January
January is a great time to teach your children about setting goals and having self control.
Fun Food
Sugar Cookie Snowflakes
Use a snowflake cookie cutter and cut snowflakes out of sugar dough. Bake according to the directions for your dough.
Sift some powdered sugar into a bowl. Add just a couple spoons of water. Stir the mix until it is a smooth icing. If it is too runny, add a little bit of sifted sugar. If it is too thick to spread, add a tiny bit more water.
Spread the icing on top of the cooled snowflakes.
Sprinkle any type of sprinkles on top of the icing before it dries.
These are simple and lots of fun. Plus, kids can really make the icing and decorate the cookies themselves.
Use a snowflake cookie cutter and cut snowflakes out of sugar dough. Bake according to the directions for your dough.
Sift some powdered sugar into a bowl. Add just a couple spoons of water. Stir the mix until it is a smooth icing. If it is too runny, add a little bit of sifted sugar. If it is too thick to spread, add a tiny bit more water.
Spread the icing on top of the cooled snowflakes.
Sprinkle any type of sprinkles on top of the icing before it dries.
These are simple and lots of fun. Plus, kids can really make the icing and decorate the cookies themselves.
Incentive Chart
Use this incentive chart to track progress towards a goal. You can use it for anything you like.
1. Decide on a goal. What do you want your child to work on? Reading books? Sharing with others? Potty training? Memorizing Scriptures? Pick one specific thing you want to see improved.
2. Decide how you want to fill in the squares on the chart. You can laminate the chart or put it in a protective sleeve if you want to be able to wipe it off and use it again. You can use stamps, stickers, check marks, or any other "marker" you want to use.
3. Determine a reward. What motivates your child? Candy? Time on an electronic device? Time for crafts? Whatever your child loves to do the most will be a great incentive. Pick a reward that is affordable and won't be unhealthy (like a couple candies instead of a whole pack).
4. Determine how frequently the reward will be given. Is the reward given when one row is finished? Or when the whole page is complete? Print out the chart. Use brightly colored paper if desired.
5. Explain the new plan to your child. For example, "Mark, look at this fun page. You know I have been talking with you about reading more books. This month, whenever you read a new book by yourself, you can put a sticker in the square. When each row is full, we can go to the library and get new books. When the entire page is full, we can go to Half Price Books (discount book store) and pick out a new book for your personal library." This is just an example and would only be motivating to a child who likes to read but isn't really into it during the summer, or some similar situation.
6. Let your child color and decorate the incentive chart.
7. Post it in a convenient location with the markers/stickers/stamps nearby.
8. Be consistent and have fun!
1. Decide on a goal. What do you want your child to work on? Reading books? Sharing with others? Potty training? Memorizing Scriptures? Pick one specific thing you want to see improved.
2. Decide how you want to fill in the squares on the chart. You can laminate the chart or put it in a protective sleeve if you want to be able to wipe it off and use it again. You can use stamps, stickers, check marks, or any other "marker" you want to use.
3. Determine a reward. What motivates your child? Candy? Time on an electronic device? Time for crafts? Whatever your child loves to do the most will be a great incentive. Pick a reward that is affordable and won't be unhealthy (like a couple candies instead of a whole pack).
4. Determine how frequently the reward will be given. Is the reward given when one row is finished? Or when the whole page is complete? Print out the chart. Use brightly colored paper if desired.
5. Explain the new plan to your child. For example, "Mark, look at this fun page. You know I have been talking with you about reading more books. This month, whenever you read a new book by yourself, you can put a sticker in the square. When each row is full, we can go to the library and get new books. When the entire page is full, we can go to Half Price Books (discount book store) and pick out a new book for your personal library." This is just an example and would only be motivating to a child who likes to read but isn't really into it during the summer, or some similar situation.
6. Let your child color and decorate the incentive chart.
7. Post it in a convenient location with the markers/stickers/stamps nearby.
8. Be consistent and have fun!
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Setting Goals
This is a great time to teach your child about setting goals. What is something your child wants to be able to do or needs to do? Play soccer better? Read more books? Eat more veggies?
- As a family, discuss how you want life to be different. What can you change that will bring glory to God? Pick 1 thing for each person or for the family to work on. Write it out on a piece of paper or index card and post it in the kitchen or some place where it can be seen frequently. For example, "We want to spend more time together as a family." Or, "I need to learn my math facts better."
- Then, discuss how you know when you have gotten to your goal. Make it measurable. For example, "Let's have 1 night a week when we are together as a family." Or, "I need to be able to say the answer to each multiplication fact in 2 seconds or less."
- Next (and this is what makes it different from a new year's resolution0 set a time frame for reaching the goal. Do you want to have a family night each week for 1 month? Do you want to learn the math facts by the end of school's 6 weeks period?
- Determine a reward. What can help motivate you to do this? Connect it to the goal. For example, if you want to spend time together as a family, the reward could be to go bowling together. Or if your kids love video games, it could be to buy a video game that the family can play together. If the goal is learning math facts, the reward can be a new math app, or a special dessert at school one day.
- So you have a plan, pray for help. Pray together as a family for God to help everyone reach their goals for His glory. Keep your goal posted. Talk about it frequently. Talk about why you want to do it. Encourage each other to stick to it. Keep track of your progress.
- When the time frame ends, check see if you met your goal. If so, celebrate and enjoy the reward. If not, talk about why the goal wasn't met. Talk about the blessings we miss out on when we don't do our best. Then, if you want to, start the process over again and set a new goal!
- As a family, discuss how you want life to be different. What can you change that will bring glory to God? Pick 1 thing for each person or for the family to work on. Write it out on a piece of paper or index card and post it in the kitchen or some place where it can be seen frequently. For example, "We want to spend more time together as a family." Or, "I need to learn my math facts better."
- Then, discuss how you know when you have gotten to your goal. Make it measurable. For example, "Let's have 1 night a week when we are together as a family." Or, "I need to be able to say the answer to each multiplication fact in 2 seconds or less."
- Next (and this is what makes it different from a new year's resolution0 set a time frame for reaching the goal. Do you want to have a family night each week for 1 month? Do you want to learn the math facts by the end of school's 6 weeks period?
- Determine a reward. What can help motivate you to do this? Connect it to the goal. For example, if you want to spend time together as a family, the reward could be to go bowling together. Or if your kids love video games, it could be to buy a video game that the family can play together. If the goal is learning math facts, the reward can be a new math app, or a special dessert at school one day.
- So you have a plan, pray for help. Pray together as a family for God to help everyone reach their goals for His glory. Keep your goal posted. Talk about it frequently. Talk about why you want to do it. Encourage each other to stick to it. Keep track of your progress.
- When the time frame ends, check see if you met your goal. If so, celebrate and enjoy the reward. If not, talk about why the goal wasn't met. Talk about the blessings we miss out on when we don't do our best. Then, if you want to, start the process over again and set a new goal!
When You Walk By The Way...
Deuteronomy 6 tells us teach our children to fear the Lord, to keep His commands, and to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. Every day we should look for opportunities to point our children to God. This month can be a great time to focus on having self control. This also goes well with setting goals, as described above.
Talk with your children about having self control. Talk about what it is and what it means. We can't do what we feel like doing. We need to do what is right. We can't let our emotions control us. We must control our emotions. But we can't do it on our own. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. Talk about times when it is hard to have self control, like sharing a toy with a kid who is usually mean, or cleaning up when it is more fun to play, or missing out on a social event because your parents don't think it is appropriate. Role play some of those situations. Look in the Bible to see what God says about having self control. Throughout the month, whenever self control is needed, stop and pray. Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you/your child. Say a verse from the Bible about self control and pray for the strength to do the right thing. Some verses about self control are below. You can post them or have them handy so you con reference them throughout the month. You can also look up verses about a particular area, such as sharing or using kind words, if there is something in particular with which your child needs more self control.
Talk with your children about having self control. Talk about what it is and what it means. We can't do what we feel like doing. We need to do what is right. We can't let our emotions control us. We must control our emotions. But we can't do it on our own. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. Talk about times when it is hard to have self control, like sharing a toy with a kid who is usually mean, or cleaning up when it is more fun to play, or missing out on a social event because your parents don't think it is appropriate. Role play some of those situations. Look in the Bible to see what God says about having self control. Throughout the month, whenever self control is needed, stop and pray. Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you/your child. Say a verse from the Bible about self control and pray for the strength to do the right thing. Some verses about self control are below. You can post them or have them handy so you con reference them throughout the month. You can also look up verses about a particular area, such as sharing or using kind words, if there is something in particular with which your child needs more self control.
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