Advent

I always have great intentions of doing Bible based, Christ centered advent activities. So often I run out of time to plan or can't find anything that is simple enough for kids my age, and doesn't take too much work. This year I have come across two great programs. One is better for younger kids and one is better for older ones.

This year we are using the program Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands. The author  states that: "This ebook will lead you and your children on your own experience through the Christmas Story. You’ll take a few minutes each day in reading the Christmas Story directly from the Bible, making a fun ornament craft and talking about it together." It is an e-book, so once you purchase it a link is given to you to download it to your computer. The book only costs 4.99, and comes with a list of materials that you will need for the crafts, instructions, bible reading, and any required templates. I am really excited about it because it is straightforward, and the crafts are very simple. This book is perfect for young elementary school kids, and preschoolers.

Another advent program that I recommend for a broader age range is Jesse Tree Advent Family Devotional. This is intended to be a family read aloud devotional and according to the author it is engaging enough for young children and meaty enough for teens and adults. It provides you with the bible text, a devotional, an action plan for the day, and a full colour ornament to create and hang on your tree. You can download this advent activity for free by clicking on the link above and subscribing to receive email updates from A Holy Experience. This blog will really encourage you in your life and give you some great parenting and homeschooling advice. Once you subscribe you will receive an email when she writes a post and in that email the link will be included to download the booklet. Once you have downloaded the Jesse Tree devotional you can choose whether you enjoy getting the updates and continue with the subscription or you can choose to unsubscribe. I would encourage you to continue with your subscription though, she is an inspired writer and you will be blessed by reading her posts.

May God bless your family as you focus on Christ during this advent season. If you have any great advent activities that your family uses please share them with me as I am always looking for new ideas!