Practical Ways to Cultivate Spirituality in a Child: Part 4

(Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3)

My children have a personal devotional time in the mornings right after they wake up and before they come to breakfast. It generally takes 10 to 20 minutes depending upon their age. Here are some practical resources we use for our 9 and 10 year olds.

For Young Ladies
Many of you have probably already heard of Carol Fiddler's excellent book for young ladies called Girl of Beauty. I like this book because it doesn't focus too much on modern preteen culture and on the other hand, it isn't legalistic. Some authors urge us to cling to previous historical times and cultures- as if this will protect our children from the world. Let's not make the mistake of keeping our children in Laura Ingalls' pioneer days. I really believe we need to raise young people who are relevant to today's youth so that they can be salt and light. At the same time, being relevant doesn't mean we have to be caught up in today's culture. The author briefly chats with the reader about timeless issues that all young ladies face and gives scriptural advice for handling difficult situations. My girls had to dig into the Scriptures in order to complete each study. It was interesting and timely for their particular age. They spent an entire week on each chapter. (there are 19) Some chapter headings include, Truthfulness, Sunshine Makers, Ideals, A Sense of Purpose, Courtesy and Respect, Competition, Disappointments, Besetting Faults



Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz is my favorite pick for this age. The author does a wonderful job addressing common boyhood issues such as laziness, temptation, authority, inventiveness, and honesty, shyness and fear. There are 31 short chapters. You could use this as a private devotional book for your son or Dad could read this aloud to his son and have heart to heart discussions.

On weekends, my children read from the Psalms or the New Testament and write little summary narrations or favorite verses in their Bible Journal. I found that it is helpful to divide the Bible/prayer journal up into a few sections with little stick on tabs or masking tape so that my children's writing stayed organized. (Divisions: Girl of Beauty, Sermon Notes, Bible reading, Prayers)

Sunday Books
The books that we save for Sunday afternoon reading for this age group include:
Wise Words by Peter Leithart (The Proverbs of the Bible illustrated through stories)
Hero Tales Vol 2 by Dave and Neta Jackson (short biographies of Heroes and Heroines)
The King's Daughter and other Stories for Girls by J.E. White (character building stories for young ladies) (http://www.abpub.com/)
OR
Tiger and Tom and other Stories for Boys (character building stories for young men)
Polite Moments Vol 4 by Gary Maldaner (learn to be a servant)


one step at a time...