Tag: beautifulheartedparenting

Snake Bubbles and Other Fun Ideas to Keep the Summer Fun going!

Linsey Driskill

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  1. Make “Rainbow Snake Bubbles*” out of a bottle, “Polka Dot Slime”, “Crystal Names”, “Ice Chalk”, and more! “View the Gallery” of Activities here: 40 Boredom-Busting Activities to do with Kids. (*If you do the snake bubbles, make sure your child does not inhale the bubbles, but blows them out.)
  2. Create an adventurous scavenger hunt walk in your neighborhood or at your house, with the end reward being a Massive Bubble Maker!
  3. Take a hike with your kids (bring gummy bears for inspiration) and ask “Would you Rather” questions for fun conversation. Scroll down for 30 questions!
  4. Put miniature plastic figures in different shaped containers of water and freeze overnight. Pour them on the grass, letting them melt some in the sun. Then let the kids explore and chip away the ice to find the hidden treasures.
  5. Have a classic water balloon fight.
  6. On rainy days, spin a globe or point to a map after closing your eyes, and randomly pick a place to take an imaginary trip to. Have fun researching the country and making that country’s food.
  7. Find a creek to skip rocks on.
  8. Roll up Questions and place them in balloons, and then blow them up. Have your kids pop them to answer the questions, and they might enjoy drawing the answers to the questions. Ideas are: “What would your dreamland be like?”, “If you could create an animal, what would it look like?”, “If you created one invention, what would it be?”, or “Describe your best day.”

Enjoy some quality, connection time with these fun activities!!!

30 Ridiculous Would You Rather Questions for Kids

Would you Rather…

  1. Swim in ice cream or donuts?
  2. Never brush your teeth again or never take a bath again?
  3. Would you rather have stinky feet or stinky hands?
  4. Have to crawl everywhere or walk upside down everywhere?
  5. Have a cupcake-making machine in your room or a donut-making machine?
  6. Not wash your hands or hair for a month?
  7. Eat a chocolate covered cricket or a peanut-butter worm?
  8. Hiccup or burp all the time?
  9. Be able to walk on the ceiling or sideways on the wall?
  10. Have 5 noses or 5 eyes?
  11. Sleep on pinecones or spaghetti?
  12. Be smaller than an ant or bigger than a tree?
  13. Hop on one foot or spin everywhere you go?
  14. Have feet on your head or on your knees?
  15. Have Olaf or Snoopy for a pet?
  16. Live in the sea or an underground prairie dog tunnel?
  17. Have noodles or broccoli for hair?
  18. Have a slide or pole instead of stairs?
  19. Have an elephant’s trunk or a giraffe’s neck?
  20. Be a bird or dolphin?
  21. Be a chameleon so you can change colors, or be a cheetah so you can run as fast as a car?
  22. Live on a cloud or in the bottom of the sea?
  23. Stand barefoot in a bowl of smooshy bananas or slimy mushrooms?
  24. Have your tongue or your hands stuck in a bottle?
  25. Only be able to yell or whisper?
  26. Go to the beach or mountains?
  27. Be sprayed with a snail’s gooey liquid or a spider web?
  28. Be able to walk on water or on the top of trees?
  29. Sleep with a helmet on or with your shoes on?
  30. Ride on a Cloud or a Rainbow?

Reaching out to Children with Special Needs

Linsey Driskill

unnamedI remember the mother of a special needs child in a wheelchair saying she wished children would come up and talk with her kid instead of ignoring him and whispering. If they were curious and had questions, to simply ask instead of walking away in fear. Those of you who have children with special needs (or know someone who does), do you agree/disagree or have anything else to share?

The example of the “Bent Over Woman” in Luke 13 is a powerful one to share with our kiddos. When Jesus was in the middle of teaching, he noticed a woman who had been sick and completely bent over for 18 grueling years. Jesus compassionately stopped what he was doing and called her to the front. When she showed her faith in Him by walking forward, Jesus healed her.

Even though Jesus was ridiculed by the Pharisees for healing this woman on the Sabbath day, he didn’t care. He reached out to a woman who had probably been ignored her whole life and loved her.

My son, Bates, got star student a few months ago in school and I was proud of him. But what made me beam was when his teacher told me that he often helps a boy in his class with special needs. During the field trip, the teacher told Bates he didn’t need to buddy up with him but could go off with his friends. Bates told her, “He is my friend.” I love that.

Who in your life can you reach out to who might be ignored? Let’s encourage our children to be kind to kids with special needs or are ignored – To simply smile, say hi, or talk with them, so they feel known and loved, just like Jesus did. *I love this picture of my cousin’s son, Jack, as a counselor at Kanakuk’s Special Needs Camp, Barnabus.*

#Reachingouttokidswithspecialneeds #thebentoverwoman #BeautifulHeartedParenting

* Book Giveaway! *

Linsey Driskill

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Let’s celebrate July 4th with a Book Giveaway! To enter to win one of my favorite children’s books:

* Comment on this Post below.

* For 3 extra entries, share this Post!

The book I’m giving away, “You are Special”, encourages children not to be swayed by others’ opinions of them because they are special in God’s eyes.

Giveaway will close July 6th at 12pm EST. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with WordPress. Winner is randomly selected.

How to be on our Kids’ Team when Disciplining, and not Against them

Linsey Driskill

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Kindness illuminates from my daughter, but lately I’ve noticed her telling subtle lies about minute things. For example, I asked if she washed her hands before snack and she said yes, when she hadn’t. Of all things to lie about, it seemed so silly, but it was still a lie.

I know how quickly a tiny molehill can transform into an enormous mountain, so I gave my daughter a few consequences. After being sent to her room and missing a video, she wasn’t affected. She came downstairs eagerly anticipating the ice cream sundae she had planned on having for days. The way to this child’s heart is through food so when I broke the news that she wouldn’t have it, she was crushed and stomped upstairs. I knew I had finally picked the right consequence! I told my daughter to come down when she was ready.

Later when she crept downstairs with tear-swollen eyes, I empathized. I remember author and counselor John Townsend saying that it’s important we empathize with our children so their choice at the time becomes the bad guy and not us, so I did just that.

I told my daughter I was sad for her that she couldn’t enjoy her ice cream because of the choice she made. I didn’t rub it in, but I let her know I had been really excited for her to get that. But that I knew she would be telling the truth in the small and big things for now on, and would probably earn her ice cream another day.

At first my daughter was angry when I shared the consequence, but when I expressed empathy, her defenses softened. When I rubbed her back and said, “This stinks, but I know you’ll make a better choice next time,” she softened up, and curled into my arms with sadness instead of anger. Even though this was a tiny moment, I got to walk through it with her, on her side. I felt even closer to my daughter after that entire escapade, and two weeks later, she has been focused on telling the truth in the big and small things.

As we make the choice the issue, not us, and genuinely empathize, their anger will diffuse and our connection will deepen. Our children will realize that they are responsible for their own choices and can’t blame them on anyone else.

I know we will all continue to have battles, low points, and triumphs, but if we stay on our children’s team, mourning alongside them during their disappointments and celebrating their successes, our relationships will strengthen and reach new heights.

 

Simple way to Keep our Kids’ Artwork!

Linsey Driskill

Artwork

Through this simple way, show your kids they matter. They are valued. They are cherished…

  1. Take pictures of your kids’ artwork with your phone.
  2. Make an album through a place like Shutterfly only of your child’s artwork.
  3. Watch their faces glow as they enjoy their art creations and soak in the feeling of being cherished.