Confidence
Have your children each draw a picture of an animal they like (or find pictures). Talk about how God has given each of those animals special features to help them function according to His grand design. Discussion point: We shouldn't complain about the way God made us.
To prepare for this activity, arrange for time alone with each of your children for a private chat. (Bedtime may be a good opportunity.) Ask your child to list all the good things about themselves. Then ask them to list all the things they would like to change.
Listening carefully to your child’s answers will reveal whether they view themselves positively, overly positively or overly negatively. You’ll use what you have learned to guide your discussion as your family completes the remainder of this exercise.
To continue, you will need to gather books about animals, or animal facts found on the Internet (try Cwf-fcf.org), plus paper and felt markers or crayons.
Have your children each draw a picture of an animal they like (or find pictures). Talk about how God has given each of those animals special features to help them function according to His grand design. Do some research together to discover the special features God gave these creatures. For example, birds have very light bones and feathers that make them light enough to fly. They also have an aerodynamic body shape. Birds of prey are equipped with strong beaks and claws (talons) to help them catch their food.
Discuss how each part of the animal is essential for its survival. Use these discussion questions, or make up your own based on each child’s animal of interest.
Questions for discussion
- Would a dog be able to eat if it decided, “I get in trouble for barking all the time; I don’t want to have a mouth anymore so I’ll ask my owner to tape it shut”?
- Could a bird still fly if it decided to get rid of its tail saying, “I don’t need a tail since I never get to wag it like my friend the dog”?
- What if a cow said, “I don’t need a tongue; it’s pink and rubbery, and people laugh when I stick it in my nose because they think it’s gross”?
- Could you ride a horse who said, “I don’t need my legs; I’d rather be a crawler like my buddy the worm”?
- If a grizzly bear wanted to get rid of his claws because he wanted to be cuddly like a teddy bear, could he still feed himself?
- What would happen to a giraffe if it had a short neck? Why does a giraffe need a long neck?
- What if an elephant said, “I must get rid of my trunk; it’s just a long, funny-looking nose and I don’t like it”? Would that elephant be able to move big things anymore?
- Can you think of other things animals might not like about themselves?
- Do people ever complain about how God made them? Do you think we should complain about that?
Note: Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss is a great book for encouraging children to be content with the way they were designed.
- Acceptance
- Adaptability
- Attentiveness
- Christmas
- Compassion
- Confidence
- Consideration
- Contentedness
- Cooperation
- Courage
- Courtesy
- Discernment
- Easter
- Faithfulness
- Forgiveness
- Generosity
- Gentleness
- Gratitude
- Harmony
- Honesty
- Humility
- Joy
- Kindness
- Obedience
- Patience
- Perseverance
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Reverence
- Righteousness
- Self-control
- Thanksgiving
