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Being Confident Of This

Grace for the work-in-progress woman

12 Ideas for Fall Fun for Families

October 5, 2017 by jstults Leave a Comment

Each year when the back-to-school chaos has settled and the leaves begin to fall from our trees, I take stock of how our family is faring spiritually. With the craziness of settling into a new school year and the many Summer and Fall ministry events we participate in, I always seem to feel the need to focus on family in the Fall.

Fall also seems to be a time of year to stop and take stock – are we doing all that we can to raise our family well? How can we make the most of this season to strengthen our family and our faith?

Here are a few ideas for enjoying Fall while also being purposeful as a parent.

12 Ideas and Faith-based Resources for Fall Fun for Families

1. The Pumpkin Gospel 

The Pumpkin Gospel is a fun way to teach children spiritual truth in an interactive way. All you need is a medium or large-sized pumpkin, a candle and matches, and about 20 minutes of time (you’ll need at least 10 to prep the pumpkin).  Gather the family around for this faith-based Fall fun for families!  The valuable lesson learned about how Jesus changes us from the inside out is guaranteed to stick with your children for years to come.

 

Join the ranks of work-in-progress parents and download your free printable version of the Pumpkin Gospel object lesson! Fall fun|kids|parenting|object lessons|Bible lesson|AWANA|Sunday School|Preschool |youth group|Christ-centered resources|redeeming Halloween

Don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter (down at the bottom) to get your free printable version of the Pumpkin Gospel!

2. Ways to Cultivate Thankfulness in Your Home

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun  and how-tos for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

With Fall being such a busy season, it’s easy to develop an attitude of ungratefulness. My friend Aimee shares 7 tips for cultivating thankfulness in your home. I especially like number 4 because it’s an idea I’ve been running across in Scripture recently. Maybe the Lord’s trying to tell me something? 😉

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun  and how-tos for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

3. 10 Fall Outdoor Activities to Grow Closer to God and Others

This great article from Crosswalk suggests several ways to enjoy God’s beautiful creation while also strengthening family bonds. I love number 5 because you could enjoy Fall fun for families while also being missional!

4. Praying Scriptures of Thanksgiving

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun  and how-tos for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

My friend Candace has put together a free printable list of Scriptures related to Thanksgiving. Stop by her blog for a reminder to focus on faith this Fall season. Involve the whole family in praying God’s Word – a unique way to enjoy Fall fun for families!

5. Thanksgiving Conversation Starters

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

Spice up your Thanksgiving conversation with this Fall fun activity for families from my friend Arabah Joy! She’s giving away this free printable, which includes 16 different conversation starters, over at her blog.

6. Family Thanksgiving Tree

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

Our family loves this faith-based, Fall tradition so much that we often leave our Thanksgiving Tree up for months afterwards. The Thanksgiving tree is an easy, hands-on activity to remember all of the things we have to be thankful for as a family. Each member of the family can be involved by creating their own leaves to add to the tree.

Not only is this Fall activity fun, but it’s also a beautiful visual reminder of God’s goodness!

Here’s another alternative for doing a Thankful Tree from my friend, Candace.

7. 15 Fall Date Night Ideas

Nothing’s better than enjoying the great outdoors with your loved ones! My friend Starla shares 15 different ideas for date nights (although many of these could double as Fall fun for families, too!).

8. 25 Frugal Fall Date Nights

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

Sarah Ann shares the best family resources over at her blog, and I appreciate the emphasis on keeping things frugal, too. Stop by for some great ideas on how to enjoy some Fall fun with your main man. 🙂

Make the most of this Fall season with your family using these faith-based resources and activities!  Fall traditions|family|kids|Christian family|faith-based resources|Bible lessons|fall fun for families|Fall activities|family fun night|Fall bucket list|grow in faith

9. 10 Fall Activities for Couples

Laura shares ten ways to celebrate Fall as a couple, but this post also includes a link to a free printable of 30 days of Fall activities that people of all ages can enjoy.  Stop by her blog for more Fall fun for families!

10. How to {Simply} Host Thanksgiving Dinner

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun  and how-tos for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

Nothing brings family together in the Fall season quite like Thanksgiving, right? But preparing a dinner for a large group of family and friends can be really overwhelming! My friend Ruthie has a nifty printable to help keep you organized so that you can stress less and enjoy your loved ones more.

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner together is definitely a favorite on our list of Fall fun for families!

11. Thanksgiving for the Military Family

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun  and how-tos for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

My friend, Jen, shares about her Thanksgiving Attitude from the perspective of a military wife and what Thanksgiving really means to them. Enjoying Fall fun for families is definitely more challenging when some family members cannot be present!

12. We Give Thanks – Free Printable!

Enjoy the Fall season as a family with this big list of Fall fun  and how-tos for families! Fall|Autumn|family fun|faith|faith-centered resources|family activities|Fall bucket list|Christian family|parenting|kids

This pretty printable from my friend, Rosilind, will remind your family to focus on thankfulness this Fall season. Go grab yours now and start preparing for Fall! She also shares the story behind Thanksgiving – this is one we should be teaching our children and passing down from generation to generation. 🙂

Although Fall is typically a busy time of year, it’s also a great time to re-focus on the things that really matter in life. While you’re enjoying Fall fun for families, you’re also building important family bonds and strengthening traditions that will last. If you use some of the object lessons/activities listed above, you can even use this season to strengthen your family’s faith, as well.

How will your family celebrate the Fall season?

Jen 🙂

 

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Christian family, Faith, faith-based resources, Fall, Fall activities, Fall fun, Fall traditions, family, kids, parenting, seasonal traditions, Thanksgiving

The Family Thanksgiving Tree

November 18, 2015 by jstults 9 Comments

We started the tradition a year ago, when the leaves first began to blaze and all of the store shelves filled prematurely with Christmas items – our first Thanksgiving Tree.

Thanksgiving is the holiday that seems to get lost in the shuffle anymore, and that’s a real shame, isn’t it?

Listen, no matter what hard things we have going on in our lives right now, we still have things to be thankful for.  If we don’t mark Thanksgiving in some sort of significant way, then we’re missing out on an opportunity to look back over the year and remember.

Why is remembering so important?

Because we fickle humans so quickly and easily forget our Father God’s goodness, just like the Israelites forgot the goodness of Yahweh time and again throughout the Old Testament.

Teach your family to practice being thankful with this fun and creative activity. Whether at Thanksgiving or just in everyday fun, you can focus on being thankful by creating your own Thanksgiving tree! Family fun| Teaching thankfulness|Teach kids to be thankful|Object Lesson |Fall fun |Thanksgiving

In fact, I found myself guilty of the same trap just a few weeks ago. In spite of the magnificent and awe-inspiring ways God has provided for our family during this pastor-to-church-planter transition, I became discontent.

I grumbled. I complained. I resented the hard work we’ve been doing.

I wanted an easier way, and I failed to remember the glorious things the Father had already done on our behalf.

So this year, the Thanksgiving Tree tradition continues, but along with each family member’s “thankful leaves,” we added a whole extra section in green – the living color – to demonstrate God’s show of faithfulness.

The Thanksgiving Tree is an fun way to mark the importance of this holiday. Kids will love making their own leaves of thanks and attaching them to the visual reminder of all that we have to be thankful for!  Parents will appreciate the teaching opportunity.

The Thanksgiving Tree is an fun way to mark the importance of this holiday. Kids will love making their own leaves of thanks and attaching them to the visual reminder of all that we have to be thankful for!  Parents will appreciate the teaching opportunity.

 

You see, I want our children to remember.

I want that image burned into their little brains and hearts, the tangible green of God’s goodness to our family. I want them to see how plentiful the green is on our Thanksgiving Tree.

Once we finished hanging each leaf of thanks this evening, I told them, “Turn and look again at the tree. See all of the green leaves at the top! How many do you think there are? Probably at least 20, maybe even 30. That’s how well God is caring for us. Do you see it?  Look at it a little longer because I want you to remember this for years to come.”

And I know they will because to this day, I savor my own childhood memories of missionary life and the often miraculous answers to prayer that I experienced as a child.

The thing about remembering is that it naturally boosts our faith. Remembering His provisions encourages us to endure the hard things in life!

I’m sure that’s why the Father continually reminded his people throughout His Word to remember the great things He had done for them, to remember His very character.  Is anything too hard for Him?

We need to believe in possibilities rather than probabilities.

Even more, being thankful for what we have brings a joy to our hearts like none other.

When I saw this particular orange leaf way up at the top where only our oldest and tallest young man could have placed it, my heart nearly burst.

The Thanksgiving Tree is an fun way to mark the importance of this holiday. Kids will love making their own leaves of thanks and attaching them to the visual reminder of all that we have to be thankful for!  Parents will appreciate the teaching opportunity.

For that moment, I caught just a glimpse of what the Lord is doing in the midst of this tough season – that it isn’t just about us, or even this town we attempt to minister to, but it’s about the generation to come, too. It’s about the budding faith of each child who lives here in this house.

I’m so very thankful that despite our frequent parenting failures and our own often-weak faith, our teenage son sees clearly the importance of living out an authentic faith.

That’s the bright spot in this struggle, friends!

So even if you don’t have anything particularly special to celebrate this Thanksgiving, why not use this opportunity to create a visual display of God’s gifts in your home?

There is something special about writing out your blessings one by one on colorful leaves and then holding them in your hands, touching His gifts to you, knowing you could fill up a thousand leaves with the Father’s goodness.

There is something special, too, about catching glimpses of the things your children are thankful for, and for them to see the things you are thankful for, as well.

The Thanksgiving Tree is a fun family activity to mark the importance of being thankful. Kids enjoy making their own leaves of thanks and attaching them to the visual reminder of all that we have to be thankful for!  Parents, take advantage of this teachable moment. Thanksgiving tree|family fun|teaching kids to be thankful|raising grateful kids|Fall object lesson|Fall fun

Why not take this opportunity, even just for a few minutes, to make the Lord’s goodness clear to your children, to read about it in the Word, and to take turns sharing the things you are thankful for as you place them on the Thanksgiving Tree?

I know that when we walk by that wall in the center of our home, we’ll remember God’s many gifts.  And it will last long after the Thanksgiving meal has come and gone.

Every time the little ones make a remark about our Thanksgiving tree, it’s one more opportunity to tell them about the Father God we serve.

Have I convinced you yet? 🙂

It doesn’t need to be a complicated tree, or even a tree at all, but some sort of visual reminder that your blessings are many. It could be as simple as a hand-written list posted somewhere prominent in your home. (Grace in all things, friends!)

Let’s mark Thanksgiving in a special way this year!

Instructions for a Thanksgiving Tree:

The Thanksgiving Tree is an fun way to mark the importance of this holiday. Kids will love making their own leaves of thanks and attaching them to the visual reminder of all that we have to be thankful for!  Parents will appreciate the teaching opportunity.

The tree trunk

  • For the trunk and limbs of the Thanksgiving tree, cut apart a couple of paper grocery sacks into long strips (discard the bottoms – they are too thick).
  • Then, twist the strips by hand to make a long paper rope of sorts.
  • Once the paper is twisted, you can untwist it little by little to get the desired trunk or limb thickness.
  • For the very bottom of the trunk, you will not need to even twist the paper, just sort of crinkle it up and then shape it with your hands.
  • To make the smaller limbs and twigs, use a thinner, shorter strip of paper.

The Thanksgiving Tree is an fun way to mark the importance of this holiday. Kids will love making their own leaves of thanks and attaching them to the visual reminder of all that we have to be thankful for! Parents will appreciate the teaching opportunity.

The leaves

  • Use your favorite leaf template or trace some real leaves from outside. You might even try making some leaf rubbings and cutting them out.
  • Even though it’s not scientifically correct, our kids like a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors of leaves from various trees.
  • I recommend tracing onto card stock so that the leaves will last a little longer.
  • Give each family member a handful of leaves to write on.
  • For younger kids,  have them make a practice list before they write on the leaves themselves. 🙂
  • Use a sharpie or other dark colored marker or crayon to write each thing you are thankful for on each of your leaves of thanks.
  • Then, hang the leaves on the tree or fix them to the wall. (I just use tape!) We like some of ours to be falling through the air and some around the base of the tree. (As much as possible, I try to let the kids do this on their own and resist the urge to re-position any clumpy areas, haha.)
  • After the Thanksgiving tree is decorated, take turns sharing what you wrote on your leaves.

The Thanksgiving Tree is an fun way to mark the importance of this holiday. Kids will love making their own leaves of thanks and attaching them to the visual reminder of all that we have to be thankful for! Parents will appreciate the teaching opportunity.

The Lesson

  • Read Psalms 100 and 1 Thess. 5:18 and discuss why it’s important to give thanks.
  • Or Read Matt. 6:25-34 and discuss why we don’t need to worry.
  • Pray together as a family – thank the Lord for His goodness.

Last year, I had plans to turn our Thanksgiving tree into a Valentine’s Day tree and an Easter tree, and so forth, but I never did. This year I am determined. So, you might want to keep at least the bare bones of your tree for a while (hint, hint). 🙂

Don’t just celebrate Thanksgiving at the family gathering this year, friends. Give it the same thoughtful treatment you do Christmas and Easter. Start talking about it with your children now.

Make a plan for how to take advantage of those teachable moments whether it be through a Thanksgiving Tree or some other way to remember and give thanks.

After all, our God deserves the glory!

Jen 🙂

Sharing with: Tell It To Me Tuesdays, Wholehearted Wednesdays, A Little R and R, Tell His Story, Think Tank Thursdays, Wedded Wednesdays

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Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Family fun, family traditions, how to make a Thanksgiving tree, kids activities, lessons for Thanksgiving, object lesson, teaching kids thankfulness, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Tree

Mystery Topic ~ #TheLoft

November 24, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 Leave a Comment

Okay, Lofters, I know you’ve all been waiting for this moment – our little secret we’ve been keeping is out in the open!  Read below for this week’s fun “topic.”

Praying you all have Joyful Thanksgivings (for those in the U.S. that is)!

Jen 🙂

The Loft is open, come on up!

The Loft: A weekly Hangout and Link Up for Christian bloggers
Graphic by Kerry Messer

This Week’s Mystery Topic is…. (drum roll)

Well, seeing it is Thanksgiving week, we want to actually GIVE THANKS. So this week, we are playing Thanksgiving Tag!

How to play:

We are taking to the social media streets this week, tagging people we are thankful for!

Pick one social media site (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc) and tag 5 bloggers or writers that you appreciate. Tell them why you are thankful for them. You can link back to this page if you’d like (so they know why and by whom they are getting tagged and to help spread the word about The Loft)… but a link back isn’t required. 🙂

Since we won’t be doing this week’s topic on our blogs, there won’t be a linky this week. The linky will be back up next week.

That’s it! We are thankful for YOU, for your contribution, for being part of this community, and we all wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Next Week’s Topic: 2014 in Review (Time to get introspective. We look forward to hearing what you’ve learned in 2014.)

About #TheLoft

The Loft is the place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.

Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.

PLEASE NOTE: While there are many link and leave blog hops out there, we are different in that we ask that your link stick to the weekly topic. This fosters community and conversation. It also helps us practice “topic” writing as bloggers. Oh, and please mention The Loft in your post! Thank you so much!


Monday night, at 9pm Eastern, the linky goes live and all week you can link up your post on that week’s topic.

We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

So grab your coffee mug and come on up! Hang out for a bit. We betcha you’ll be glad you did.

To Participate:

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic. But please stick to the weekly topic 🙂

2. Listen twice as much as you talk. If you leave one link, visit two. Trust us on this one~wink.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or link back in your post so we can find each other. Also, share the great stuff you find when you visit around…we’ll be doing the same.

The Loft Link Up

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on 4 blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are: Jen, Rebekah, Leah, Arabah

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Blogging, Christianity, Uncategorized, Women of Faith Tagged With: #TheLoft, bloggers, Blogging, Christian living, community, giving thanks, Grateful, thankful, Thanksgiving

#TheLoft Thanksgiving Edition

November 17, 2014 by stultsmamaof4 1 Comment

 

The Loft is open, come on up!

 

The Loft: A weekly Hangout and Link Up for Christian bloggers
Graphic by Kerry Messer

 

This Week’s Topic: “Thanksgiving” (Food, traditions, an essay or video, or your own gratitude list. Maybe we will find some new ideas to incorporate into our celebration this year!)

Next Week’s Topic: Surprise! (Next week we have a little surprise planned! Be sure to stop by early~~smile, grin, beam!)

About #TheLoft

 

The Loft is the place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.

Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.

 

PLEASE NOTE: We want to foster community and transparent conversation with one another, just like we’d do if we were meeting in real life. So we ask that your link stick to the weekly topic and that you mention The Loft in your post. Thank you so much!


Monday night, at 9pm Eastern, the linky goes live and all week you can link up your post on that week’s topic.

We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

So grab your coffee mug and come on up! Hang out for a bit. We betcha you’ll be glad you did.

To Participate:

 

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic. But please stick to the weekly topic 🙂

2. Listen twice as much as you talk. If you leave one link, visit two. Trust us on this one~wink.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or link back in your post so we can find each other. Also, share the great stuff you find when you visit around…we’ll be doing the same.

 

The Loft Link Up

 

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on 4 blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are: Jen, Rebekah, Leah, Arabah

 

 

Now it’s time to link up!

Filed Under: Blogging, Christianity, Uncategorized, Women of Faith Tagged With: #TheLoft, Christ-centered living, Christian living, Thanksgiving, Women of Faith

Hi, I'm Jen: a work in progress. I'm imperfect - a mom of four, pastor's wife, discipler, and sinner saved only by grace. I like to sing, read, write, teach, and smile. I have a heart for encouraging women everywhere to understand God's limitless love for them and what His grace means for everyday living. Welcome! :) Read More…

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