“Behavior is generally learned by imitating observed experiences, so the more examples of caring our kids witness, the greater the chance that those will be the behaviors they copy.” – Michele Borba, Building Moral Intelligence As my sixteen-year-old son and I stepped out of the Department of Motor Vehicles, I tossed him the keys to […]
Know the Goal
So how can we help children internalize good values and morals? First, we have to know what our goal is. That may seem obvious, but we sometimes skip this step. We know we want our kids to “be good” or “be nice.” But what do we mean? Years ago, when I learned to write curricula, […]
Why present Jesus in the context of His times?
Why is it important to present Jesus in the context of his times? “If we settle for a superficial understanding of who (Jesus) was and what he intended, we end up preaching a superficial gospel. The ‘everybody knows’ version of Jesus too easily carries an individualistic, consumer-oriented appeal… this makes worship superficial, for we miss […]
Checklist: Characteristics of Children at Different Ages
Infants • are self-centered. • depend on others to care for them. • learn through their senses. They respond well to music. • focus on the present. • do not make conscious choices between right and wrong. • are sensitive to tone of voice. • enjoy holding and chewing on their toys. • may want […]
On the Other Side of the Coin
Correcting Behavior “Never give up. Keep on trying until you get it right.” -5 year-old Seeing Our Opportunity In the face of challenges, my father often says, “You can see it as a problem, or you can see it as an opportunity.” If we look at behavior challenges as opportunities instead of problems, we have […]
Adolescence: Thirteen to Twenty
Identity Formation vs. Identity Confusion “[T]he adolescent period of life is in reality the one with the most power for courage and creativity.” – Daniel J. Siegel – As teens mature year by year, they leave the awkwardness of the tween stage and enter young adulthood. This is the last stage of what began in […]
Morality in Tweens: Ages Ten Through Twelve
“The years between 10 and 14 are known as the storm-and-stress period, because so much change – physical, emotional, social – can happen seemingly all at once.” – Sue Corbett – Tweens are sandwiched in an awkward space between elementary age children and the youth of adolescence. I say awkward because they have a foot […]
Arts and Crafts Volume 1
Arts and Crafts Volume 1 was one of our first publications for teachers of preschool Bible class, and we are bringing it back at new lower price! Young children learn best by doing. And the more senses they use, the more they will learn. Arts and Crafts Volume 1 includes more than 100 intriguing ideas […]
Morality in Ages Six through Nine
“Two important things to teach a child: to do and to do without.” – Marcelene Cox – Around age six, children begin to consistently discern correctly between right and wrong, although they still depend on rules to guide their behavior. From six to nine, they seem to have a strong, innate sense of justice and […]
Morality in Fours and Fives
At about age five, children move up to a new level of morality. They have a better understanding of the concept of consequences – cause and effect, if/then. They know they can be the cause of positive effects or negative effects. They can cause someone to laugh or to cry, and they generally know which […]