Sometimes as a mom you just need some peace and quiet, am I right? But it’s those times when your kids seem to need you the most.
What if I told you that you could have some quiet time WITH your kids, and even have a short spiritual conversation at the same time?
It’s possible. I’ve done it! Having SHORT, spiritual conversations is the best way to get into a habit of talking about faith with your kids. It will feel less awkward, and you’ll learn how to help your child grow deep faith roots without feeling like you have a give a theological lesson or have all the questions figured out.
When was the last time you created art with your kids? I really enjoy painting with my boys, although I have to admit that I cringe when they pull out the glitter!
Guess what? Coloring together can draw us closer to God!
Adult coloring is ALL the craze these days. I’d be surprised if you haven’t colored in at least one adult coloring book! I did a quick internet search this week to learn WHY we are so attracted to coloring.
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Apparently, there are a ton of health benefits. Coloring helps you relax, which in turn helps you sleep better.
The psychologist Carl Jung apparently used adult coloring with his patients, thinking it would help his patients access their subconscious. It’s basically, open-ended, unstructured play.
If you spend enough time around me, you’ll discover that I’m a huge proponent of unstructured play for kids.
Have you ever noticed that when kids are bored, they end up making the most creative games? That’s what unstructured play does for us. When our hands are on something kind of boring (like coloring), our subconscious is free to play and starts getting creative. It might come out in our fancy coloring, OR we might find ourselves finding creative solutions to problems.
So that’s all great, but what does that have to do with ideas for spiritually parenting our kids? Wait for it…there’s a brand new coloring book that you can do WITH your kids that includes verses and devotions. It has it all!
Imagine sitting at the table with your child, coloring. Bonus, you can color across from each other instead of getting all up in each other’s business.
Your page and your child’s page are similar, but yours is more complicated because theoretically, you are better at coloring. (Theoretically.)
When your hands are busy coloring, you can read the Scripture passage or the devotional and have a conversation about it. For some reason, conversations with boys tend to be a lot easier when their hands are busy. It seems so much easier to talk about God and the Bible when we’re relaxed. When our hands are doing something a little boring, our minds and hearts connect easier.
Now, you could totally try out this idea by printing off some coloring sheets online, which is, of course, a little bit cheaper, but what I like about this book is that the work is done for me. All I have to do it open it up and grab the colored pencils and I have meaningful quality spiritually-fulfilling time with my son. You can’t get much better than that.
Also, I know the adult coloring craze has mostly targeted women. But just in case you think this is just for females, I found my husband and 3 boys all coloring together one day.
So, not just for girls. In fact, I was told that the illustrations were specifically designed to be un-feminine so that it appeals to boys and girls alike. The “Big and Little coloring devotional” would also make a really fabulous birthday present for someone big OR little. I’m just saying. You should buy 10. This little gem hit the evangelical Christian bestseller list, which is pretty incredible for a coloring book!
You can find this book, “Big and little Coloring Devotional” by Rachel C. Swanson and Jacy Corral on Amazon. You probably won’t find this one at your local library! You might also need to snag yourself a set of coloured pencils!
If you love the books I suggest, you can download my free list of the 10 best Christian picture books using the link below.
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