Taking Advantage of the Pre-School Years~ Part 8

Yesterday we talked about the importance of teaching your child to learn, how using the "whys" are a great opportunity and what not to teach your children.  Today we're going to talk about what things we should purpose to teach them!

The first thing that we purpose to teach our babies (yes, I said babies!) is that God made them.  And not only them but the world around them.  When our girls are very first learning to talk we ask them at every opportunity, "Who made you?". "Gaaaa!" they reply (meaning God!).  "Who made the stars?" while pointing at the stars. "Gaaaa!".  "Who made these flowers?".  "Gaaaa!".  "Who made your toes?".  "Gaaaa!". 

We want our children to see God's hand in everything around them.  Many children grow up feeling that God is separate from their own personal lives, then they have to work as they get older to believe that God truly cares about them and every detail that goes on in their lives.

 Children learn by repetition, so we must purpose to repeat over and over and over the things we want them to know without a doubt.  Tell them all the time how God loves them, how He made them with purpose, how He died for their sins.  Don't wait.  Teach them the truths about God before any other way of thinking settles in.

You would be surprised how early children are ready to start hiding scripture in their hearts.  In fact it is usually the littlest ones who pick up the new verses the quickest.  When we are consistently working on verses it is astounding to me how easily they can learn God's word.  Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to fill their little heads with scripture!  Nothing could be more valuable.  It is so helpful when it comes to training your children too.  "Why do we work diligently?  Remember how Colossians 3:23 says "Whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord"?  This is a "whatever you do" so we need to work at it with all of our heart!". 

Faithfully learning and reviewing scripture is so valuable, not only for the kids but for Mom too!  Take advantage of this time!



There are many ideas or thoughts that we want to be "normal" for our girls that are not normal in the world around them.  We want our girls to enjoy each other and be best friends. So we talk all the time about how much we love our sisters, how blessed we are to have friends built into our family, how much we miss each other when we are apart.  If we teach them that their sisters are annoying, they will believe their sisters are annoying.  If we teach them their sisters are a blessing, they will believe their sisters are a blessing.

Be careful what you are teaching.  Regardless of what our words say, our attitudes and actions say much, much more.  I feel like I'm telling my girls constantly to talk nicely to each other.  Yet over and over I'm catching them talking bossy and impatiently and in a voice that sounds a little- wait! Like mine. 

No matter what I tell my children, what I live out will be what they really learn.

So to sum up, teach, teach, teach!  But make sure it is the same thing you are living!