How to help your child grow spiritually

It's Holy Week! I love sharing the book The Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt with kids during Holy Week. It's a great way to get the conversation going about what this week means, and to help your child grow spiritually. 

When you connect kids' learning in different areas, it helps them to remember. I love to tie words from the Bible to the art we are learning about. Drawing connected to reading is a way that you can help form your kids into not only great artists, but great people, using the wisdom of Scripture.

When our kids were growing up, we incorporated the Bible into morning and bedtime routines. We had a passage to read to each of them, which we called their blessing, every night as we tucked them into bed.

Our son's was about trees. Our prayer was that he would grow strong as God helped him make good decisions in life…like a tree gets strong by being planted by streams of water.

Today I'm sharing his blessing verse plus some simple questions to help get your kids drawing and thinking.

Check out the "how to draw a tree" post in case you missed it!

🌳This week, you could read The Three Trees and draw one kind of tree shown in the book. Or, here are a couple of other Bible verses about trees from to share with your kids:

🌿“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither--whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1: 1-3 

🌿“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

You can print one of these verses and have your kids illustrate it, or let them copy the verse themselves on a piece of paper and illustrate it. 
 

Here are some things you can talk about as you draw your trees: 

1. What do you think it means to "bear good fruit" in life? 

2. What does "wither" mean? What do you think it means to "wither" in life?

3. Trees need water to grow and be healthy, to bear fruit and not wither. What is like water to your spirit, to the real you inside?

After kids have illustrated their verses, hang them in a special place where they can see, think about, and remember what you talked about. 

If you want more ideas for incorporating faith and art, check out the Drawing for Kids online class here. Each drawing lesson has a picture book list and a Bible verse incorporated into the lesson for you! 

Have a beautiful Holy week and a joyful Easter!

PS. This post contains Amazon associate links that do not cost you anything extra, but buying through those links helps support Storygalorey.