“Time to hit the road”, says dad.
“Daddy, hitting isn’t nice”, says 4 year old boy.
Have you ever had these exchanges in your home?
Young children can be very literal. Even in pretend play, they understand dragons are bad creatures from story books and knights are brave and noble, but they don’t really know what “brave and noble” means. Trying to teach an abstract concept to tots and preschoolers requires a lot of patience and creativity. Today we are looking at the concept of blessings.
Proverbs 10:6a says “Blessings crown the head of the righteous.”
How can we make that work for a preschooler? How can we cultivate a grateful heart, even for the blessings that come because of trials, in our children? My Blessing Box is the result of my wanting to teach my co-op class that even when blessings are not beautiful and easily seen sometimes, they are still a gift from God.
The example for bright-shiny, beautiful, and recognized blessings is Mary.
Luke 1:46-49 And Mary said “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”
What a beautiful example of recognizing a blessing, and it is also an example with which our children are familiar from the Christmas story. Have your preschooler name some of the blessings they think of while you count out some shiny clear beads for the blessing box. Remember, they are literal, so if cheerios and LEGO make their list, that’s OK, too!
Buy or make a “Jesus” necklace. Remind your preschooler that Jesus came to live, die, and rise again so that we could spend eternity in Heaven with God after we ask Jesus into our hearts. God blessed us with a gift like now other. Wear the necklace to remind you of that!
Would you think a baby born in a cave and wrapped in dirty clothes was a blessing? The world did not, either. That is why Jesus is our example of a blessing that might not seem like a blessing at first. This example really works well for the preschool age group since they know the story of Jesus’ birth.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Have your preschooler think really hard about something they didn’t think was good but that ended up helping them. Struggling with numbers but finally being able to count, being sick but getting to eat a favorite soup, those kinds of things are what stick out to preschoolers. Put some dull colored beads into the blessing box for these.
Now your Blessing Box is complete!
If you would like to make your own blessing box here are the things you will need:
Here is the Instruction card for you to enjoy! How do you teach abstract ideas to your preschooler? Leave a comment so we can all help each other out!
I’m Lara, a sinner saved by grace, wife and help-meet to my best friend, John, and homeschooling mama to two bouncing (literally) boys, Teddy and Frederick. Hot tea, good conversations and dark chocolate are some of my favorite things. Grab your favorite mug and join us on our adventures at Lara’s Place and a Cup of Grace!
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