Use my Jesus as a boy bible activities to help your preschooler understand obedience, wisdom and do a little bit of fun woodwork.
The Bible does not spend much time on Jesus as a boy, probably as before He was released by His Father into ministry he was considered by all as just another kid and those who finally wrote the stories of Him did not know him as a child.
But we have a few glimpses into His life through the laws of Moses as well as what the scriptures say about how children were raised according to Jewish culture. We also have the story of Jesus in Jerusalem as a child and we know that His earthly father, Joseph, was a carpenter.
These Jesus as a boy bible activities are drawn from those glimpses.
The book of Deuteronomy instructs parents over and over again to obey the Lord and to teach their children to obey. This commandment is repeated in the New Testament in Ephesians, Colossians and 1 Timothy were children are told to obey their parents in the Lord.
Teaching our children to obey us, as we learn to obey the Lord, is the foundation to having children who move forward to love and obey the Lord themselves.
When Jesus as a boy went with Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem for Passover which we read about in Luke chapter 2, we see that after they had searched and found him, he chose to habitually obey them.
Teach your children that the rules (and obeying them) keep them safe.
Basic rules you can teach:
Luke Chapter 2:51 says that after the temple incident Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and stature. Wisdom goes hand in hand with obedience as our children are trained to embrace our parenting [Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Proverbs 1:88].
Wisdom is also understanding and knowledge. The Bible says that Fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.
Have a wisdom treasure hunt with your toddler.
Tell your toddler that you are going on a wisdom treasure hunt. Tell them we dont always know everything and we will spend out whole lives learning. God has given us the Bible full of wisdom so that we can find the treasures He wants to give us as we grow in wisdom.
Read the instructions to your toddler and let them follow them. Repeat the reading if they cant get the coin the first time. When they find the coin get them to repeat the bible verse: Listen, my [child], to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.
In Exodus 20:12 Children are given a commandment to honour your mother and father. Honour cannot work without obedience. As a boy, Jesus would have learnt the law of Moses. Encourage your children to learn the 10 commandments. If your toddler is young then encourage them to learn the 5th commandment.
Print out this commandment and let them decorate the border with glitter, stickers, clipart or card making pretties.
More on how to train your children in a grace based manner to honour
For your older preschooler you can set out a carpentry bench for them. From 2 and a half years our sons enjoyed hitting nails into wood. We would collect wood off cuts from timber outlets and let them create all sorts of airplanes and boats with their scraps.
Depending on your preferences, you can also show them how to make a wooden sword but give them strict play guidelines.
One year for Christmas gifts our son made little crosses out of wood for family gifts. As skew as they were they were delightful gifts.
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