March: "The Holy Spirit" w/ Little Ones
March: "The Holy Spirit" w/ Little Ones
Not everyone feels a "burning in the bosom" or cries when they feel the Spirit. It's a very personal relationship, and it grows line upon line. That’s why it’s one of twelve gospel principles I’m highlighting and revisiting each year.
The Holy Spirit does so many things in our lives. He comforts us, teaches us truth, warns us, reminds us of Jesus, and gently guides our decisions. Learning to recognize His voice is one of the most important spiritual skills we and our children can develop.
I was prayerful as I decided what to focus on this time: the fruits of the Spirit, and being quiet to hear the Spirit.
Our Family’s “Holy Spirit” Jesus Celebration 🎉
Here are this month's simple, multi-sensory, heart-centered ways we explored the principle of the Holy Spirit and how he helps us follow Christ.
1. Create & Taste — Fruit(s of the Spirit) Salad
I let my little ones create a fruit salad. Then we just enjoyed how good it tasted.
Ingredients:
1 medium apple, pre-diced
3 already peeled and segmented Cutie oranges
Lemon juice (or Cutie orange juice)
Optional: yogurt for creaminess, vanilla, a touch of sweetener
My little ones loved having the freedom to pour and stir everything themselves.
During dinner, I read Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." I shared that when we feel these good feelings, the Holy Spirit is near.
Here is a link to the busy binder which includes my "Fruits of the Spirit" printable I also used to teach this.
The story: I explained that before Jesus died on the cross, He told His followers He would send them an invisible friend so they would not be alone. He called Him "The Comforter." He would help them remember everything Jesus had taught them and help them know what to do.
2. Children's Book — Heartfelt Learning
After dinner, I had my 2- and 5-year-old match the fruits of the spirit with my download below. Then I shared the page about the Holy Spirit in My Covenant Path with Jesus, the board book I created to help children understand their covenant relationship with Christ.
"After we are confirmed, the Spirit can be our invisible friend everywhere we go. He is a good friend because He helps us feel God's sweet love and encourages us to love and serve others like Jesus did."
At bedtime I told my 5 year old:
"The Holy Spirit is very quiet.
"Let's read about quiet," I said. I pulled out the The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood. As different kinds of quiet are illustrated, we pause and take in each kind. Such a great book!
When we finished, I said, "We need to find quiet moments everyday so we can experience our invisible friend, the Holy Spirit, comforting and guiding us."
3. Reflection Questions — Storytelling Magic
We try to share stories about what our covenant relationship has felt like and help our 5-year-old recognize moments of her own relationship.
Us Parents: I reflected on this question and shared:
When has the Holy Spirit helped my relationship with my children improve?
Our child:When have you felt the Spirit?
When I asked my 5-year-old, she said she is bad at feeling the Spirit. I said children are very good at hearing the Spirit. We ended up having a great conversation together that helped us feel closer.
To set the tone, we added a theme to the banner we reuse each month:
“The Spirit Helps Me Follow Jesus”.
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