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12/3/2019

THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS
By Liz Hansen
The preschool years are an incredible time to incite wonder in the heart of a child. Wonder at a Creator who cried out,
“Let there be light!”

God made beauty.
He made mystery.
He is both.

And he hard-wired our kids, in varying ways, to respond to it.
Christmas provides an especially rich opportunity to encourage that wonder in your preschooler:
1. Offer lots of hands-on experiences.
Frankly, it’s hard to let a preschooler “help.” It takes at least 3.7 times as long. It’s
exponentially messier. But something amazing happens when you set the stage, and then allow
your child to lead the way.

Let your preschooler select and package gifts for a child in need. Encourage your

child to consider what the world might look like through the eyes of a kid in
very different circumstances.

Invite your child to decorate with you. Put them in charge of ornaments for the lower

part of the tree, even if you end up with a dozen candy canes on one branch.
2. Create beautiful things.

Your child is made in the image of the God who beautiful things. So give them a

chance to create.

Christmas cookies! Whatever your method, don’t let your child miss the flat-out miracle that all those various ingredients mix together into a glop that somehow turns into a delicious cookie with an overdose of sprinkles.
Turn on the lights. Tap into a child’s delight in anything that glows or lights up. Make a Christmas wonderland of their bedroom by stringing up multi-colored lights or do bath time in the (mostly) dark with red and green glow sticks.

3. Tell stories.
Well-crafted stories can reflect the beauty and imagination of the incredible True Story
that God is telling. Music and art can do the same. Find ways to introduce your preschooler,
whether it’s through reading preschool versions of the Christmas Story or listening to different
genres of Christmas music in the car.

When you read the Christmas story, explore and ask questions. How do you think Mary felt about being so far from home when she had Baby Jesus? What do you think it was like for the shepherds when all those angels showed up?
Grab a few electric candles or flashlights and go sing your child’s favorite Christmas songs for the neighbors at dusk.

Whatever you choose, this Christmas, make space and set the stage for your preschooler, and
watch their eyes to see the wonder unfold.

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Welcome to the Parent Cue FCC Kid's Ministry Helping families do life better!

11/26/2019

MOVING BEYOND THE HOLI-DAZE
By Jim Burns

For many of us, the holiday season is a time that is anticipated with both joy and anxiety. Sure, we
love the celebrations, the family traditions, and we cherish the memories of holidays gone by;
but along with them, we add the stresses of preparation, expectations, and the fear of letdowns
or family squabbles that we have experienced in the past. With this in mind, here are a few tips
that can help restore some sanity to your family, and hopefully make for an enjoyable,
meaningful holiday season.

1. Set manageable expectations.
Spend some time now setting realistic and manageable expectations for your holiday season.
Be realistic and upfront about what your family can do. Make a list of what is possible and
prioritize your most important events and activities for you and your family. Then, pace
yourself. Organize your time.

2. Acknowledge the past but look toward the future.
Life brings changes. Each season of life is different. Determine to enjoy this holiday season for
what it is. Acknowledging the past, whether it was good or bad, is appropriate. But, if you find that
this year has been a rough one and you don’t anticipate having the best holiday season ever, try
not to set yourself up for disappointment by comparing today with the “good old days.”
Take advantage of the joys the present holiday season has to offer.

3. Develop and encourage a life of gratitude.
Gratitude is an attribute that transcends circumstances. No matter what your circumstances,
there is reason to be thankful in them. Your circumstances may never change, but your
attitude toward them can change . . . and this can make all the difference. If you want to help your
kids develop an attitude of gratitude, get started by having each family member create individual
lists of “Twenty Reasons Why I’m Thankful.” Share your lists as a family on Thanksgiving or
Christmas Day.

4. Do something for someone else.
One of the ways we can demonstrate that we are grateful to God for His many blessings is to
help others. Even if this has been a difficult year for you and your family, helping others will help
you too, as your focus will move from your own circumstances into serving others. There are
always people who can use a helping hand. So, enrich this holiday season for your family by
getting involved in serving others.

For more way to move beyond the holi-daze, read the full article on theParentcue.org
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Welcome to the Parent Cue FCC Kid's Ministry Helping families do life better!

11/20/2019

WHY KIDS CRASH ON SOCIAL MEDIA (AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT)
By Jon Acuff

Long before I got my driver’s license, my parents taught me about driving. Before pulling out
in front of someone, they’d say: “You can’t always trust that a blinker means someone is really
going to turn.” When crossing traffic, they’d point out places I needed to focus. On the
highway, they’d extol the merits of only passing in the left lane instead of the right. What’s i
nteresting is that my education started years before I would ever sit behind the wheel.
Why did they teach me in advance? Because it’d be dumb to never teach me about using
a car and simply hand me a pair of keys upon my sixteenth birthday. The less I knew about
driving, the more likely I was to get in a crash.

As obvious as that is, it’s amazing how easy it is for us parents to treat social media that way.
Instead of teaching our kids about the benefits and dangers of social media before they
use it, one day we just give them a Facebook page. “Here, this is the entire Internet. A wondrous
world populated with great beauty and great danger. Good luck!” Having turned over the keys, we
walk away, surprised later that they wrecked the car. Like driving, the best time to teach a kid
about social media is before they use it.

What does that look like from a practical sense?
Here are a few examples:

1. When you Google something for them, like say the name of the American Girl Doll of
the Year, teach them about how fun Google is, but that they’ll need to be careful about the
words they use to search someday.

2. When you show them a funny cat video on YouTube, teach them how if they someday
post their own videos, the people who post comments on YouTube might not say the nicest things.

3. When you Instagram a picture, tell them the number of likes you get doesn’t determine the
value of the photo. The photo had value before it was even shared.

Each time you use social media around your kids there’s a chance to say, “This part is great
and this part is challenging.” The little advice you give can really add up over time. The more
you teach them now, the easier it will be for them to avoid a wreck in the future.

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11/12/2019

THE WORK OF TEACHING KIDS TO VALUE EVERYONE
By Lauren Terrell

“I will never be friends with Will*! He has a funny looking hand, and I will never play with him!”
my 4-year-old passionately declared the moment she climbed in the backseat of our car
after her first day of pre-k. I froze, eyes wide, mouth open. My eyes flicked to the rearview
mirror where I could see my little girl, scowling, arms crossed over her new navy dress with the
words “BE KIND” spelled out in sequins. Where had I gone wrong? How had I missed the signs
that I was raising a monster?? What were the magic words I had to say to reverse this
immediately?After every tactic I knew to compel my daughter to show empathy toward Will was
met with an outright dismissal, I ended with a clear demand: “I want you to be kind
to everyone because everyone is important.”

“I knooooooww-uh! STOP TALKING!”

Confirmed: I was raising a monster.

That afternoon, as she watched Daniel Tiger (singing, “In some ways we are different, but
in so many ways, we are the same” in the background), I ordered no less than 10 Everyone
Has Equal Value- themed picture books to subtly slide into our bedtime story rotation. I added
movies to our queue with diverse heroes, researched places we could go as to expose her to
all kinds of people. And I signed our family up for a Meals on Wheels route.

I wish I could say she went back to school the next week and invited Will over for
a play date. But I learned that I can’t teach love in one day. There were no magic words I could say.
The truth is, my work on this subject will never be done. Not after reading all the books, watching
all the movies, and delivering all the meals. Not even after she got in the backseat one day in May
and announced, “Will is actually my friend!”

Being intentional about the books we read, the people we interact with, the way I speak to and
about others—this is work I should have been doing all along—work I must continue doing the
rest of my life. We all have prejudices, fears, and biases. And we all have to be willing to
do the work needed to make sure the next generation is one defined by their ability to see
the intrinsic value in every person they meet.
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11/4/2019

HOW TO READ BETTER BEDTIME STORIES By Robert Carnes

When I became a new parent, the thing l looked forward to most was reading bedtime stories
with my child. Now that I’m a dad, that’s my favorite way to connect with my daughter. Here a
re a few ways I’ve learned to make the most of this opportunity:

Make Reading Part of the Routine
Bedtime stories can help to establish a healthy bedtime routine. Even from a young age, this
can help your child sleep better. Having a set routine each night signals to your kid that it’s
time to start winding down. It helps takes their mind off of the day and ignites their imagination.

Pick the Right Books
There are lots of children’s books out there—both good and bad. But the best indication of
the right book for your child is whether it’s developmentally appropriate. Many factors can
go into deciding what’s age appropriate—from the complexity of the word, to the colors
in the illustrations. Doing your homework is important.

Do the Voices
What you’re reading is important, but so is how you’re reading it. One of the best ways to get
your kid to understand the context of what’s happening in the book is from your delivery.
They’re depending on you to be their emotional translator. Try giving each of the characters silly
voices. And make sure to do all of the sound effects. Children’s writers put those in there on purpose.

Get the Kid(s) Involved
One of the biggest benefits of reading to your child is promoting their own literacy. The more you
read to your child, the more they’ll understand and appreciate the importance of reading. And
what better way to do that than by involving them in the process?
As they get older, let them start picking out the books to read. As they develop favorites, they
might want to try reading aloud to you. Encourage them and gently guide them when they
make mistakes. As you read, ask them questions about the book, like “And then what happened?”
Right now, my daughter is only five- months-old. So she’s some time away from reading books
for herself. I get her involved by letting her hold on to the pages of the book, which she
inevitably attempts to eat. At least I can say she’s been consuming literature from a very
young age. (I’m sorry for the bad pun, but I have a quota of dad jokes to hit.)

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10/30/2019

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THE HOME AND THE CLASSROOM
With Teacher of the Year: Pamela Padak

There aren’t many people outside of family who will spend as much time with your
child than their preschool teacher does. With that in mind, it pays to have a positive
relationship with the person who will be pouring into our children when they’re
not in our care.

Here are a few things you can do to bridge the gap between the home and classroom.

Ask your child questions. The best way to engage your child is to ask

open-ended, clarifying questions about their day. Their answers will not
only give you insight into what happened when you were apart from each other,
but will also give you something to talk about with their teacher.

Read what teachers send home. Teachers send emails so parents can keep

up to date on what’s happening with their child. Read this! Not only will it keep you
in the loop, but it will also allow you to have a more rich conversation with your
kid about their school life.

Give teachers feedback. As parents, we’re quick to send feedback when something

goes wrong. But how often do we send feedback when things go well? Send a quick
email or text to your child’s teacher telling them how much you appreciate something
small they did this week in your child’s classroom.

For the sake of your child, make every effort to partner with their teacher, support
their efforts, and appreciate their investment. It can make more of a difference than you think.

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10/21/2019

HOW TO WIDEN YOUR FAMILY CIRCLE   OCTOBER 2019 PRESCHOOL

Sometimes it takes another voice to say the same things you are saying to your kid(s)
about the most important things in life—just in a different way. That’s what we call
“widening the circle.” Pursuing strategic relationships for your kids takes a little bit of
intentionality, but it can be as easy as 1-2-3: acknowledging who’s already there, inviting
other people in, and encouraging them along the way. Let’s get started!

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO’S ALREADY THERE
Think through family members, babysitters, teachers, coaches, instructors, friends’ parents,
Small Group Leaders, employers. Who are the people who already have influence in your
child’s life? Ask yourself this question: If my child won’t/can’t talk with me about something
(it happens), which adult in their lives would they go to that represents our same family
values? If you have middle or high schoolers, ask them whom they would go to.)

INVITE OTHERS INTO YOUR CIRCLE
Think about additional people to add to your support system. Inviting someone to be in
your circle is as simple as inviting them to be part of your family’s life. Start with a list of
people you admire or want to get to know better. Then be bold and make the first move.
Here are a couple of ways to get started:

• Have a family game night and invite a few people you want to get to know.

• Volunteer in your child’s classroom and build rapport with their teachers.

• Invite a college student or your child’s Small Group Leader to dinner.

• Volunteer to help with your child’s sports team.

Who are you going to invite?

ENCOURAGE THOSE IN YOUR CIRCLE
Now it’s time to appreciate and invest in the people in your circle.

• Ask a trusted babysitter to attend your child’s game, concert, or play.

•Ask someone with a skill your child wants to learn to teach them something about it.

• FaceTime out-of-town grandparents once a week.

• Saying “I’m truly thankful for you” goes a long way. So does a Starbucks gift card
  or making their favorite baked good!

• Encourage them with words like: “How can I pray for you?” “How can I make this
  relationship easier for you?” “Is there anything I can do to support you better?”

• Invite them into your home for coffee or dinner and build a family relationship.

What’s one thing you can do to support or encourage each person in your child’s circle?

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Welcome to Parent Cue FCC Kid's Ministry Helping families do life better!

10/15/2019

3 WAYS TO HELP YOUR KID PUSH PAST FEAR
By Kendra Fleming

There’s a difference between being courageous and being stupid (fear has a healthy
side too). However, most kids today lose courage because fear creeps in early.
Sometimes it’s easy to think that courageous people are people who experience no fear.
That’s just not true. Courage isn’t the absence of fear . . . it’s the willingness to walk through it.
Here are three tips to help your kids push past fear and discover more courage.

1. Tell them about a time you overcame fear.
It can be tremendously revealing to a child to discover that mom or dad, or someone
else they respect, had to push through fear, too. Tell them about a time you were scared but
made it through to the other side.

2. Out-think fear with them.
Fear has an enemy: rational thought. Naturally, not all fear is bad. Fear of playing in traffic or
plunging your hand into a pot of hot water is a good thing. But the fear you, me, and our kids
struggle with most is the fear that tells us that it’s too hard, that we’re not smart enough, good
enough or capable enough to do something.
The problem with that kind of fear is that once we agree with it, it gains power. It overtakes
our emotions and paralyzes us and imbeds itself as truth.
The future gets sabotaged because we believed a lie.
So help your kid focus on what they know is true, not on what they feel is true. If your child is
worried and afraid of failing a test, make sure they study hard. Then help them out-think fear.
studied hard. I know more than I think I know right now. People like me pass tests like this every day.
I know I’m ready to give this my best shot.
Out-thinking fear is one of the best ways to push past it.

3. Encourage them.
If you go back to the root meaning of encourage, it means to give courage— literally to
en-courage. Encouragement gives someone courage. Encourage your kids when they’re
doing courageous things, like talking to a friend who’s mad at them, saying sorry to his sister, trying
out for a team, or getting back up on their bike after a big fall. Often the way to find courage is
when someone’s in your corner encouraging you to do the hard things that fear would keep you
from doing.

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Preschool October 2019

10/7/2019

PARENTING TAKES COURAGE
By Kendra Fleming

Confession: I lay awake at night and worry about my kids. It’s true. I know that worry is a waste
of time. I know that worry shows a lack of faith. But sometimes . . . I worry about my kids.
What if they fall and break their arm?
What if they don’t pass that test?
What if they are hurt?
Mistreated?
Taken advantage of?
There’s a part of me that would like to create this safe, protected, and controlled environment
for my kids . . . to put locks on all of the doors and keep the bad out. I know this wouldn’t be best for them, but it sure is a tempting thought.
Worry won’t get you very far.
It takes courage to be a good parent.
Next time you need a little courage, try this:
Seek a new perspective.
There are worries in every stage of life. The first time you leave your baby with a sitter is scary. But there are parents who are further down the road than you are. They’ve been there. They’ve seen how things turn out. They can give you a new point of view. Ask them.
Allow children to learn from their mistakes.
Would I let my child touch a hot stove? No way! Did my kids scrape their
knees when learning to ride their bike? Absolutely. The great things in life come with some risk. There are lessons that your child needs to learn by overcoming obstacles. And when we don’t allow them to face the tough stuff, we cripple them.
Acknowledge that you are not in control.
This is a tough one for me. Sometimes I would like to be in control. After all, my way is obviously the best way! But I can’t keep all drunk drivers off the road. I can’t stop sickness. I can’t build a fence high enough to protect them. I am not able to control every circumstance.
It takes courage to be a good parent. Sometimes I need the advice of those who’ve been there. Sometimes I need to help my child learn all that they can from the worrisome circumstances. And sometimes, I just need to remember to give my fears to One who holds the whole world in His hands.
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10/1/2019

PRESCHOOL SEPTEMBER 2019

PLANTING SEEDS OF TRUTH FOR YOUR KIDS
By Candice Wynn

I was always extremely skinny as a child. Adults would consistently made jokes about my size.
They referred to me as a “string bean,” said I was “nothing but skin and bones” and “25 pounds
soaking wet.” One windy day, I remember an adult telling me I needed to put rocks in my coat
pockets to weigh me down so the wind would not blow me away. I didn’t think the joke was funny
and was highly offended. I remember hearing my mother say, “I’d love to have a body like that, wouldn’t you?” That was my mother’s way of protecting me from the criticism of others and affirming the unique way God created me. She consistently did this in the company of others and in the
privacy of our home.

As early as I can remember, my mother intentionally planted seeds of confidence with hopes they would one day bloom into an indestructible positive self-image. She did this because she knew
that as we grew, we would be exposed to a world of judgment and criticism. And we needed to
have the internal tools to face the good and the bad it would bring. For me, the bad that life
brought was found in how adults freely made fun of my size.

Now, as a parent, I look at my beautiful children and see the unique way God
has created each of them. And like my mother, I want to instill a positive self-image that will become their absolute truth. A positive self-image that potentially withstands bullying, the changes of puberty, and all other things life inevitably brings.

Sometimes as parents, we attempt to teach our children humility, but that can come at the
expense of a positive self-image and self-esteem. But when we affirm a child as they’re developing their understanding of self, their internal toolbox is expanded. They not only have an ingrained truth but also language to combat any opposing ideas that float their way.

No matter your child’s age, tell them just how beautiful or handsome they are. They need to hear how their unique features enhance their beauty and don’t take away from it. While your words might be ignored, the seeds being planted will take root somewhere. And if consistently watered, will produce ripe fruit. This ripe fruit of self-love, self-confidence, and self-esteem will be feasted upon for years to come.

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