Building Faith 2021: Little Habits, big impact
Nurturing faith can seem like a daunting task. We parents and caregivers don’t have all the answers, and we often feel ill-equipped to help our children grow in faith. It’s tempting to “leave it to the experts.” Good news! Just like you don’t need to be a professional baseball player to help your child learn to catch a ball, you don’t need to be a pastor to help your child grow in faith. In fact, all you need to do is be ready to grow alongside your child.
This year’s Building Faith practices are simple ways to grow with the children in your life. Each month, we will offer a habit, a way of being that can help you and your child grow in love for God, self, others, and all of creation. These are designed for caregivers of very young children, because the earlier you start, the easier it is! But if your child is older, these habits can be adapted. Some of these practices have been suggested in previous years, but we decided they were worth fleshing out. Because repetition and patterns are very important in child development, occasionally, in addition to the monthly practice, “A Note from Tami” will pop up to help draw connections between the suggested practice and what is going on in your child’s (and your) development.
This year’s Building Faith practices are simple ways to grow with the children in your life. Each month, we will offer a habit, a way of being that can help you and your child grow in love for God, self, others, and all of creation. These are designed for caregivers of very young children, because the earlier you start, the easier it is! But if your child is older, these habits can be adapted. Some of these practices have been suggested in previous years, but we decided they were worth fleshing out. Because repetition and patterns are very important in child development, occasionally, in addition to the monthly practice, “A Note from Tami” will pop up to help draw connections between the suggested practice and what is going on in your child’s (and your) development.
January: Giving Thanks
February: Elders/cloud of witnesses
March: Cued prayers
April: Curiosity and Wonder
May: Bedtime blessing
June: Offering hospitality
July: Going to church
August: Reading God's Word
September: Reciting Scripture/Shema
October: God made me (body) "Image of God"
November: Family Soundtrack
December: Remember the Sabbath
February: Elders/cloud of witnesses
March: Cued prayers
April: Curiosity and Wonder
May: Bedtime blessing
June: Offering hospitality
July: Going to church
August: Reading God's Word
September: Reciting Scripture/Shema
October: God made me (body) "Image of God"
November: Family Soundtrack
December: Remember the Sabbath
