This review and giveaway post is written in partnership with ZonderKidz.
While we don’t stringently observe Lent in our household, I do like to use the weeks before Easter to refocus our spiritual lives. It can be easy for discussions of faith to get lost as the school year gets busier, and the Easter season provides a reminder to return to the basics.
Some years we read Sally Lloyd Jones’s Jesus Storybook Bible or Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing to help our kids understand the need for Christ’s sacrifice. Other years, like this one, we get clobbered by snow days and colds, finding ourselves in the midst of Lent with no plan for the days ahead.
I’ve been looking for ways to get my sons excited to explore our faith on their own. I investigated the Brick Bible for my little Lego fans but was disappointed to find that it is definitely not kid-friendly. So when I discovered the Faith Builders Bible from ZonderKidz, I was excited to see what the boys thought about it.
I left the Faith Builders Bible on our table for a few days to see what my boys would do. They found it right away and decided it must have something to do with Star Wars (a high compliment in our house).
I expected the Faith Builders Bible to be mostly Lego depictions of Bible stories; instead, it is a a full Bible with occasional Lego scenes. My 5-year-old sat down with the Bible and started examining each scene, asking about the stories behind them. While initially I was worried that the Bible wouldn’t feel accessible to the kids, I was happy to find that the pictures stimulated discussion and thoughtfulness.
Of course, my boys aren’t the only people who could use some re-focusing this time of year. More than raising godly children, I want to be a godly parent.
During the recent She Reads Truth Advent study, I found that I loved practicing hand-lettering scripture as a way to meditate on the words. Zondervan’s Inspiring Words coloring book is a fun way for me to continue this practice, with verses I can tackle with my colored pencils and pens. I’m excited to study verses from Psalms and the New Testament as I work on the designs (side note: a couple of the selections are rather interesting choices, like Proverbs 18:24 — “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin.” Definitely not framing that one).
I’m excited to partner with ZonderKidz to help one of my readers prepare for Easter with a super-duper gift giveaway! One Beyond the Fried reader will win an Easter prize pack including:
Faith Builders Bible
Think, Act, Be Like Jesus: A Believe Devotional for Kids
7 Days of Awesome: A Creation Tale
Angels in the Bible Storybook
To enter, leave a comment below sharing your favorite Easter traditions. How does your family prepare for the Easter season?
Giveaway ends March 4, 2016. Open to U.S. residents only.
ZonderKidz provided copies of the Faith Builder’s Bible and Inspirational Words: 30 Verses from the Bible You Can Color for me to review, plus a giveaway prize pack for one of my readers. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
We just started a new kids’ devotional book as well. I really love how you purposely placed the new Bible and just let your kids discover and explore it on their own first.
Sadly, we honestly do not have an Easter tradition. There was a time we had a big meal with my side of the family, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but even that has gone away. We always attend church, so it’s not “the one day of the year” we go. Ha. You’ve inspired me to do more this year. As I’m thinking through all of this, the most I do for Easter preparation is pulling together my lessons for my class at church and bringing up the baskets and plastic eggs from the basement. Spiritually feeding my family has not been top on the list outside of nightly prayer time . . . and it certainly should be! Sigh . . . thankful for do-overs and time to refocus.
My Family Goes To Church For Easter Services, Then We Enjoy A Dinner Together.
We go to Good Friday service at my church.
We enjoy going to church and spending time with family on Easter. No major traditions yet, but I would like to start some 🙂
We definitely enjoy the tradition of the Easter bunny. This year, I look forward to my daughter learning more about the holiday.
And the winner, selected via random.org, is Lesley! Thanks to everyone for entering. Lesley, your books will arrive in a few days!