7 Ways To Share The Joy Of Creation With Your Kids
In the beginning, we all did some pretty wild things preparing for our kids to be born.
- We washed and folded teeny-tiny little clothes.
- We read online reviews to find the best crib within our budget.
- We installed a car seat, boiled pacifiers, and painted walls in the nursery.
Every decision was an act of love to prepare a place for that coming child.
It's like how God made this world as an act of love for us.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
These words can become so familiar - like a nursery to a baby who doesn't know anything different - that we overlook all that God did to create the world we live in.
Might it have been incredibly fun for him, like a parent preparing a baby's nursery even before the baby was born?
What if every cloud and star is like a mobile above our "crib?" What if every droplet of water is like a vaporizer for our "room?" What if every color in creation is like the paint on the "walls?" What if every blade of grass is like our soft "carpet?"
What's been created reveals the heart of the creator.
Creation is less about what happened and more about why it happened.
You can help your kids more fully know and appreciate God's heart for them through the world he made for us to all live in. Here are some ideas to help:
7 Ways To Share The Joy Of Creation With Your Kids:
- Be inspired: You can't show your kids something you don't see yourself. Take a moment to look at everything around you with fresh eyes. Tell God what you think of it and him based on what you see.
- Go outside: Bask in the sun. Dance in the rain. Jump into leaves. Sled down a hill. As much as it depends on you, be outside everyday as a way to enjoy what God has made for us to enjoy.
- Let them lead: At least once a week, let your kids take you for a walk. Notice what they notice, even if it means you end up all over the place. Think ahead and bring along a bag or container to collect natural objects or creatures they're interested in.
- Talk about what you see: Whether you're laying on a blanket looking at the sky or driving and noticing the landscape, ask your kids what stands out to them. As they do, point out what God created versus what people made.
- Grow something together: Plant a garden. Hatch eggs. Water a plant each day. Help your kids recognize how God takes care of us just like we take care of nature.
- Name the animals: Visit an aquarium or zoo and use a journal to write down the names of the various fish or animals you see. Describe any of the unique characteristics each one has, and then dream about how excited or creative God was feeling when he invented that particular species.
- Read the Bible: Take note of any type of creation mentioned in Genesis 1 and ask your kids what that includes. For example, when it mentions animals that move on the ground have them name as many animals they can think of that do that. It doesn’t matter how many they can think of as much as you can help them notice there are always more than they know or realize.