When Families Learn Together: Ideas for Fun, Educational Family Time
There is just something fantastic about the “Aha!” moment! Maybe it’s because everything finally clicks into place. Maybe it’s because what was murky before is now clear and easy to see. Or maybe it’s because our brains are wired for discovery by a God who loves to be discovered.
Whatever the reason, an “Aha!” moment can be made even more satisfying when it is shared with others. As a parent, you have the ability to create “Aha!” moments for your kids every day in every way because our world is ripe for discovery. Psalm 19:1 tells us, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship” (NLT). The world around us is literally shouting and pointing back to the God who created it. All we have to do is look.
Here are seven ways you can create and take advantage of “Aha!” moments through having a family devotional time with your kids!
1. Create time to spend with the Creator.
Life can get busy, and we can make a million excuses for why we don’t have time to sit with God and be still, but the truth is, we need quiet moments to spend together with God, both alone and in community with others. Your family is a mini-community, with a culture, experiences, and ways of being all its own. What if as part of your family culture, you set aside time each day or week to spend it with the Creator?
2. Choose a Format that takes into account your children’s ages and readiness to learn.
Thirty minutes is a great amount of time for younger kids, allowing you to read a story from Scripture, talk about it, put it into practice, and then pray together. With older kids, focus on a discussion format where you can talk and ask questions.
3. Remind your family that we all learn from one another.
As a parent, allow your kids to teach you something about Jesus too! You might be surprised by the “Aha!” moments you have as your child makes connections you’ve never seen before!
4. Read a story from Scripture together.
Act the story out or take turns reading it. Or read from a storybook Bible and then from your family’s favorite Bible translation. As you finish the story ask these questions:
1. Where did God show up in that story?
2. How was God interacting with humans in the story?
3. What did you discover about God?
5. Do an activity related to the Scripture together.
You can find fun science experiments in my book Faith & Science with Dr. Fizzlebop. They are easy to try, and they relate to stories from Scripture!
6. Always allow for questions.
Never be afraid to say, “I don’t know the answer to that question, but let’s see what we can find out together!” Allowing your child to ask good questions helps their faith to form and grow. When kids are given answers too soon, it actually slows down the truth internalization process. However, if your child has the chance to explore and discover the answer with you, that creates space for the Holy Spirit to do His transformative work!
7. Pray together.
Take turns praying for one another. Have your kids pray for you as you pray for them. Ask the Holy Spirit to take what you’ve discovered from Scripture and do a work in your lives.
Family learning time may look messy, but the key is to stick with it. Using a book like Faith & Science with Dr. Fizzlebop is a great way to stay guided in your discovery of the next “Aha!” moment for your entire family.
Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop
Brock Eastman, Dr. Fizzlebop’s alter ego, is passionate about marketing and storytelling. His desire to show kids how faith and science connect is the driving force behind his Dr. Fizzlebop persona. He writes feature stories and the Dr. Fizzlebop recurring column for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines. He is also the co-host of the Story Biz podcast and the host of Tyndale Kids’ Virtual Summer Camp. In fall ’21, he will be launching the Fizzlebop Labs YouTube series.
Besides creating a crazy, fun science devotional, Brock has written and sold over 150,000 copies of several books and series, including the Quest for Truth series, Daddy’s Favorite Sound, Mommy’s Favorite Smell, Bedtime on Noah’s Ark, the Sages of Darkness series, and Showdown with the Shepherd from the Imagination Station series. He currently resides in Colorado and loves cooking, doing puzzles with his wonderful wife, and reading stories to his four kids each night.
About Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop
Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop features 52 easy experiments kids and parents can do together once a week or at their convenience. Each experiment will have a how-to video featured in the free Fizzlebop Labs web series launching in fall ’21. Building on Dr. Fizzlebop’s desire to show kids how faith and science connect, each experiment connects to a devotional that allows kids to go deeper and learn about God’s amazing design for everything around them.
On average, each experiment takes 5 to 10 minutes and the devotional is an additional 5 minutes.
Our expert and guide, Dr. Phineas Einstein Fizzlebop, is a bit quirky and maybe a little cheesy at times, but he is passionate about three things: God, science, and fizz―and all come together wonderfully at Fizzlebop Labs. Guest scientists (families) will journey through the Bible in an extravaganza of experiments and Bible studies full of fun, facts, and fizz.
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Fantastic tips. This book looks like a great addiction to our house.
Whenever there is a conflict, I try to draw wisdom from the Bible to settle the issue. And always remind them that God loves them so much and He wants us to treat others with love because He made us.