Five things to teach your kids that will make them better people after the pandemic.
Most of us are entering week 5 or 6 of this....whatever this is and hopefully you are starting to get use to this temporary normal. If you are like me, the first week felt like a month, everything was sad and scary and I didn't have a sweet clue what I was doing. But now, here in week 5, hopefully, life has become a little calmer, a little less fearful and maybe, just maybe, you are starting to see some joy.
I am not a homeschooler. I am not a gifted teacher. Most days I have the patience of Ms. Trenchbul from Matilda (here is a little refresher if you forget who that is). My boys don't like anything that involves sitting, focus or seriousness. I live by schedules and rhythms but quickly realized that, in combination with the above information, this was not the time to implement a new crazy schedule if there was any hope of us making it through alive and still semi liking each other.
Although social media was FULL of all these amazing suggestions and ideas none of them seemed realistic (and probably were not even happening in the homes of those who created them...just saying). I had to figure out what worked for us and, most importantly, what our priorities were during this time.
For our family, this was not a time to worry about numbers, letters, and colours. It was not a time to try and "keep up" with regular schoolwork or "keep up with the Jones". It wasn't a time for colour coated schedules, brand new routines and expectations. This was a time for three things: to grow closer to God, to grow closer to each other and "get through it".
When my kids are grown and gone (gulp) I don't want to look back and say "yes, my kid is the best adder and can spell big words" I do, however, want to look back and say I did everything humanly possible to teach and show my kids that the most important thing in life - to love God and love our neighbours. Periode.
So, with that information in mind. Here are five things we can teach our kids during this time that will actually make them better people when they return to school.
1. Bible Time
This has been the most important addition to our day now that the boys are out of school. Learning and actually reading the Bible is one of the greatest skills we can teach our children, no matter what age. Our churches today like to refer to the Bible as a "manual" or something you pull out when you have a problem or question. I want my kids to see the Bible as the beautiful story it is that teaches them about a God who loves, equips and expects a lot from them. Here are some resources we use every day;
Old Testament Character Conversation Cards
Kids Read Truth Bible Reading and Activity Book - CURRENTLY FREE!
2. Chores
My two year old does the dishes, my four year old strips bed sheets. It's messy, stuff gets broken, there is usually water everywhere but he does them. My kids always had certain things they had to do around the house but, even thought their school days end by 3, I always just wanted to be together instead or making them work more. So, with school out and us home all the time it has been the perfect time to teach them responsibilities and they really do love it!
3. Service
This one has become an essential in this house because mom and dad still have to work and serve. We work for The Salvation Army and still have the majority of our weekly programs running online as well as our food bank. Obviously, lots of precautions are in place but stocking and running the food bank has turned into a family affair. It can be just as easy for you too, just good "ways to serve during the pandemic" and there will be 1 million ways. Use this time to teach your kids the importance and commandment to love your neighbours!
4. Prayer
Kids are probably hearing the word "prayer" now more then ever, even if they are church kids. Everybody is saying we need to pray for each other. There are international prayer movements coming out everyday. But, nothing matters more then actually teaching your kids what prayer is, how to pray and why it's important. This skill will LONG outlast anything else you ever teach them!
Kid's Read Truth The Lord's Prayer Cards
5. Simplicity
Anyone else love how simple this Easter was? What about a birthday? Isn't it nice to have no expectations and work with what you got in your own home (or what you can get on amazon) This beautiful gift of simplifying is another lesson that will benefit our kids long after this pandemic is gone. Simple foods, simple activities, simple play times, simple birthdays, simple celebrations. Even though the world seems more complicated our words have become full of simplicity. This is a lesson that may have been forced on us and our kids but one that is still as valuable.
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Maybe you were hoping for more ideas to fill your time or way less gospel center ideas. But the reality is that many of these lessons fall by the wayside because of our busy lives and schedules. Now is the time to reset. Now is the time to rethink priorities. Now is the time to decide what your life will look like when this is all done. Now is the time to give your kids the gift of long lasting lessons that will make them smarter, stronger and more stable kids when this is all over.
Press the reset button. Refocus everything back to where it should be. Refuse to go back to normal!