the perfect life, obeyed God, loved others, taught others, and gave his life up; he is truly the best example to follow.

Of all the hands-on art activities, this activity was my probably my favorite. Not only did the boys enjoy painting, but I did too. It was so simple, yet the activity illustrates that even though we can’t be a perfect copy of Jesus, we can still reflect him.

As you read the story of how Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and talk about how Jesus led by example, you can spark up a conversation or ask questions about how we can reflect Jesus.

Don’t be afraid to dig into the paints with your kiddos on this one too :)

ps. one of my favorite tips is to use a painter drop cloth as a tablecloth during messy art projects. It’s makes clean up super easy!

Just in case you missed it, be sure to check out the whole Bible Truths from A-Z pack over here.

Have a good one!

Nicole