Family Discipleship Tools: Great for Christmas Gifts!!
“You never reap what you sow in the same season.” Before Mark and I were married, a mentor shared this wisdom with us. Years later, the phrase comes back to me, in light of parenting, when I consider 2 Corinthians 9:6:
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (NIV)
I desire to sow generously, as it relates to discipling our children. I also love practical tools that help make this possible. Recently at family camp, we shared each of these resources listed below with descriptions of how we used these tools for discipling our daughters. Now I want to share the list with you!
NIV Adventure Bible and Susan Seay Cards: As soon as our daughters were old enough to read, they were given this Bible to keep in their room. They reference it anytime they like and when we’re in a good, consistent season (which definitely doesn’t always happen), we go over approximately one chapter at a time with each individual child right before bedtime. It’s an easy-to-read resource and they love to add the date and highlight verses that are especially meaningful to them.
Susan Seay Cards with Questions: Jesus continuously modeled the value of sharing stories and asking questions. So much discipleship takes place through conversation! Susan Seay has created these cards, including some with intentional questions to help you live on purpose as a parent. Check out Susan Seay’s additional wisdom on The Savvy Sauce Episodes 88 Applying Business Principles to Your Home Management and 145 Intentional Questions to Ask Our Kids.
Unlikely Fighter by Greg Stier (from Savvy Sauce episode 160 Unleash This Generation with the Power of the Gospel): Psalms 78:4-7 says, “We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands” (NIV).
These verses have been meaningful to us over the years of parenting, reminding us to intentionally share our God stories with our children, in hopes that they will also put their faith in God, Amen! We don’t just have to share our stories . . . reading aloud and sharing stories of others is impactful as well. Greg Stier has a heart for young people and he is a faithful evangelist with Dare2Share Ministries. His testimony is incredible and this book is for more mature readers. Males may especially appreciate this discipleship tool.
Scripture Cards: These are a simple way to live out Psalm 16:8a, “I have set the Lord continually before me” (AMP). To put the Lord before our eyes continually, we try to put Scripture cards all around our house with little wooden holders. They’re in our mudroom, living room, and each of the girls’ bedrooms. It’s amazing the way Scripture ministers to us, even as we are simply walking by.
One Line a Day Journal and Things I Wish I’d Known Before My Child Became a Teenager by Dr. Gary Chapman: A dear friend gifted me a one-line-a-day journal ten weeks after our first daughter was born. She noted that it’s helpful to document the days because we are so busy with the little ones that time can escape us and we don’t even know how we spent our days . . . or our life! I began documenting a line a day for each daughter, including funny quotes or stories of what took place that day. Our girls get to take over this responsibility once they turn ten, if they choose to continue documenting their life. It is one effort to apply the wisdom of Proverbs 3:21b-22a “preserve sound judgement and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you” (Quest NIV). The girls have so much fun going back and re-reading what happened in years past. Mark eventually started writing in his own one-line-a-day journal and he has seen it as a fruitful practice as well, to purposefully remember God’s faithfulness.
Things I Wish I’d Known Before My Child Became a Teenager: There’s a reason Dr. Gary Chapman has remained a best-selling author for so long! As the title implies, this book is extremely helpful to read, even before your child hits the teen years! If you enjoy Dr. Gary’s wisdom, check out these episodes from The Savvy Sauce podcast: 85 Five Love Languages , 191 Friendships Heal Racial Divides with Dr. Clarence Shuler and Dr. Gary Chapman, 182 Things I Wish I’d Known Before My Child Was a Teenager and 220 Cultivating Healthy Family Relationships
Experiencing God Bible Study: I was invited to do this study with my women’s group and now I plan to do it with our girls, one-on-one, sometime during their tween years. Unit 6 and Unit 12 were my favorites, as Unit 6 gave practical ideas for how to preserve and share spiritual markers and share our God story with our kids. This biblical principle comes from 1 Samuel 7:12, “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us’” (AMP). In Experiencing God, week 12 focused on coming together as a married couple and intentionally engaging in spiritual conversations with our kids. The questions listed have started awesome conversations and we pray the same is true for you too, whether you go through this individually, as a couple, or with your own tween/teen.
Treasured Journal (optional Bible Study can accompany this resource) and Bible Highlighters: This is perfect for mothers and daughters between the ages of 8-12, depending on your daughter’s maturity level. Our two oldest daughters are only a year apart, so one summer (when they were 8 and 9), we gathered four of their friends and their moms together weekly to watch the short Treasured Bible Study video and do the study together. It was our girls’ first introduction to a Bible Study and everyone had so much fun! The purpose is to spend quality time together, grow in knowledge and love of the Lord, and learn how to apply wisdom to our own lives. By starting early, we were able to engage on topics at a neutral time before they were an issue (such as technology or body issues). The journal was one of our girls’ highlights and it is put together in a fun and engaging way to bring mothers and daughters together. If you do purchase the Bible study, we want you to know we did skip the intro video because it was not applicable, so you can follow your own plan while using this discipleship tool to connect with your daughter! Listen to the author and her abundance of great ideas in these episodes: Finding Your Purpose as a Mom Planting Seeds of Faith in Our Children, and *Special Patreon Release* Ideas for Spreading Generosity with Courtney DeFeo,
Bible Highlighters: Our daughters love to highlight their own copies of their Bible when the Holy Spirit illuminates specific passages. They typically date it and sometimes leave a note. This is fun to come across the next time you read the same Scripture.
Sticker Psalms and Coloring Verses: These discipleship tools are for the children who love art! We love to travel and we want God to be involved in our everyday lives, no matter where we are. When we go on road trips or take a flight, the girls enjoy taking this activity along with them. It is a tiny effort to put Truth before their eyes in an activity they would already enjoy doing. We do believe God’s word never returns void, as it says in Isaiah 55:11, “So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; it will not return to Me void (useless, without result), without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” So why not put God’s word in front of our faces as much as possible?!
Coloring Verses: From a young age, we wanted to put God’s word in front of our children as much as possible. This was one practical way we sought to apply God’s wisdom, by having Scripture accessible for the entire family, regardless of age. We are hoping to make God’s word a part of our everyday family life. Our girls all loved art from a young age, so this is a way to do something they love and help them memorize Truth at the same time. They enjoy coloring these verses for loved ones too. It is amazing how quickly they memorize Scripture, and this is a great way to meditate on God’s Truth, while focusing on coloring it for a long time.
Do You Really Know Your Family? and The Legacy Journey: These are fun cards to stick in the vehicle or have available at the dinner table. When we want to elevate mealtime conversation, we let each child draw a card from various question packs and let them ask the family that question. They get so excited to choose a question and it is great training for them to engage with others by asking questions and listening to responses. It is a fun discipleship tool that brings us all closer together.
The Legacy Journey: Not many resources are written from a biblical perspective with the purpose of increasing your generosity and experience of the abundant life that Jesus wants for us. He states in John 10:10, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]” (AMP). This resource is well done and will give you practical ideas for stewarding the wealth that is all God’s anyway!
Powerful Purpose of Introverts and Living Table Cookbook: Part of discipleship is knowing God, knowing others, and knowing ourselves. This book helps you know all three better!
Living Table Cookbook: Our oldest daughter wants to attend culinary school, so we try to find resources that meet her where she is at. This cookbook is simple and fun, with amazing ideas and short devotionals. Our favorite practical application is on pages 66-67 and we think your kids would enjoy this short lesson. Abby shares wisdom about different tables reflected in Scripture (such as the table that parties, the table that connects, the table that teaches, and the table that celebrates). This book is not only fun to read, but also delicious to follow as a cookbook! Abby was a fantastic guest on The Savvy Sauce, Episode 85 Experiencing Joy, Connection, and Nourishment at the Table with Abby Turner. For further research on the biblical purposes of the table, also check out Episode 15 The Supernatural Power Present While Gathering at the Table with Devi Titus.
Three Slot Piggy Bank and Smart Money, Smart Kids: I read this book when our daughters were young and it gave me the idea to pay on commission, rather than allowance. We have implemented the 3-slot piggy bank solution since our daughters were infants so that they can see the visual of allocating our money to give, save, or spend. Finances are incredibly important for our kids to learn about, especially as we realize we are only stewards, not owners, of God’s resources. We eventually hope to graduate to the ideas in Markie Castle’s episode (Coming 10.27.25), but this is a simple introduction that can bless your family for generations to come, as you teach them godly principles to wisely steward our finances. See also,The Savvy Sauce Episode 110 Financial Heart Issues with Rachel Cruze.
The Rhyme Bible Storybook and Sing the Bible with Slugs & Bugs: When our kids were born, we wanted to establish a rhythm of intentional bedtimes. We had age-appropriate Bibles or Bible story books available at each phase, so that we could read together before bed. This book is great for infants and toddlers because it’s simple, short stories and the rhyming is pleasing to listen to. . . it is also fun to read for the parents, so you will be more motivated to keep up this habit!!
Sing the Bible with Slugs & Bugs: See article Simple Way to Disciple Our Children with emphasis on the verse “Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16, AMP). This discipleship tool seems too easy and too good to be true, but it has been an amazing way for our girls to hide God’s word in their hearts . . . Bonus: as parents, we memorize the verses too because the songs are so catchy! And they mix in hilarity, like the Alien song . . . check it out! These are a great discipleship tool as we are driving together.
The Action Bible and The Blue Kickball: Our daughters briefly used this Bible, but all the parents of boys we know have raved about it! Our brains have to work hard while processing images and reading words, so graphic novels can be a great learning tool and a powerful way to get kids in the rhythm of putting God’s Truth in front of them. It’s important what we consume, as Proverbs 15:14 says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash” (NLT).
Kickball: Boys connect and tend to open up more when facing shoulder-to-shoulder with you, rather than making intense eye contact. Even a kickball can be used as a discipleship tool! Purpose to have an intentional conversation each time you pull out the blue kickball . . . You may share a story about your childhood, ask an open-ended question, or share what God is teaching you lately. Have fun!
Dry Erase Markers and Scripture Cards from Karen Stubbs and Cursive Handwriting & Bible Verse Copybook: Mark was challenged one time by a speaker at a homeschool conference to take a marker and write his daughters a word of encouragement: on their white board or on their window or on their mirror. He chose to call out specific lovely qualities and characteristics on their mirror when the two of us were traveling apart from our kids. Our daughters woke up to a special surprise. Don’t be surprised if your kids choose to leave these life-giving words up on display for a long time! It is a simple discipleship tool that can be very powerful, because words are powerful, as we see in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (NIV).
Karen Stubbs Cards: She runs a wonderful ministry to serve moms. You can check out episodes with her wisdom being shared on The Savvy Sauce, specifically in Episodes 9 Self Care in Motherhood and Discipline Strategies and Managing Mom Guilt. We used these cards in letters and our girls would display them in their rooms as reminders of truth.
Cursive Handwriting & Bible Verse Copybook: We discovered this tool while homeschooling. When our kids were learning cursive, this was a great book for practice, because they are going slow and pausing on each word, so it helps it to sink in! Another tool we highly recommend is Write the Word for Kids. It is not cursive practice, but it’s what we use every day because it gives the kids a Scripture to look up on their own and copy over into their journal. It also incorporates art and questions. This is great to get them in the practice of finding Scripture on their own and it’s a primer for journaling!
The Golden Children’s Bible: This is our 8-year-old’s current favorite Bible story book to read with a parent before bed. The pictures are beautiful and the stories are straight from Scripture. It builds the rhythm of reading God’s word daily and it’s a process both parent and child will enjoy!
Resurrection Eggs and The Five Love Languages: Engaging as many senses as possible aids learning. We do these eggs every year at Easter so that our kids have a visual they can hold and relate to as they listen to the story of Jesus being led to the cross, shedding His blood for each of us, dying, and raising again in three days, victorious! Our girls anticipate this tradition each Easter season. It incorporates sight, sound, and touch. To incorporate taste and smell, we add another Easter tradition: Empty Tomb Rolls: Roll a marshmallow inside a crescent roll, dip in butter, then cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. The rolls are delicious and the marshmallow disappears, so the roll is empty, just like Jesus’ tomb! For more ideas like this one, see the article entitled: Favorite Easter Activity with Kids.
The Five Love Languages: There’s a reason Dr. Gary Chapman has remained a best-selling author of this book for so long! This super practical resource will help you put your love into action, as we are instructed to do in 1 John 3:18 “Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words]” (AMP). If you enjoy Dr. Gary’s wisdom, check out these episodes from The Savvy Sauce podcast: 85 Five Love Languages , 191 Friendships Heal Racial Divides with Dr. Clarence Shuler and Dr. Gary Chapman, 182 Things I Wish I’d Known Before My Child Was a Teenager and 220 Cultivating Healthy Family Relationships).
Journal and Renee’s Recipe Collection: This simple journal is fun for kids to color and decorate and then use in church to copy Scripture or jot down stories of God at work in their lives.
This is the cookbook that’s been with us since our wedding and it’s survived all our moves with Chick-fil-A! It’s very easy to let your children shadow you in the kitchen with this simple recipe collection. Renee raised seven kids on a farm and now has a thriving catering and take-and-bake business. This is a gift of love from our home to yours . . . Renee (author of this cookbook) is Laura’s aunt and a very popular guest on The Savvy Sauce (see episode 237 Stories Series: Prodigal and Redemption with Renee Endress. Enjoy!
I hope these resources encourage you to be intentional as you sow good seeds into your own children! Maybe you can add a couple of these ideas to your Christmas list this year!
Blessings to you,
Laura
About The Savvy Sauce
Practical chats for intentional living
A faith-based podcast and resources to help you grow closer to Jesus and others. Expect encouragement, surprises, and hope here. Each episode offers lively interviews with fascinating guests such as therapists, authors, non-profit founders, and business leaders.
They share their best practices and savvy tips we can replicate to make our daily life and relationships more enjoyable!
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