BABIES & WODDLERS PARENT/CAREGIVER MESSAGES

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1 BABIES & WODDLERS PARENT/CAREGIVER MESSAGES Faith Word: God October 2015 Bible Verse: God saw how good it was (Genesis 1:21). After the long, hot summer, October begins the cooling-down cycle of the weather. It is impossible to think of October without thinking about those big, orange pumpkins. Since this is your baby s or woddler s first October, find things to do in which you can put your child in a stroller and be outside. This might involve visiting a pumpkin patch. For rocky and unlevel terrain, use a Moby wrap or one of the many different kinds of baby carriers that are now available. Walk through a pumpkin patch, point out the pumpkins, tell the child that the pumpkins are orange, encourage the child to touch a pumpkin, buy a pumpkin, and take it home with you. Put the pumpkin on an outside step or by a door and tell your child that God made the world and everything in it including this pumpkin and him or her! Repeat this month s Bible verse to the child: God saw how good it was (Genesis 1:21). This may be one of the last month s this year when you and your baby or woddler can visit an outdoor playground. Look for playgrounds that appear to be safe and contain baby swings and equipment suitable for babies and woddlers. Interact with your child while you swing him or her and sing songs while you do so. A very simple piggyback song to sing to your child is: God Made All the World, sung to the tune of This Old Man: God made birds, God made bees. God made monkeys in the trees. Great big whales and even tiny fleas, God made all the world, you see.

2 November 2015 Faith Word: Thanks Bible Verse:... always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20). In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated in the month of November. In your daily prayertime, remember to thank God for your child. It is never too early to teach your child to be thankful or how to pray. Hold your child in your arms and say a prayer of thanksgiving for every item you see around you. This could involve looking out a window with your child and thanking God for the natural things you see outside such as trees, sun, rain, clouds, people, grass, leaves, etc. It could involve looking out a window and thanking God for the busy life you see that makes it possible for you to live such as trucks that bring food, cars that people ride in to get to work, stores that sell clothes that people need to stay warm. Being thankful can also mean looking around your home and openly thanking God for the things you see that make it possible for you and your child to live such as your home, food, refrigerator, stove and oven, pantries with food, blankets, etc. There is always something for which to be thankful. Do not forget to encourage your child to remember people whom she or he can remember in prayertime: parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles, caregivers, and friends. Whoever is involved in your child s life needs to be remembered during these close and cuddly prayertimes. Another important faith ritual to teach is the before mealtime prayer. This can even be fun such as the Johnny Appleseed song: Oh, the Lord is good to me; And so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need The sun and the rain and the appleseed. The Lord is good to me. OR (Tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat ) Thank, thank, thank You, God. Thank You for this food. I know that You are always near. And thank You for this food. You can always teach your child the very traditional mealtime prayer: God is great. God is good. Let us thank God for this food. Amen. If you have a woddler, teach her or him how to fold her or his hands in prayer, or clasp them together in prayer. As is often said, thankfulness is a matter of attitude. Encourage your child to develop a thankful attitude. In the process of doing so, you will develop one as well.

3 DECEMBER 2015 Faith Word: Jesus Bible Verse: Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus (Luke 1:31). This is a very special Christmas for you and your little one. Christmas is when we remember the birthday of Jesus. This Christmas is your first or second one with your child. Reading the Christmas story will be very meaningful for you. You will know how deeply Mary and Joseph loved their child, and how dedicated they were in raising God s only Son. It is a miracle story for sure. You have a little miracle in your home also. This Christmas, make it a quiet and peaceful one. Go ahead and decorate your tree, but make it a quiet and beautiful spot where your family can gather if even for five minutes a day to pray, sing, read the nativity story, play with the nativity scene (unbreakable), and simply talk and share. All of us get caught up in the busyness of the season, but sometimes we need to stop and remember what the celebration is all about. This Christmas, your child will not be interested in what he or she will get for Christmas. To your child, Santa Claus an exciting part of the season, but usually, a little bit frightening. You can take this beginning Christmas and make it all your own. Consider focusing this Christmas on the true meaning of Christmas. Visit outside nativity scenes. Identify each of the people in the nativity scene and explain who they were and why they were important to the nativity story. Rock and sing to your infant at least two nights a week during the Christmas season with the television off and the Christmas tree lights on. Make this a sweet and sentimental Christmas with your blessing. Sleep, Baby Jesus (Tune: Rock-a-Bye, Baby ) Sleep, baby Jesus, Sleep on the hay. Mary is singing, Little lambs play. Joseph is watching, Stars shine so bright. So sleep, baby Jesus, Sleep through the night.

4 JANUARY 2016 Faith Word: Light Bible Verse: You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). During the cold winter month of January, you may get discouraged and anxious for light again. The earth is still asleep, but your baby or woddler is not! Even though it is cold in many parts of the world, it would be nice for both you and your infant to get outside the house and do something. Staying cooped up in a tight place can be discouraging! There are things you can do in many areas of the world that will intellectually engage both you and your child. There are museums that are friendly to strollers, carriers, and infants. Many large museums even have cafeterias where you and your child can unwind and rest. Many museums these days have interactive displays, and children, even woddlers can participate in them. Consider going to children s museums before going to museums designed for adults. Another wonderful place to begin visiting is a public library or a bookstore. Expose your child to books. Buy a cardboard book or a book that requires the child to interact with it. Bring the book home, read it to your child, and let him or her experience it. Scratch and Sniff books are always popular for little ones. Books that we suggest purchasing are: On a Starry Blue Night (DVD) by Daphna Flegal, Abingdon Press, ISBN 13: My First Bible Stories by Juliet David and Pauline Stewart, published by Candle Books, ISBN 13: Animals (Baby Touch and Feel), by D.K. Publishing, board book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, board book Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes by Annie Kubler, board book.

5 FEBRUARY 2016 Faith Word: Love Bible Verse: Now faith, hope, and love remain these three things and the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). As Christians, we know the most important part of our faith is LOVE. Having a baby is a new experience for most of us in dealing with love. We may feel that we have never experienced such strong emotions for something so small. When we have a child, whether we physically bear it, or adopt it, we would do just about anything for the child. You know that you now have an overwhelming responsibility to care for this child in many ways physically, mentally, emotionally, and in helping to develop his or her faith. You also have a responsibility to care for yourself, because your child needs you! During the month of February, you may feel the need to exercise and move your body. The season of overeating is over and you know spring is right around the corner, and you are just feeling stale. Good news! God wants us to love our bodies and take care of them. Or don t you know that you have the Holy Spirit from God, and you don t belong to yourselves? You have been bought and paid for, so honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 19-20). This Scripture confirms what our bodies are telling us move it and take care of it! Years ago, exercising and moving your body involved the parent or caregiver separating herself or himself from the child; but today, there are classes in most communities that offer exercising that includes both the child and the parent. Quite often, these are found in churches and in local recreation centers where the cost is minimal. Baby and Me classes include every type of exercising: yoga, pilates, swimming, and running with your child in a jogging or running stroller. Exercising means that you not only love yourself, your body, the Holy Spirit, and God; but you are also, by example, teaching that same discipline and faith to your child. Good for you!

6 MARCH 2016 Faith Word: Hope Bible Verse: Isn t your religion the source of your confidence; the integrity of your conduct, the source of your hope? (Job 4:6) In March, in some areas of the world, there is hope that winter will actually come to an end. Some places have daffodils poking up through the ground. Some days are warmer. There is HOPE. If you have not yet visited a zoo with your child, warm days in March are often the best time to go. Sometimes summer is too hot to stroll around the zoo. Pay attention to the weather. If it is cool, dress you child warmly. You do not have to spend hours at the zoo, and most zoos have rooms where you go inside and look at the creatures inside such as snake rooms, aquariums, and other animals that require warmth. There is also usually a cafeteria where you and your child can eat and rest. Make the zoo a learning experience for your child. Reread the first chapters of Genesis before you go and reacquaint yourself with the creation of the earth. Reaffirm for yourself and your child that God created the world and everything in it. As you point out the different animals in the zoo, after each discussion about the animal, say, God made the giraffe (or other creature) and it is good. If your child is beginning to talk, she or he will begin repeating part of that phrase after you. For the days in March when winter reappears in the form of snow, take this one last opportunity to go sledding with your child. Hold your child closely while you sled. Bundle your young child, pick a safe hill, and a safe sled, and experience the thrill of moving down the hill quickly and feeling the wind and snow against your face. If the ride scares your child, do not repeat the activity. Repeat this prayer to your child: Thank you, God, for everything in your beautiful world. Amen.

7 APRIL 2016 Faith Word: Joy Bible Verse: When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy (John 20:20). Quite often, Easter is celebrated during the month of April. There is much excitement around Easter just like there is around Christmas. With Christmas, we have Santa Claus and elves. With Easter, we have the Easter bunny and eggs. For we Christians, this is often a difficult situation. We want our children to know and understand the religious reason for the celebration, but it is very difficult to live in the world and not be affected by things that are not sacred. Raising a Christian child is not an easy task, but you can do it! Focus on the true story of Easter. It is not a fun story, and it is difficult to tell a baby or a child, but it is the truth, and we don t want to lie. However, you do not need to focus on the gruesome details of Jesus death at your child s age. You can focus instead on the fact that Jesus rose and is alive and lives with us forever. Pat your child s heart while you repeat this. This is good news! We are Easter people! There is supreme joy at this time of year! One of the best examples of new life is to grow something with your child. Plant a flower in a pot and transfer it to the ground when it gets warmer. Put vegetable seeds in a pot. While you do this, explain to your child that the seed will grow and become large. When it starts growing, transfer it to the ground. Watch the vegetable grow throughout the summer and harvest it with your child. Your child can be a baby sitting in an infant seat while you do this planting and harvesting just keep on talking to your child about the joy of new life. You may think this is silly, but your child will learn from interaction with you in intellectual, verbal, social, and faith-building ways. You are doing more good that you know! In April, there is new life all around you. Show your child flowers coming up and pushing through the ground. If possible, visit a farm with your child and look at the baby animals. Focusing on babies is an effective way to teach your child that babies start out small, grow, and become larger, just as your child is. Read books to your child about babies baby humans and baby animals. Good books to read are: Animals (Baby Touch and Feel) by DK Publishing, Board book Touch and Feel: Farm by DK Publishing, Board book Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt You can also sing songs about growth and new life to your child: Jesus Grew (Sing to the tune of London Bridge ) Jesus grew just like I grow, (Clap hands) Like I grow, like I grow. Jesus grew just like I grow. See me growing! (Stretch hands upwards.) I thank God for how I grow, (Clap hands) How I grow, how I grow. I thank God for how I grow. See me growing! (Stretch hands upwards.)

8 MAY 2016 Faith Word: Church Bible Verse: Encouraged by the Holy Spirit, the church continued to grow in numbers (Acts 9:31). Going to church is an important faith experience in which every family should participate. It really is true that a child s faith can be introduced and developed at church. Going to Sunday School is a faith-building experience for children, and if your desire as a parent is to raise a Christian child, then being involved in a faith community is important. Remember, you do not have to be a perfect person or a perfect family to be involved in church. No one in church is perfect. Everyone is trying to focus on becoming closer to God and Jesus. Do not expect your child to grow in the Christian faith unless you expose him or her to the faith, the community, and the Word. From the time your child is born, be a regular in the church nursery or infant room. Recite Scripture verses to your child that will reinforce for him or her that he or she is a child of God and is loved by God. Dear friends, now we are God s children, and it hasn t yet appeared what we will be (1 John 3:2). Then Jesus called them to him and said, Allow the children to come to me (Luke 18:16). Say prayers with your child: Thank You Lord, for happy hearts, for rain and sunny weather. Thank You, Lord, for this food, and that we are together. Thank you for the world so sweet, Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing, Thank you God for everything. Sing songs of faith that teach about Jesus and make your child want to learn more about him: Let the Children Come to Me (Tune: London Bridge ) Let the children come to me, come to me, come to me. Let me hold them tenderly, Jesus said. A Christian I Will Be (Tune: The Farmer in the Dell ) A Christian I will be. A Christian I will be. I will follow Jesus. A Christian I will be. All of these ways will help you raise your child in the Christian faith. Do not be afraid to let the Christian Church help you. The Church is your partner. It is a place where both you and your child should feel loved and accepted, and a place where you and your child can grow in your faith journey.

9 JUNE 2016 Faith Word: Peace Bible Verse: Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God s children (Matthew 5:9). Sometimes teaching a child to be peaceful is difficult. As parents, we try to handle situations as they arise; and we often feel overwhelmed. One piece of advice I have learned over the years is to try to be peaceful, calm, and quiet with children. When you respond to children in this manner, they will often respond likewise. As parents, we experience moments of anxiety and anger, but as Christians we can constantly strive for perfection. Give your woddler peaceful activities to engage him or her. Let your child play with play dough and use cookie cutters to make things. Another peaceful activity is to give your woddler simple, large puzzles, and encourage her or him to put them together. After the child puts the puzzle together, affirm him or her. For small babies, laying the child on a blanket in the room encourages large body movements such as rolling, sitting, and even experimenting with crawling. Give the baby clean toys that he or she can teethe on, hold, drop, and even pick up. These are ways that small children can experience peace and quiet. In a peaceful, quiet atmosphere, children can begin to think and possibly learn to pray. It is in those quiet moments that you can pray with your young child. Many parents play quiet Baby CDs to help their children go to sleep. There are many faith-based CDs for sale that will encourage faith development in young children. Available through Abingdon Press is Babies & Woddlers and Toddlers & Twos Annual Music CD. The key to developing a peaceful and calm child is to be peaceful and calm with them. Work very hard at responding to your child in peaceful, calm ways. Try not to yell. Look the child in the eye when speaking to her or him. If this is difficult for you, pray to God to help you achieve this practice. Remember that your baby is a baby. Remember that your woddler is a woddler. They are not adults and do not have adult reasoning skills. They are still learning how to control their emotions. They will need to be taught what is appropriate and what is not appropriate behavior. It is your responsibility as a parent or guardian to teach those behaviors. The best way to teach is to be a model. Another important aspect to consider when teaching your child to be peaceful and calm is to provide a consistent routine for your child. Your baby or woddler will find peace in knowing what to expect next in his or her daily routine. Of course, we live in a world where routines change; but we can at least try to provide a consistent routine to help our babies and woddlers experience peace.

10 JULY 2016 Faith Words: God, loves Bible Verse: Dear friends, let s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God (1 John 4:7). Summertime is a good time to focus on the most important practice of the Christian faith loving. Of course, you love your baby or woddler that goes without saying but how do you express that love? 1. Children of all ages know they are loved when their parents or guardians take care of them. When a baby is first born, the physical expectations of the child are quite high. The child needs the parent or guardian in order to survive. As the child grows, this need becomes less and less. As a parent or guardian, you can show your love to your child by caring for him or her. Make sure your baby is changed, cleaned, fed, and loved. This is a big job! 2. Spend time with your child. Your child will not know or understand the Christian faith unless you spend time with her or him explaining it and living it out in front of her or him. Plan activities that you can do with your child that surround participating in church events: Advent activities, Lenten activities, Vacation Bible School. Spending time with your child also includes playing games with your child such as Peek-a-Boo, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc. 3. Encourage your child. As your child learns to crawl, walk, and speak, encourage him or her by clapping and giving words of praise. Encouragement also helps in the emotional growth and security of a child. 4. Babies and woddlers are limited in what they can eat and drink, so they will not be able to eat the wide variety of foods that you can. However, you can set them in an infant seat and let them watch you prepare food. (This is the first step in teaching them how to cook.) Make frozen popsicles with your child that he or she can hold and eat with you. Combine honey, fruit, yogurt in a blender. (The child may cry from the noise of the blender.) Freeze this mixture in popsicle molds in the freezer and taken them out when frozen for a treat with an older baby or woddler. 5. Tell Bible stories to your child. You can do this by taking old gloves and turning some of the fingers inside out, tying some fingers together, anything to make a glove represent a Bible character. Then tell a Bible story. Use different voices for different people. 6. Dance with your baby in your arms. Turn on the CD player or buy an exercising video that you can do with your child. This not only helps you exercise, but also helps your child know that he or she can exercise, too. This will honor your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Focus this month on giving your baby or woddler more attention than you usually do, and you can encourage her or his faith development as well as her or his self-image.

11 AUGUST 2016 Faith Word: Trust Bible Verse: Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is a rock for all ages (Isaiah 26:4). An infant is born with complete trust. She or he has to trust her or his parents and caregivers to take care of all her or his needs. If anything ever becomes too much for her or him, she or he only needs to cry out, and her or his needs are met. Sometimes the infant s needs are not met in as timely a manner as she or he would like, but in most cases, they are met. This is the same experience we have when we learn to trust in God. We have to put our trust in God for our physical needs to be met as well. Some churches are fortunate in that they have started gardens on their church property. All the food that is grown on the property is picked and given to those people in the community who do not have enough food to eat. Actually growing gardens and harvesting them has almost become a lost art in our society. You can take your baby with you and pick with your baby in an infant carrier or bag on you. People for many generations have done this. Sing, talk, or pray with the baby while you do this task. Tell your child that you trust God to help you with all your needs including food. Sing this song with your child as you pick food: Do You Know That God Is Here? (Tune: Do You Know the Muffin Man? ) Do you know that God is here? That God is here, that God is here. Oh, do you know that God is here; And loves you all the time? This song will help your child know that God is always around him or her and encouraging him or her help others. Your child might be the right age to begin taking swimming lessons. Many schools and local swim clubs offer swimming lessons for babies and their parents. Participating in this activity, helps the child to not be afraid of the water and to enjoy an activity that God s earth provides. On summer evenings, invite your whole family outside to look at the stars in the sky. Count the stars one by one. Let your child feel the wonder you have with the beauty of the world. PRAY: Thank you, God, for this child and for this beautiful world that You have made. Help us learn to love and care for each other. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.