226Parenting.com

for Preschoolers

FEBRUARY 2018

What ls Love?

DINNERTIME STORIES

PAGES 8-9

DRIVE-TIME GAMES

PAGES 6-7

BEDTIME QUESTIONS

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WEEKLY BIBLE STORY & MEMORY VERSE

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MORNING PRAYERS

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INTRODUCTIONPAGES 3-4for Preschoolers

What ls Love?

Dr. Josh + Christi

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for Preschoolers

It’s love month! And no, we’re not just talking about Valentine’s Day. With most of the world celebrating “love” in February (some countries celebrate it a different month), we wanted to use it as an opportunity to teach our kids what love really is.

Put simply, the Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:16b, CSB).

• What is the greatest commandment? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37, CSB).

• What’s the second greatest commandment? “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39, CSB).

• But how do we love God, our neighbor, or even ourselves? “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, CSB).

As I mentioned in the coaching video this month, our ability to love others comes directly from our experiencing love from the Father. Let’s use this month to show our kids what it means to come to know love: “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16, CSB). What a great opportunity to show our kids what Jesus did for them on the cross.

But it all begins first by experiencing His love. To do this most tangibly, print out a February calendar and write down your “holy-cow-God-loves-me” moment each day of the month (see coaching video). And make sure to share them with us in the community!

What ls Love?

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for Preschoolers

FOR MOM What is love? Truly, you are love every day to your children!

I (Christi) want to encourage you this month as we talk about love. We give to our kids day in and day out. So often, it feels like the daily deposits of love we’re putting into our kids get no return on investment. When our own love bank account is depleted, that’s when we get irritable and lose patience with our kids (and likely with our husbands too)!

This month, I want to point you back to “the way of the parent.” I know February is a down month for so many of us. Your kids are into their school rhythms. If you’re like me you probably didn’t stick to your new year’s resolutions. And we feel stuck in the middle of winter. This is the time of year I’m most likely to get down on myself and feel like nobody is taking notice.

But let me tell you, your Heavenly Father is taking notice. This month, each day, find your “holy-cow-God-loves-me-as-a-mom” moment. He’s proud of you. He notices you. Allow Him to fill up your love bank account. Because the truth is—nobody else can fill it the way He can anyway. Will you do me a favor this month? Write in the 22:6 Community your “holy-cow-God-loves-me-as-a-mom” moment. Let’s share them together.

FOR DAD How we treat our spouses is one of the greatest predictors of child outcomes. Isn’t that crazy?

I (Josh) have to admit, though, that being intentional with Christi about date night is difficult sometimes. However, when I am intentional, there’s a huge difference in how connected Christi and I feel. I’m not just talking about “being intentional” in setting a date; I’m talking about being creative. Picking the restaurant. Planning the evening. Making it romantic. Creating the memory.

The reason this is so important is because I believe the greatest gift we can give our kids is loving their moms very well. Use this month as an opportunity to honor your wife in front of your kids. Greet her first, before the kids, when you come in the door. Praise her hard work around the house. And ask her about her heart.

Allow this month to be an opportunity to show your kids what true romantic love looks like. Because the greatest gift you can give your kids is loving your wife really well! To help you be creative this month with date night, click here to receive 40 FREE date night ideas and 216 questions around four themes: dream, laugh, adventure, and play.

FOR COUPLES Have you ever wondered where the romantic love we celebrate on Valentine’s Day comes from? Or how that kind of love is different than the love we have for our kids?

As you think about the word “love,” consider the number of ways we use it. Did you know that the Sanskrit language has 96 words for “love”? The ancient Persian has 80. The Greek has four. And the English language? One. It’s no wonder we confuse “love” in our culture.

This month, use the date nights (see Dad section), as an opportunity to discuss the specific ways each of you feels loved. You can begin with the love languages (physical touch, words of affirmation, acts of service, time, or giving gifts). Perhaps you feel loved when your spouse asks you to dream together. For example, we’ve recently been looking into getting a dog. I (Josh) had no idea how loved Christi felt when she found out I took the initiative to email the dog breeder for more information. Such a small act made her feel like she mattered to me.

Use this month as a way to discuss the ways you feel loved by your spouse. In other words, what are the “holy-cow-he/she-loves-me” moments for each of you? Practice making him/her feel loved in those special ways this month!

What ls Love?

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This month, feel free to pray the Lord’s Prayer each morning with your kids. For preschoolers, repetition is key. Choose one of the prayers to pray throughout each week of the month or

choose one prayer to pray the entire month. Tailor them for your children to remember.

MORNING PRAYERSfor Preschoolers

WHAT IS LOVE?

Dear Lord, please help me to learn to love my neighbor

(Matt. 22:39).

Father, I pray today that I will grow to love You with all of my heart, mind, soul, and

strength (Matt. 22:37).

Dear Lord, help me to obey my Mom and Dad and show them how much I love them

(Eph. 6:1).

Dear God, thank You for loving me so much that You sent

Jesus to die for me. Help me to trust You with my whole heart

(1 John 3:16).

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Each month we provide a list of games related to that month’s mile-marker. Simply choose the ones you enjoy as a family and play them often.

DRIVE-TIME GAMES for Preschoolers

WHAT IS LOVE?

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Take turns going around the car putting someone on the “love seat.” The person on the “love seat” receives love from everyone else in the car. For instance, you might say to the person, “I love it when you… (make us a yummy dinner); I love you because… (you make me laugh); I especially like it when you… (play with me); I appreciate you when… (help unload the dishwasher).” You get the idea.

20 Questions of Love. Play a Valentine’s Day/Love Month edition of 20 questions. Someone thinks of something to do with Valentine’s Day or love—a card, a heart, Cupid, Jesus, the cross, a diamond ring, etc. The others ask “yes” and “no” questions, trying to guess what the person is thinking of before the 20-question limit is up.

Love Notes.Throughout the month of February, have your family let one another know all day long how much you care by sending each other heart messages. Cut out a stack of hearts from pink, red, and white paper. Write some little messages on them. Then, hide them in unexpected places. Put them in jacket pockets, in car seats, in computer bags, in shoes, in lunch boxes, in cereal bowls, under pillows, tucked into pajamas, or in books.

The Love Seat.

DRIVE-TIME GAMES for Preschoolers

WHAT IS LOVE?

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Love God. Love Others.

Take 3" x 5" index cards and write down ways we can show God’s love to others by serving them. For example, you can write things like praying for a friend, helping with the dishes, being kind to my siblings, feeding those who are hungry, giving money or a gift to someone in need, writing a thank you letter, visiting the elderly, holding the door for someone, giving someone a hug, raking a neighbor’s leaves, etc. Invite your kids to come up with some ideas as well. Keep the cards in the car when you are done. While driving, pass the cards around and have each person take one card. Have that person say aloud what they picked and give an idea of how they could carry out that act of love. When the car stops, see who can carry out their “act of love” before the next car ride. Anyone who carries out their act of love before the next car ride gets a sticker. You can choose how many stickers your kids get before receiving a prize.

Pray.Use drive time to pray for those in need of love this month. Ask your kids to share who they want to pray for as well.

DINNERTIME STORIES for Preschoolers

WHAT IS LOVE?

Tell your kids the story of how you and your spouse met for the first time. Don’t be afraid to tell details. What attracted you to your spouse? Where did you go on the first date?

Show your kids pictures or video of your wedding day. Tell them funny stories or about any notable events from the day.

Tell the story of how you and your spouse got engaged.

Talk tonight about God’s love. Tell your kids about the ways you know God loves you. Tell about a specific time you had a “holy-cow-God-loves-me” moment.

Love is threefold in the Greek language (philea—brotherly love; eros—romantic love; agape—unconditional, godly love). In other words, we don’t always “feel” God’s love, but that might be because He’s protecting us. For example, our kids might want candy, and because we say no, they don’t “feel” like we love them. On the contrary, we deny them the candy because we do love them and don’t want them to have too much sugar. Talk to your kids about how you trust God’s unconditional love for you even though you don’t always “feel” it. Use an example from your own relationship with your kids to help them see what agape love tangibly looks like.

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06Tell your kids a story about philea—brotherly love. Proverbs 18:24 (CSB) says, “One with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.” Another passage reads, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17, CSB). Who is one of your friends who stays closer than a brother? Tell your kids about him/her. What does the love of your friend mean to you? Give examples of how you and your friend have been there for one another. This is a great way to model for our kids what true friends are all about.

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DINNERTIME STORIES for Preschoolers

WHAT IS LOVE?

The Bible says, “Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it” (Heb. 13:2, CSB). Talk to your kids about how we can “be the love of Jesus” for others. Do you have a story about a time you may have welcomed an angel as a guest without knowing it by how you loved someone? Tell your kids that story.

Talk tonight about specific ways you feel loved by your kids. Tell them what they do that makes you feel loved. Go around the table and have everyone share how they feel loved by one another.

Tell your kids the greatest love story ever told—the story of how Jesus laid down His life for us. If you want to read it from a children’s Bible or your Bible, you can do that. But explain it in detail. Help your kids see what Jesus did for them on the cross and why He chose to die for them. If their hearts are open to it, lead them into placing their trust in Jesus’ unconditional and sacrificial love for them.

Read through 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 with your kids around the table. Help them understand what it means to envy, etc. Have everybody read it with his or her name in the place of “love” in the passage (i.e. Josh is patient, Josh is kind, etc.). When you are done with everyone’s names, put Jesus’ name in there. Use this as an ongoing conversation with your kids about what it means to “be the love of Jesus.” If you’d like, find a way to display this passage in your home as a reminder of how we should show love to others.

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BEDTIME QUESTIONS for Preschoolers

WHAT IS LOVE?

What is love? 01

How do you show love to your friends? 06

When did you feel most loved today? Tell me about that. 07

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? 08

If you could choose one thing we could do together this weekend, what would you choose? (Reasonably speaking, of course, try to follow through on making it happen.)

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What question(s) do you have for me tonight? 10

How does God show you that He loves you? 02

How do you know that Mom and Dad love each other? 03

How do you show Dad/Mom that you love him/her? 04

How do you show your siblings that you love them?05

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WEEKLY BIBLE STORY & MEMORY VERSEfor Preschoolers

WHAT IS LOVE?

BIBLE STORY 1

LOVING SINNERS THE STORY OF ZACCHEAUS LUKE 19:1-10

Memory verse: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

—Luke 19:10, CSB

BIBLE STORY 2

LOVING THOSE IN NEED THE GOOD SAMARITAN LUKE 10:26-37

Memory verse: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” —Luke 10:27, CSB