Serve. Make a kit with your child — to cheer up friends or relatives who are sad. In an old lunch box, put a card, candy hearts, flower seeds and adhesive bandages. Make a simple paper puppet out of a lunch sack for your child to use to give a hug to the person and say, "God loves you."
Pray. Help children remember to pray for different people by designating each finger for a different group of people. Perhaps the thumb means to pray for family and the pointer means to pray for friends. Whether you're waiting in line or are a spectator at an older sibling's athletic game, use the opportunity to count each finger and pray for others together.
Be kind. Get a small pillowcase and a bag of cotton stuffing. Each time your child does something kind for others, give him a handful of cotton stuffing and let him place it in the pillowcase. When the pillowcase is full, stitch it closed and put it on his bed as a reminder to be kind.
Listen. Collect simple costumes to use with a Bible storybook. While reading a Bible story, children can act out the scene.
This article first appeared in the Early Stages
edition of the February/March 2008 issue of the Focus on Your Child newsletters. Copyright © 2008 Focus on the Family. ThrivingFamily.com.