Impulse control is one of the most difficult, yet most important concepts to teach your children. It is what gives them the time to think about what God would want them to do in a situation before they act and possibly sin. It is a critical skill necessary to live a life of godly self-discipline. Yet, it is a skill most of us will have to work on for our entire lives.
So what do we teach our kids about impulse control? How do we train them to think before acting? What do we teach them about how God factors into the process? There are a lot of things to consider, but here are a few to get you started:
Our world is a fast paced world. Kids are exposed to rapidly changing technology, images and an over scheduled lifestyle. It’s no wonder when God tells them to wait for something, they become impatient. Why not help God a bit? After all, surely God wants your children to have everything they want. Since He’s obviously busy, your kids can just start pushing things in the direction they are sure God would want – towards their desire.
With the constant barrage from media and social actions groups, caring for God’s creation has increasingly mixed secularism, politics and earth worship with what should be a thankfulness for God’s creation. Your children are probably participating in Earth Day activities this week at school or in scouts or some other activity. While most of the activities are innocent, sometimes the teachings that go with them point your children away from God.
Digital photography is amazing! Even though I’m not a great photographer, digital technology lets me play around with taking pictures without spending a fortune on developing photos. It’s also a wonderful tool for helping teach kids how to see God.
Gardens are one of the best tools for teaching kids about God. The plants themselves hold lessons from Proverbs, parables and other places in scripture. Working in the garden can help kids practice lots of godly characteristics from patience to “working as if working for the Lord.” The resulting produce can be used to serve others in lots of ways.
by Karen Newcomb. Even though I was raised with a very large one half acre garden in our yard, much has been forgotten over the years of living in inner cities and suburbs. This book fills in any gaps for those who have forgotten things and has everything a true beginner will need to know to succeed.