BJU Press Blog

gifts

10 Ways to Make Christmas Memories

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One of my earliest Christmas memories is of sitting with my family as we read aloud The Story of Christmas, a children’s book full of captivating illustrations depicting Christ’s birth with text from Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2.

Why is this memory so vivid to me? Probably because my family repeats this scene every year. No matter who is with us or how old we all become, it’s a wonderful way to focus our attention on the true meaning of Christmas. And we always do it before any of the presents are opened.

Whether your family is just starting to create some simple Christmas traditions on your own or you’ve developed quite a few over the years, here are a few ideas of ways to celebrate this season.

Christmas Crafts

Tell the Story of Christmas

  • “My Gifts”—A beautiful poem depicting the Christmas story through the eyes of Mary, Zacharias, and the shepherds.
  • The Story Behind Benjamin’s Sling—About a beloved JourneyForth picture book, this post offers insight into why the author chose to write a story about a poor shepherd boy.
  • Learning About the Big Story in Reading—Our Reading 2 and Reading 3 textbooks provide your children the opportunity to retell key events of the gospel narrative through what they learn. A homeschool mom tells how this activity was a blessing.
  • A Tale of Three Trees—Decorate your Christmas table around the theme of this traditional folktale.

Give Gifts with Homemade Crafts (and Printables!)

Make Family Memories

My wish is that these activities provide you with an opportunity to remind your children why Christ chose to humble Himself and be born as a man (Philippians 2:5–11).

Benjamin’s Sling

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In searching for a new Christmas story for K4 through beginning readers, I was deeply impressed when I discovered Eileen Berry’s Benjamin’s Sling. Initially, I saw it as a fresh, beautifully, simple children’s Christmas story. But as I read further, I unearthed abundantly satisfying answers to some of life’s most complex and timeless questions. Perhaps like me, you may be surprised that Benjamin’s Sling appeals to everyone from grandparents to preschoolers.

book cover of Benjamin's Sling by Eileen Berry

The story opens with a sleepless night. An orphaned shepherd boy wrestles with the comforts that he sees around him but that have been denied him personally. The twinkling lights of Bethlehem just before it slumbers stir his envy of those with a normal family life as he looks down on the town from the pastures he calls home. Fear and loneliness run deep for this child—the sad results of trauma and loss—and the author brings them vividly forward in the pastoral musings of the boy’s heart.

Jumpy and trigger-happy when it comes to using his sling, Benjamin has joined the ranks of the hyper-aware at a young age. Modern readers easily identify with the questions and doubts that swirl in his head concerning God’s sovereignty and whether His good will toward men is real. “Why didn’t God—who is able—prevent his father’s untimely death? What dangers yet await him, as a vulnerable lad?” An older shepherd—Caleb, who is Benjamin’s close and kind guardian—doesn’t have all the answers to the boy’s questions. But, as is characteristic of the wise guide, he points Benjamin to the One who does. Fully aware that there are places only experience, maturity, and divine grace can take Benjamin, Caleb reminds him of his father’s strong love and of God’s protection of that most famous shepherd—David. But words are not enough to bring Benjamin to peace with his past.

Only seeing the Savior can quiet the shepherd boy’s trembling heart—and it all begins with some very loud voices on the hillside.

You, your children, and your grandchildren will thrill again when you read of these simple shepherds meeting with the King of Kings. You will rejoice at the transforming power experienced by the humble few, chosen to experience that first Christmas. In this rich, poetic setting of Eileen Berry’s enthralling account, I found the perfect Christmas gift. I cannot recommend highly enough this classic story that will bless your family year after year.

View the opening pages of Benjamin’s Sling at bjupresshomeschool.com. Discussion questions are also available on the product page.

 

Five Great Goodbye Gifts for Your Class

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crayons in a yellow bucket with colored pencils, candy, and balls

Endings are almost always bittersweet. As you wave goodbye to each precious life that sat in your classroom this year, you may feel a mix of elation and sadness. Before they go, give each child something that shows your care and appreciation. It doesn’t need to be dramatic, expensive, or even super-creative. A tiny, simple gift can have a huge impact on a little one’s heart.

1. Buckets of Fun

For younger students, stuff a small plastic bucket with some treats and treasures that they can enjoy over the summer. Items such as pencils and erasers, crayons, and sidewalk chalk invite students to keep writing, drawing, and expressing themselves during the summer months. Lollipops, sticks of gum, fruit snacks, or nut-free chocolates appeal to every child’s sweet tooth. To encourage math skills, drop in a few pennies as well. Top the bucket handle with a ribbon. Then, write a note to the student expressing your appreciation and telling him or her to check with a parent before using the items in the bucket.

2. Game Time

Give your elementary students a reason to step away from video games, tablets, and computers this summer. Pick up inexpensive card games or board games for them, or purchase sets of small tennis-style rackets and balls. Inject a little extra fun and encourage outdoor play by offering each student a water gun as an end-of-year gift. Many of these items are inexpensive and available at your local dollar store.

3. A Thankful Heart

To thank the parents who have volunteered in your classroom or lent their brainpower to help with homework, have each student draw a picture or write a few sentences about the many ways that parents help children. Scan those pictures and messages, copy them, and assemble them into simple memory books that the children can take home to Mom and Dad.

4. Write Back at You!

If you want to stay in touch with your students, give each one a beautiful postcard, already stamped and addressed to you. Tell your students that if they write on that postcard and send it to you over the summer, you’ll send them a letter. The idea of getting their own mail should spur at least a few of them to exercise their postcard-writing skills.

5. The Reading Cycle

Summer reading shouldn’t be a chore─it should be an adventure. Pick up some pre-loved fiction books from your favorite used book shop and hand them out to your students. Keep the books high on fun and short on the page count. At the end of each book, tape a brand-new bookmark, along with a note that says, “For your next reading adventure.”

Use your imagination as you think about end-of-year gifts for your students. Whether it’s slapping a “You’re a Smart Cookie” label on a pack of mini OREO® Cookies or handing out pocket-size bottles of scented hand sanitizer, your students will love the gesture. Children can never have too many people to care about them. Let your students know that you will stand behind them, cheering them on through the summer and beyond.

OREO is a registered trademark of Mondelēz International group.

What end of the year gifts do you give your students?

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Rebecca is a work-at-home freelance writer, novelist, wife, and the mom of two bright-eyed little ones. She credits her success in writing and her love of books to her own mom, who homeschooled three kids from pre-K through high school.

Community Service? Not as Scary as You Think

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Mention “community service,” and some of us get weak in the knees. Suddenly all our other commitments begin to protest inside our heads, and we find ourselves thinking—if not saying—“I simply don’t have the time or the energy.” We feel guilty because we know teaching our children to give back is important, but our feelings of intimidation cause us to opt out of opportunity.

The problem could be that we just aren’t aware of the breadth of the community service umbrella. We may be thinking evening-news-making, grand-scale projects such as feeding a hundred homeless people every night of the year—an admirable accomplishment, don’t get me wrong.  But there are myriads of projects in the category of “back up” or “support” that would qualify as community service. When we place the emphasis on thoughtfulness rather than on mobilizing a large group of people or racking up hours, sharing becomes not only feasible but a valuable exercise in creative ministering.

WP-Free-Lemonade-2015Ideas of how to be a support and encouragement to volunteers already in the trenches are limited only by our imaginations. Do you know someone who delivers food for the Meals on Wheels Association of America™? Could they use a meal now and then after a busy day of serving others? Would your local fire station welcome a few gallons of homemade lemonade on a hot summer day? Do you have a regular magazine subscription causing clutter around the house that a literacy volunteer could use in an adult reading class? Are diapers on sale at a store in your community that volunteers at your local pregnancy crisis center would gladly receive?

It goes without saying that community service affords us the opportunity to let our light shine.  Even if we have only a small portion of time and energy to invest, simple acts of kindness will serve to heighten our children’s awareness of the needs around them and the rewards of being an encouragement. If the perceived level of involvement is what is scaring you away, take heart: Creativity and thoughtfulness are the real keys to making a difference.

Have you found ways to help out in your community? How have you been able to involve your children?

Developing a Generous Spirit in Children

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soldier giving gift to a little boy
“Untitled” by MC2 Kevin B. Gray/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Christmas is almost here! Can you remember the excitement shivering up and down your spine and bursting energetically out through gleeful screams of joy? Or maybe you sheepishly remember the pouting whines of disappointment after you unwrapped yet another present that you didn’t ask for or want. Being thankful for the generosity of others wasn’t the first thing on your mind. Neither was being generous to others. Because of our own experiences as immature children, we know the importance of teaching our children to be generous rather than selfish.

The focus of Christmastime should be on the Savior, who was born to die as the substitute for our sins. Though peripheral to the main point of Christ’s substitutionary death (which was far more than simply an example of generosity for us to mimic), a fitting application of this event is to recognize the generosity of God’s gift to us and in turn to demonstrate generosity by giving gifts to others. But how can we instill a generous spirit in our children?

Teaching

Precept: James 2:14-17; 1 John 3:17-18

Example: The Good Samaritan

Generosity is evidence of true faith. This presupposes that generosity isn’t going to be easy. It will take faith because giving usually demands sacrifice. What kills generosity? Selfishness. What compels it? Compassion. Giving a Christmas present to a friend or classmate may seem insignificant. It’s usually a small token that’s ancillary to that person’s survival or livelihood. But it may be revealing. How generous are you toward others even in little things?

So how can you naturally weave this biblical precept into your classroom teaching? If you’re teaching geography, you can open up students’ eyes to the other parts of the world where people are in great need. Then ask them about their own community. If you’re teaching math, you could teach them (in regard to finances) that a good use of their material gain is helping to provide for others’ needs (Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:8; James 1:27). Generosity is also giving of oneself even in nonmaterial ways. Helping each other with their classroom chores or explaining a hard-to-grasp concept are ways that your students can be generous with their time.

Modeling

We all know the old saying that actions speak louder than words. It may hurt to ask ourselves the tough question, but are we modeling materialism or generosity? Classroom teaching is important, but so is our deportment outside the classroom. Social influences from friends and teachers can powerfully affect students’ lives so that they conform to that acceptable social standard. If the majority of the normal conversations are geared toward getting the latest gadgets or designer clothes for our own Christmas presents rather than focused on reaching out to those in need, then that’s the spirit children will catch. Most likely it’s already the spirit they’ve seen modeled elsewhere and have conformed to. We don’t want to be curmudgeons, but we can steer the conversation toward others’ needs when there are opportunities for them to get involved in helping others.

Involving

What needs can students actually see and meet in real life? Is there a class activity or field trip that involves them in a community project? Is there something that they have learned in school that gives them a skill that they can use for others? For example, an art class or family and consumer science class could participate in a project to make something for lonely people in a nursing home. An English class could write notes of encouragement along with a book giveaway to a children’s shelter. A music class, choir, or band could proclaim the good news of the gospel by performing in the community. Every opportunity should be used as an avenue to communicate human value for those made in the image of God (Creation) and give hope to the hopeless (Fall) because of Christ’s gift (Redemption).

Behavior must be rooted in beliefs (foundation), but it is formed through examples (reinforcement) and practice (opportunities).

How do you help ground your students’ beliefs and form their behaviors?