“Check for respect” game

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While you are driving or standing in a line up, fill the time by playing the “Check for Respect” game. Here are two ways you can play the game:

  • Tell your kids a story or provide a scenario. For example:A friend is over and you have a wonderful time playing together. Toys are spread all over the playroom. Your friend leaves without offering to help clean up the toys.An older man comes to your home to visit and your little brother asks him how old he is.

    Ask your kids, “Did the characters in the story show respect?” If the characters in the story showed respect, your kids answer, “Check for respect.” If the characters did not demonstrate respect, have your children make a noise like a game show sound when someone gets eliminated from the game: “Ennnnh!”

  • Another option is to make it a multiple-choice game where your children select the correct answer. The laughs gained with playing the game this way can add some fun, given your children have the maturity and judgement to understand that the humour is funny to listen to, but not funny if it is acted out. Some examples include:You feel a sneeze coming, so you a) look for someone to sneeze on b) cover your mouth and nose with your hands c) turn your head away from people and let the sneeze out as loudly as possible.Company is over. You notice that after the meal, your mom has a big piece of lettuce on her tooth. You a) point at it and start laughing as loud as you can, b) ask if anyone can tell which of your mom’s teeth is not like the other, c) quietly whisper in your mom’s ear that she should check her teeth in the bathroom.

    Once your children understand the idea behind making up scenarios for the game, they may want to make up some of their own, too.

If you have completed the kick-off craft activity for the respect lesson, you can add this game to daily life. When you notice family members treating each other or possessions with respect, remember to say, “Check for respect.” Family members can say “Ennnnh!”, when they notice other family members not following the “family respect rules,” provided it is done in a respectful way.

I’m thirsty. I’m hungry

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As parents, we so often hear our children ask for a drink of water or a snack. Use these requests as a cue to talk about “hungering and thirsting for righteousness.” Each time you serve a drink or a snack, use it as a reminder to ask God to put a hunger and thirst for righteousness in your hearts.

Questions for discussion
  •  Who gives the plants a drink when they are thirsty?
  • How does God water the plants?
  • The Bible compares rain to God’s Word. How are they alike?
  • Can righteousness really rain down from heaven?
  • Does drinking rainwater make you righteous?
  • Could you eat the pages out of a Bible to become righteous?
  • Read Psalm 119:9-11. How can we make sure righteousness “grows” in our hearts?
Key concepts

God provides water so thirsty plants can grow. God also gives us water and food to satisfy our physical needs, but He wants us to “thirst” or desire righteousness in the same way that we crave water when we are thirsty. God’s Word tells us that He will bless us and fill us when we hunger and thirst for righteousness. Reading the Bible is one way we can learn about avoiding sin. The other way we can become righteous is through confessing our sins and asking God to send His Holy Spirit to live in us, to teach us to live righteously.

Relevant Scripture

Psalm 135:6-7 “The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.”

Isaiah 55:10-11 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 45:7-8 “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.”

Psalm 119:9-11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Righteous rejoicing

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Create an impromptu worship time by inviting your children to think of songs you can sing to praise God. Some song ideas to help you get started are Our God Is an Awesome God, Praise Him All Ye Little Children, and Praise the Name of Jesus. Affirm your children by reading your choice of the verses below and let them know that people who are righteous enjoy praising God.

Relevant Scripture

Psalm 32:11 “Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”

Psalm 33:1 “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.”

Psalm 64:10 “Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart praise Him!”

Psalm 68:3 “But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.”

Psalm 135:3 “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to His name, for that is pleasant.”

Psalm 140:13 “Surely the righteous will praise Your name and the upright will live before You.”

Firefighting

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This story works well in combination with the hands-on option entitled “fire safety rules.”

While you are driving, have your children look for a fire station or a fire engine. Use the questions provided below to set the stage for the story that follows.

Questions for discussion
  • What kind of equipment does a firefighter need? (See the list below for essential firefighting resources.)
  • What is the most important thing a firefighter needs to fight a fire?

Firefighting power for you and me

Graham was a firefighter. Ever since he was a young boy, he had wanted to drive a fire truck and help put out fires. He loved his job because he liked helping people who were in trouble. Graham also loved and followed Jesus. People would often thank Graham and his crew for the work they did and Graham would always say, “Remember to thank God too.”

One especially hot day in the middle of the afternoon, all the firefighters on duty were wishing they were relaxing at the local pool instead of sitting in the sweltering fire hall. Moments later, the alarm bell went. The 911 operator had details of a house on fire at 23 Beaverton Court.

Upon arriving at the house, Graham’s crew immediately began soaking the blaze with the water available in their truck. Meanwhile, two other crewmen were working to open the nearby fire hydrant. Suddenly Graham received a message over the radio.

“Graham, we have a problem. The hydrant is stuck.”

Graham called dispatch. “Is there another pump on the way?” he asked.

“Yes, it should be there in three minutes. Over.”

“Three minutes is too long,” Graham thought. “We need to get more water on this blaze now.” Graham turned and looked at the fire hydrant where two of his crew were desperately working to open the hydrant.

“Please God,” Graham prayed, “we need water so we can do our job.”

Moments later the crew heaved one more time against the valve on the hydrant. This time it opened and water began to gush through the hose!

The fire crew turned the hose on the blazing house fire. Soon the firefighters were able to approach the front door of the house. Using an axe and a Halligen bar, they opened the large wooden front door. As soon as the door was open, a frightened little wiener dog ran out. Fearing that there might be people inside as well, Graham and another crewman searched the house.

Thankfully they were able to check the house completely, making sure that there were no people or other pets inside. As they were putting out the last of the flames, a van pulled up to the scene. It was the family who lived in the house. The children picked up their dog, hugged him and cried. They were so thankful that their beloved canine, Frankfurt, had been rescued.

Graham drove home from work with a grateful heart. They had been able to save the family’s pet and had kept the blaze from spreading to the nearby houses. Sitting at the supper table with his family, Graham told his wife, his son, Josh, and daughter, Jesse, about the house fire and the faulty hydrant. For their Bible reading that night Graham read from Romans 8:7-10. It said, “The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

This all sounded pretty complicated to Jesse and Josh, until Graham explained the similarities between fighting sin and fighting fires.

Graham said, “Think of sin as the fire. Just as firefighters use water to fight a fire, the most important tool God gives us to fight sin is His Holy Spirit. Firefighters get connected to the source for their water – either a fire hydrant or their fire truck. When I had no water to fight the fire today, there was nothing I could do in my own strength to put it out.” Graham continued explaining, “Sin is like the fire; we can’t fight it on our own. What do we need to help us fight sin?” he asked.

 “God’s Spirit?” Josh answered.

 “Ding, ding, ding,” Graham smiled, making an amusing fire alarm sound. “That’s right. Only through God’s Spirit living in us can we win the battle against sin. God’s Holy Spirit is like the water pouring through the hose that helped us fight that fire today. Our connection to God is through prayer. Let’s pray right now and ask God to give us His Spirit to help us beat sin like we beat that fire today.”

Firefighting equipment

Firefighters use many pieces of specialized equipment to fight fires. Here’s a list of some essential items:

Clothing | A firefighter’s clothing is made from Nomex, a flame-resistant material, and includes a balaclava, a helmet, a bunker coat, bunker pants, gloves and leather boots.

SCBA | SCBA stands for “Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus.” This allows a firefighter to breathe fresh air from tanks carried on their back, instead of breathing in smoke.

Rescue equipment | A fireman’s axe and a Halligen bar (which resembles a pickaxe) help firemen gain quick access to locked areas. Extrication tools like the jaws of life, ropes, ladders and aerial towers help firefighters access areas they otherwise could not get to.

TIC | TIC is an abbreviation for Thermal Imaging Camera. An infrared camera helps a firefighter see, even in smoky conditions.

Two-way radios | Two-way radios and other communication devices allow firefighters to talk with each other, helping them work as a team.

Fire truck | In fire halls a basic fire truck is also known as a “pump” because it pumps water for the firefighters to use. Other trucks are known as “squads” if they are equipped with specialized rescue equipment. The truck that has a ladder and basket for reaching high areas is called an “aerial” or a “tower.”

Water | Most fire trucks carry about 500 gallons of water. This is a lot of water, but not enough to put out a house fire. In the case of larger fires, firefighters need to attach their hoses to a fire hydrant. Water is the most important thing for a firefighter to have at a fire because without water and a means to pump the water, a firefighter is powerless.

Key concepts

We all fight a kind of fire every day, and that fire is sin. God gives us many tools to fight against it: the Bible, wise friends and parents, and our own conscience. Just as water fights a fire, the most important tool God gives us to fight sin is His Holy Spirit. Firefighters know they must connect to a water source through a fire hydrant or their fire truck. We connect with the power of God’s Spirit through prayer.

Relevant Scripture

Romans 8:6-11 “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”

Smart self-control

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Give your children a treat that comes in small pieces (e.g. a small box of raisins or Smarties®). As you give the treat to them, explain that if they have self-control and do not eat it all at once, they will have some later for when they want some more. Leave it at that and see what happens. As the day progresses, use it as an opportunity to talk about the benefits of having self-control.

Questions for discussion
  • When did you eat your candy?
  • Do you still have any left now?
  • Do you wish that you still had some to eat now?
  • If you had chosen to eat it a little at a time, would you still have some now?
  • Would it have been easier to save some for later if you had put it away or asked a parent to care for it for you?

This exercise is applicable to any situation where we are tempted to lose self-control. Work with your children to brainstorm situations where it is better to remove yourself than stay where you are tempted to lose self-control. For example, do not sit beside a friend who you enjoy talking to when you are supposed to be quiet, or choose to leave a play area when tempers are getting heated and you feel angry with a friend.

Note: You may want to repeat this exercise at a later date and see if your children approach it differently after learning about self-control.

Self-control scenarios

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You can play the self-control game when you are driving in the car or as a family activity at home. Take turns giving examples of when self-control is needed. (See examples below). After each example, ask the questions for discussion.

  • Someone has just taken your favourite toy from you.
  • You have had one piece of cake and your stomach feels full. Someone offers you another piece.
  • You are alone in the kitchen and see an open bag of chocolate chips on the counter where you can reach it. No one will notice if you take a few.
  • Someone has just called you a mean name that hurt your feelings – now they are laughing at you.
  • You just received some discipline from one of your parents, now your brother or sister is smiling.
Questions for discussion
  • Would you need to use self-control in this situation?
  • Would it be easy or hard to be self-controlled in this situation?
  • If you would have a hard time using self-control, how could you make it easier?
Key concepts

You want your children to understand that when we are full of the Holy Spirit, it is easier to use self-control. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Also remind your children that they will never be tempted beyond what God will help them handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Close by praying and thanking God that He understands what it is like to be tempted and that He will never let us be tempted beyond that which we can handle. For further insight, read and discuss the “Jesus fights temptation” story in the Bible stories section of this lesson.

Relevant Scripture

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Contentedness challenge

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Play this game while you are driving or standing in a line up. Ask each other, “Can you be content without ________?” The person can respond honestly but has to conclude their answer by saying, “If I have food and clothing, I can be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:8) or “God is my Master” (Matthew 6:24) or “I choose to be godly and content with what I have.” (1 Timothy 6:6) Take turns asking the question and answering. You may be surprised that it is harder for parents to answer honestly than it is for their children.

Relevant Scripture

1 Timothy 6:6-8 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot love both God and money.”

Communication capers – the cow and the parrot

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Begin by sharing the following knock-knock joke with your kids:

First person: “Knock, knock.”

Second person: “Who’s there?”

First person: “Interrupting cow.”

Second person begins to say: “Interrupting cow, who?” but is interrupted part-way through when the first person says, “Moo!”

Help your children to understand that although this joke is funny, it is not funny when we interrupt others in daily conversation. Continue the lesson by modelling two conversations between you and your spouse, or involving another adult.

In the first conversation, have one person behave like the “interrupting cow,” continually interrupting the other person. The second conversation, however, should demonstrate good listening skills. Ask your children to point out the differences between the two conversations. Emphasize that good listening skills involve facing the speaker and looking at them with undivided attention.

Introduce this next exercise by explaining that you want your children to communicate like a parrot, and not like an “interrupting cow.” Point out that people train parrots to talk by rewarding them for repeating back phrases spoken by their trainer. Explain that, like the parrot, your kids can show they have listened well by repeating back what someone has just said. Then introduce this “game” that allows your children to practice being “parrots” by reflecting back what others say. Take turns being the one who speaks first and the one who “parrots.”

Here are some examples for you to begin with:

Dad: “Please do up your seat belts before I start driving.
Child: “What I heard you say, Dad, was that you want us to do our seat belts up as soon as we get in the car.”

Child: “It would be nice to have hamburgers for supper tonight.”
Mom: “I think you are asking for hamburgers for supper tonight. Is that right?”

Mom: “I’m exhausted. While you were at school, I bought the groceries, paid some bills and met with ________.”
Child: “Are you tired from the all the running around you have done?”
Mom: “Yes. Thank you for listening.”

To further reinforce good listening skills say, “I think I can smell a cow!” whenever you notice your child interrupting. (Or create a similar gentle reminder.) Likewise, when your child “parrots” back what you have said, affirm them and let them know that you prefer the “parrot” over the “cow.”

Relevant Scripture

Proverbs 10:19 “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”

Proverbs 18:13 “He who answers before listening – that is his folly and shame.”

Take time to remember

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As you are driving, have your children watch for the honorary veteran’s licence plates (most have a red poppy on them). These licence plates are issued in all provinces, with the exception of Nunavut.

A gentle way to introduce the idea of military conflict – if you choose to discuss it – is to explain that, just as the police force protects your community, the military protects the country you live in. Police officers risk their lives for the safety of the communities they serve and soldiers risk their lives serving in our country’s armed forces.

Explain that these men and women are following Jesus’ example, because they are willing to “lay down their lives” in order to preserve someone else’s life. Each time you find a veteran’s license plate, take a minute to thank God for their willingness to serve our country and ask that God protect and give strength and courage to all of our police officers and military personnel.

Traditionally, we take time to honour war veterans on Remembrance Day each year, but you can talk to your children about the bravery and courage of soldiers at any time. To discover ways your family can honour war veterans, visit the Veterans Affairs Canada website at Veterans.gc.ca.

Questions for discussion
  • What do you admire most about the men and women who protect our community and our country?
  • When might you need to have courage like a soldier’s?
  • What does it mean to “stand up for what is right”?
  • Have you ever needed to do this?
  • Can you think of any other ways that God would want you to share His love with others?
Key concepts

Police officers, soldiers and other military personnel risk their lives to protect Canada’s citizens. We may never have to put our lives in danger, but we can stand up for what we believe is right in different ways. A child can stand up for what is right by speaking up when others are being unkind to other people, or to animals. For example, if someone you are playing with suggests that you exclude another child from your play group, you can say, “Let’s remember to be kind, and let him/her play too.” If you see another child hurting an animal or insect, simply say, “You are so much bigger and stronger than ________ (the animal or insect); it isn’t fair to hurt it.”

Another way we can “lay down our lives” in a smaller but significant way is through giving up personal comforts and treats in order to have extra money to give to those who are in need.

Just as God helps those who protect our country to be brave, He can help us have courage to stand up for what is right as well.

Note: It can be challenging to teach your children to intervene in a bullying situation because children often fear that they will become the bully’s next target if they speak up. As a parent, you can encourage a timid child to intervene by enlisting a friend to take a stand with them. When peers speak up to defend a child being bullied, it does make a difference! When peers intervene, most bullying incidents dissipate very rapidly. Let your kids know that although it can be hard to defend another child, the end result makes everyone safer in the long term.

Relevant Scripture

Matthew 10:32-33 “Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven.”

John 15:12-13 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.”

1 John 3:16-18 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

The gracious hand of God

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While driving in your vehicle or at another quiet time, have your children list some things they are afraid of. After they have listed some fears, let them know you are going to tell them a story about a man named Ezra who had to take a scary trip. Your story can include all or part of the summary provided below (taken from Ezra, chapters 7-8).

Once upon a time, a man named Ezra had to go on a lengthy journey through places where robbers and bandits lurked. Just how did Ezra get himself into such a scary situation? It all started a long, long time ago.

Ezra lived at a time when the people of Israel had been taken captive and were living in a foreign land. In this other country, they were forced to serve the king of the land. After the Israelites had lived for many years in this foreign land, God decided to allow the Israelites to return to Jerusalem, their special city where they had lived before being taken captive. The Israelites wanted to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem so they could worship God there again.

A man named Artaxerxes was king at that time and the Bible says that “The king had granted him [Ezra] everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.” King Artaxerxes gave permission for Ezra and anyone else to return to Jerusalem. He also sent gold and silver along with Ezra and instructed him to buy rams and bulls to offer to His God as a sacrifice in Jerusalem. Artaxerxes also sent a letter with Ezra telling the governors of the areas where Ezra was going to give Ezra more money, wheat and oil and salt if he needed it. The king also told Ezra that it was his job to teach all of the other Israelites to follow God’s laws as he did.

Ezra knew this was a big job and that the journey to Jerusalem would be dangerous. Ezra and the men going with him were also taking their wives and children and all that they owned. They did not travel in cars, but in wagons and on foot. The journey would take a long, long time and along the roads there could be thieves waiting to steal their possessions or enemies waiting to hurt them.

Even though the journey would be scary, Ezra praised God anyway and thanked Him for the honour of serving Him. Ezra also said, “Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me” (Ezra 7:28).

Ezra was tempted to ask the king for soldiers to protect them on their journey, but he was ashamed to do so, because he had told the king that God would take care of them (Ezra 8:22). Instead of asking for soldiers, they fasted and prayed and asked God to protect them on their journey. And God did! The Bible tells us that Ezra and his men and their families did arrive safely in Jerusalem. Ezra said, “The hand of our God was on us, and He protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.”

Questions for discussion
  • What do kids do when they feel afraid?
  • Do you feel safer when you are alone, or when you are with your parents?
  • Have you ever been in a scary place?
  • Has God ever given you a job to do?

Read Matthew 28:18-20 (see below).

  • What important job did Jesus give His disciples?
  • Does Jesus expect us to do this job too?
Key concepts

Often when children are frightened, it makes them feel better to hold their mom or dad’s hand. This is similar to what Ezra did. Ezra often said, “The gracious hand of God is on us.” Just as kids feel safer with an adult they trust, Ezra knew he was safe when he was following God. God did keep Ezra and His people safe. He will take care of us when we ask Him to as well.

Just before Jesus left to go back to heaven, He gave his disciples a job very similar to Ezra’s job. Jesus told His disciples that they were to go and tell everyone how to obey everything Jesus had taught them. Then He reminded them that He would be with them forever! The job and the promise Jesus gave to His disciples is for all Christians. We can be confident, even when we are afraid, because we know that God will always be with us.

  • Return to the list of things your children said they were afraid of. List each one and then have your children say this rhyme with you:
    I’m not afraid!
    I’ve got it made!
    With Jesus by my side,
    I say to fear, “Bye! Bye!”
  • Use the rhyme to encourage your children to trust God when they are afraid. In the future, when your children are fearful, you can affirm them by telling them that the “gracious hand of God” is on them, just like it was on Ezra.
Relevant Scripture

Matthew 28:18b-20 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”