August: "Obedience" w/ Little Ones
Jesus taught that true obedience begins in the heart. He wants us to follow Him because we love and trust Him, not just because we're told to (John 14:15–31). He also teaches us to use our agency to choose good and do many things of our own free will (D&C 58:26–28).
As I taught my children about obedience, I wanted them to understand both of these truths.
Our Family’s “Obedience” Jesus Celebration 🎉
This month, I created a simple, multi-sensory, heart-centered way to help our family explore the principle of obedience (not always all on the same day).
Below are a few of the ways we experienced it together.
1. Create & Taste — Musical Psalm 23 Snack Activity
My family and I found this scripture song so beautiful and uplifting that we memorized it together. It's literally Psalm 23 put to music. You can find it by entering Psalm 23 Song (KJV) "The LORD is My Shepherd" (Rebekah Mui) on Youtube. For this snack activity, I created this little food scene and we acted out the scripture with the food and snacked while listening to the song.
Ingredients:
Cucumber slices
Banana slices or mini marshmallows
Vanilla yogurt
Cheese cubes
1 cheese stick or pretzel
Crackers
To my 2-year-old, I shared that Jesus is our shepherd, and we follow Him.
I asked a couple questions to my 6-year-old: Why do sheep follow the shepherd instead of wandering? Have you ever followed someone you trusted? What do you think it means to follow Jesus?
We talked about what real shepherds would do back then to know and protect their flock, and how Jesus is just like that. My daughter was really touched by Jesus' dedication.
2. Children's Book — Heartfelt Learning
I enjoyed how this story, The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, has a little boy on his own decide to reach out to someone in order to help and befriend, even though he had been experiencing being left out himself. His motivation to do good was out of empathy and no adult in the book had given him the idea. I shared this with my daughter, then easily tied in the reflection questions below and had another good conversation.
3. Reflection Questions — Storytelling Magic
We shared stories about what our relationship with Christ has felt like and helped our 5-year-old recognize moments of her own relationship growing.
Our child: We told her a story of when she has done something good without being told to and said she was being like Jesus without being told. We asked her how it felt and said that was the Holy Ghost telling her she had chosen to do a good thing.
Us Parents: When have we obeyed God by doing good without being told to? How did it feel?
To set the tone, we added a theme to the banner we reuse each month:
“Obedience: What would Jesus do?”
I've been giving this banner with an interchangeable centerpiece away to my email subscribers. If you'd like it, join the e-letter list below!