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T: Encourage Opennes
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Also in this newsletter:
• Connect Your Kids to God • Family Fun • Easy Bonus Activity
TIP:
Display this
newsletter at home,
and use the activities
as desired throughout the week.
Verse to Chew On
Questions to Go at bedtime,
mealtime or car time
• Why do you think some people are more open and honest
than others?
• How open do you think you are with your thoughts and
feelings?
• When is it hard for you to share your feelings with others or
with God?
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, NIV).
• Let each person share a time when he
or she felt discouraged (“crushed in
spirit”). What did you do? Did it help
to be open with someone about your
feelings?
• Share why you think God is close to
those who are discouraged.
Feelings Are Real
Character Builder: Honest
People who have an open, honest character tend to have closer relationships and are happier overall. They share with people
they trust and are able to work through difficulties. You have a
tremendous influence in developing this trait in your kids. Help
your kids develop an openness they can carry throughout life.
• Create an environment that encourages your kids to have
open, honest relationships. Teasing, criticizing, or making fun
of family members (even with harmless motives) can cause
people to close themselves off from others.
• Be sensitive when your kids share. It takes courage to be open
with feelings. Nod your head while they talk, maintain eye
contact, rephrase what they say (“So that makes you feel
angry.”), and love the person no matter what is shared.
• Be aware that even children can experience feelings that are
overwhelming. Occasionally these can be caused by a physical imbalance. If your child shares feelings of depression or
anger that don’t go away, consider getting him or her a physical checkup.
Check out www.raisingupspiritualchampions.com for more information and resources to make an eternal difference in your kids’ lives.
Kids’ feelings are very real to them.
Instead of saying, “Don’t feel that
way,” encourage them to
• Be honest and open with how
they feel and share their feelings
with someone they trust
• Tell God how they feel
Preschool Focus
Play a sharing game with young children to help them begin to experience openness. Say, “My favorite
ice cream is chocolate. What’s your
favorite?” or “I feel happy when I
snuggle in a blanket and read a
book. What makes you feel happy?”
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Raising Up Spiritual Champions Newsletter • Honest: Encourage Openness • Page 2
Connect Your Kids to God
Is God disappointed with me if I’m not happy all
the time?
God wants you to be yourself—and to be honest—when you talk to
Him. You don’t have to use special words. King David gave us many
examples in the book of Psalms when he cried out to God in his pain,
when He shouted to Him for joy in victories, when he questioned Him
about things he didn’t understand, and when he just shared his life
and feelings with God.
God won’t be disappointed in you when you share your life and feelings openly with Him. In fact, that’s just the kind of relationship He
wants to have with you!
You Can Do It!
• When you read a Bible passage that
expresses openness and honesty, jot
it down or talk about it. What were
the circumstances? What were the
outcomes?
• When your kids are open and honest,
notice it. Point out the positive consequences.
• Talk about how God longs for an honest, open relationship with us just as
He did with those He used to write
the Bible.
Did You Know?
Family Fun
Play “What If . . .” with your
family as you eat dinner, or you
are in the car or waiting for an
appointment. Make up scenarios
and let each family member share
a response. Rules are that (1) no
one makes fun of anyone else’s
response, and (2) everyone has a
chance to share a response before going on to a new scenario.
Here are some situations to get
you started. Invite family members to make up other possibilities.
• What if dogs were the masters
and we were the pets?
• What if we were sleeping and
our smoke alarm woke us up?
• What would you do if someone
gave you a million dollars?
“The Lord . . . delights in men who are truthful.”
—Proverbs 12:22, NIV
Easy Bonus Activity
• Sit around a table. Roll a ball to someone and ask a
question that encourages sharing and openness (“What
makes you angry?” “Where is your favorite place in the
house?”).
• That person answers and rolls the ball to someone else
and asks the same question or a different one.
Visit www.raisingupspiritualchampions.com
for more Family Fun.
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© 2007 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to
original purchaser only. Raising Up Spiritual Champions Newsletters
Preschool Focus
Draw a happy face on one side of an index card
and a sad face on the other side. Ask your young
child to flip the card to show how she would feel
in different situations. Here are some suggestions.
• Someone took one of your toys when you were
playing with it.
• Someone gave you your favorite cookie.