Mary Poppins aside, hard work isn’t usually fun, or they wouldn’t call it hard. Your kids probably have a slightly or very different definition of hard work than you do. Part of it is lack of life experience and part of it is the human tendency to want to take the easy way out whenever possible.
There is a fun way to teach your kids about hard work that also ties directly to the Bible. Proverbs 6:6-8 and Proverbs 30:24-25 both give the ant as an example of a hard worker. For a few dollars, you can purchase an ant farm and let your kids see first hand how hard ants really work.
As you watch the ants begin to dig tunnels and move food around, ask your kids questions about how much they dig each day. Do the ants take frequent rest breaks? When they carry something, can you find out online what it would equate to if your kids were to lift a proportional amount of weight? Does anybody need to boss the ants around to get them to work? Can they hear any ants whining or complaining?!
As you “consider the ant”, ask your kids what they think God wants them to do to be more like ants. Some of their answers may be a little silly at first, but that’s okay. Just keep asking until they start making some important connections. And don’t forget to put them in charge of the care of the ants!
Have fun with it, but use it to remind your kids periodically that God wants them to be like little ants!