Free Persevering Download - Persevering Activities #9

Get a sneak peek at my new site, and get this three page Free Download that sums up our perseverance activities. (Just click on free download to go to the test site.)

My site is not quite finished yet, but you can still post your own great ideas with photos on the homepage, so that I can post them to the "Pintentional Parenting" gallery when it is up and running. Just pretend you are adding a comment to the blog on that site.

I am excited about building a community where moms can share their intentional parenting ideas! I welcome any suggestions or ideas you may have.

Let us Not Become Weary - Persevering Activities #8

Encouraging End Notes for Moms - Perseverance

The job of being a mom requires at least 18 years of perseverance! We are training our children in small ways every day, and usually only see small results. Remember Rome was not built in a day. As we persevere, our children will slowly grow in perseverance and many other qualities. The key to success is to work on one or two small improvements at a time, and see that these are done consistently despite difficulties. We cannot rush through, give up, or do this life-changing job halfheartedly. Take baby steps! Keep up the good work!  Do not become weary in doing good!Hopefully the harvest that we reap will be a multitude of the fruit of the Spirit!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9

Are you Heavy Laden? - Persevering Activities #7

Short Story - For our last lesson on Perseverance,
enjoy this short story from Creative Correction by Lisa Welchel (Blaire from TV show "Facts of Life")

"One day while I was sitting beneath a tree at the base of a large hill, something caught my eye. A young girl was traveling with a man I assumed was her father. As they hiked the steep path together, the man stooped down, picked up a rock, and put it in her empty backpack. He repeated this every few feet. Despite this, the girl pressed on, but before reaching the top, she fell from the weight of her burden.

That load is too heavy for such a small child! I thought angrily.

Unable to watch any longer, I raced to her defense. When I reached the top, I saw that she was resting in her father's arms. He had picked her up and carried her the rest of the way.

After catching my breath, I grilled the man. "What kind of father are you?" I demanded. "Why would you purposely make your daughter stumble by increasing her burden?"

He pointed to a distant summit. Beyond many larger hills and deep valleys stood a beautiful castle. He explained: "My daughter is a princess and that is her home. There are challenging roads ahead of her that you cannot see from the foot of the hill. She must be strengthened for the journey ahead. There will come a time when I will remove the stones she is carrying one by one. In the meantime, I will walk beside her, and she will learn to lean on me.

What are the "rocks" or burdens in your backpack? If the rocks are getting too heavy, learn to walk beside Christ and lean on Him.  He will give you rest.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:29-30 

You Deserve a Medal! - Persevering Activities #6

Yeah! You deserve a medal for persevering until the end of school! Congratulations!
Take a break from all your hard work with a couple of the fun crafting ideas below.
1. Medal, Trophy, or Crown (simple at home craft) - As a reward for finishing school or one of the persevering games from my past posts, let your child  make a Prize Medal, Trophy, or Crown- There are numerous ways you can make these simple crafts.  Cover cardboard or a paper plate with foil.  Use a medal juice can lid to make a medal. Bedazzle your crown with some plastic jewels or glitter, and hang your medal from a pretty ribbon. Find directions for a super simple paper plate crown by Ginny Lawson at http://www.ehow.com/video_2259621_make-paper-crown-hat.html
            James 1:12 - "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, 

                      because when he has stood the test, he will receive the CROWN of life 
                                   that God has promised to those who love Him."
2.Tedious Craft of Your Choice (worth the time and effort involved) - Teach your child a tedious craft that does not require much skill, but requires lots of perseverance and patience like cross-stitch, model-making, weaving, knitting, legos, peel and stick sticker mosaics, jewelry making, etc.. Let them pick out a craft kit at your local hobby store. You may be pleasantly surprised at how many hours of quiet time this small purchase will buy you.
3.Paper Airplanes - (simple at home)  -Orville and Wilbur Wright are excellent historic examples of perseverance. Make paper airplanes and read a book or online information about the first airplane. "Try, try, try; and soon you'll fly!"
What is your favorite tedious craft? Do you have any craft ideas that teach perseverance?

Songs and CDs - Persevering Activities #5

Kids love to learn through Songs and other Multi-media!

Songs that Teach Perseverance – (As found on YouTube)

1. “I Can do all Things.MPG” by Steve Green – posted by thechild4God
2. "All About Perseverance" - posted by Harry Kindergartener
3. "Onward Christian Soldiers" from Cedarmont Kids - posted by Crosspozzure.

Multi-media that teach Perseverance -
Shop Amazon.com for these resources.

Perseverance Adventures in Odyssey's Life Lessons #6 (stories on CD). These stories make our long car rides speed by and our chore time enjoyable. The whining and complaining mouths close so they can hear these action packed stories that teach character. This "life lessons" series focus on a nine different character qualities including perseverance. (Ages 5 and up) (See picture above)

Sumo of the Opera by Michael Nowroski, DVD from Big Idea Productions. I just love Veggie Tales, and this one is specifically about perseverance. (Ages 4 and up)

Winning the Great Race of Faith : How to Overcome Adversity by Doug and Debbie Kingsriter (CD). My girls truly love these musical stories where the songs are directly from Scripture. This story is about a group of kids in a bike race. (Ages 3 and up)
Has your family found any music or other multi-media that teach perseverance?

Family Fun - Persevering Activities #3

You can have fun as a family and learn perseverance
at the same time with these games!

1. Long Games - Any long games teach perseverance. When I was young I thought Monopoly was the longest game of all times. Some other ideas would be any type of brain teasers, Battleship,  Scrabble, etc. Whatever they are playing, keep them engaged and help them finish.
2. "How Long can You..." - Make up your own competitions to see who can do things the most or for the longest time like hold your breath, hold your arms up in the air, stand on one leg, jumping jacks, run around the house, etc. 
3. Domino Line-up (Object Lesson) - Each small step is important in completing a big project. Set dominoes up in a long row with a few missing in the middle. Push the first one over. A short row will fall and then they will stop because of the missing ones. Talk to your kids about how this relates to persevering to finish a big task. Then play a short game or set them up in long rows or patterns.

Does your family have any games that you like that teach perseverance?

Bedtime Books - Persevering Activities #2

Teaching your child Perseverance can be as simple as cuddling up with a good story book at bedtime.

1. Classic Books - These books can be found at your local library.

The Little Engine that Could   by Watty Piper
Horton Hatches an Egg and Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
The Little Hero of Holland by Etta and Mary Blaisdell
Tortoise and the Hare – Aesop's Fable
Little Pilgrim's Progress – Any child's version adapted from John Bunyan's original book

2. Christian Picture Books that Teach Perseverance - Shop Amazon.com or contact me directly for these items.

Frog Wars, A Lesson in Perseverance by Cindy Kenney and Doug Peterson (The Big Ideas Veggie Town Values Series) ($4.50). Junior must learn to persevere in order to help "Mo" help God's people free from the clutches of Dark Visor.

Keep Trying Travis by Jodee Mcconnaughhay ($2.50). In this Happy Day book, Dad helps Travis to learn to keep trying in several life situations from riding a bike to doing homework, and to say, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."     
The Nineteenth of Maquerk: Based on Proverbs 13:4 by Aaron Reynolds. See how one lazy caterpillow learns what happens when you don't finish what you start. Ages 3 - 8.

The Super Red Racer, Junior Discovers Work by Dave Ramsey ($9.99)(www.daveramsey.com )This is part of a great series called Life Lessons with Junior that teach kids about being good stewards. In this book, Junior learns that there is a great place to go when you need money - to work. He perseveres over time to collect enough money to buy a much wanted bike. (Ages 4 and up)

3. Real - Life Story Book Heroes from the Bible

     a. Noah - Gen. 6:5-22

     b. Paul - II Tim. 1: 12; 2:10; Phil.3:7-14 ".

..Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Do you have any favorite books about perseverance that you would like to share?

Calm your Child or the Storm? - Perseverance Activities #1

This is the introduction for a six part lesson on teaching perseverance to your child. It works out nicely that we are on the last two weeks of school.  Help your kids do their best until the very end!

Definition of Perseverance -
Finishing what you start even through difficulties

"Do your best all along, and you'll be sure to finish strong." - Jim Weidmann
"If at first you don't succeed; try, try again." -Author Unknown
"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." - Newt Gingrich

Persevering Teaching Tips -

Sometimes as mothers, our soft hearts get in the way of our children learning perseverance. We have a tendency to bail them out, shelter them, spoil them, and not require much from them. We are living in a culture that says if something is too hard (marriage, job, etc.) then just give up and move on, but Christ teaches us to stand firm in our faith and persevere through hard times which are bound to come. We need to give our kids the skills that they need to succeed in life by teaching them to start relying on God to help them through the storms. Remember, sometimes He calms the storm, but sometimes He just calms His child. Let us learn this lesson on parenting from Christ. Sometimes the way to be the best mom is not to keep our kids from hardships, but to walk along side them offering guidance and comfort as they persevere.

Memory Verse - Hebrews 10:36 - "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." (vs.19 - 39 is a Call to Persevere)

How do you know when you should remove your child from the storm or when you should just calm your child in the midst of the storm?