navigating COVID-19 as a family
We are venturing into unknown territory as we self-distance from others and quarantine at home to try to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In the midst of all that, we are trying to stay sane at home with kiddos who may or may not fully understand why life has had to change so drastically.
We want to help in any way we can to provide you with ways to minister to your kids during this time, and give you ideas for how to worship and study the Bible together as a family. We hope you find some helpful items here.
online resources
talking points
We are all trying to prayerfully manage fear and anxiety during this time, and we know that can be difficult to talk to our kids about (or to know how to approach it). So, we want to provide a few resources that you may find helpful.
You’ll find below guides from Orange Kids (the company whose curriculum we use for some of our Sunday school classes). If there are other things you would find helpful, please reach out to our Gateway Kids Director, Kristy at kristy@thegatewaychurch.com.
Managing Fear and Anxiety During a Pandemic
If you’re struggling with how to manage your family’s increasing anxiety about the current public health crisis, you’re not alone. As information about Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to unfold, many families are experiencing a wide range of thoughts, feelings, and reactions.
Anxiety Conversation Guides
preschool
It’s very common for preschoolers to experience varying levels of anxiety. At this age, children are afraid of all kinds of things, but typically lack the cognitive skills to fear the abstract (failure, rejection, etc.), and instead worry about concrete things like dogs, noises, and the weather.
elementary
Whether it’s bad weather, sleeping away from home, or test-taking, it’s very common for elementary schoolers to experience varying levels of anxiety.
prayer
Prayer is a such a gift! And this current situation presents a unique opportunity to talk to our kids about prayer.
Below is a guide to help you navigate this discussion and/or give you ideas on what to talk about regarding prayer. We've also included an idea for "The Hand Prayer" that you may find useful for younger kids (and an optional craft idea).
What is Prayer?
Prayer is talking to God. You can tell him anything that's going on in your life and ask Him help in big things or small things. God already knows what is happening, but He loves for us to talk to Him. He wants to be our friend! We can thank God when we pray for all the good things in our life (i.e. family, friends, food, home, etc). We also praise God when we pray and let Him know how amazing we think He is! We also say sorry (confess) when we pray and let God know the things we have done wrong. And we can ask Him to forgive us and He will!
Why Do We Pray?
God knows what is happening, but he wants us to talk to Him because He wants to be our friend. He wants to have a relationship with us! We talk to our friends, and God wants to be friend, too - our best friend! God wants us to talk to Him and tell Him what's going on and how we're feeling. (just like we do with our parents or our friends) We can tell Him our worries, our fears, our highs and happy times - or even something funny that happened to us. We can talk to Him about everything.
When Can We Pray?
All the time! It doesn't have to be dinner time or bedtime or at church. We can pray at any of those times, but we can also pray any other time we want! We could be in our room, in the yard, in the car - it doesn't matter where you are, you can talk to God. Prayer is talking to God and we can talk to God anytime and anywhere.
How Do We Pray?
Prayer is talking to God, so we don't have to use any special words to pray. We can talk to God just how to talk to our mom or dad, our brother or sister, our grandma or grandpa, or our best friend.
But if we need some ideas, there are tools we can use to help us when we aren't sure how to get started.
the hand prayer craft
This is an example of a simple craft you could do with your kids: Trace one of their hands on paper and cut it out. Write each piece of the prayer on the corresponding finger. Glue the cut-out hand on another piece of paper. Hang it up where you can see it and be reminded of this prayer tool!
devotionals
If you're looking for some new, simple ideas for family devotions we've compiled some suggestions. Remember that there are no hard and fast rules for this time with your family!
It is meant to a time to grow closer to each other and closer to God - and that can look different in different seasons for every family. We pray these ideas help you to plan some time to seek God together.
Faith Questions
Have open question time. Simply have a night where your kids get to ask any questions about faith they want. Encourage them to ask tough questions and see if they can “stump" Mom and Dad.
Ask God a Question
Ask the question, “If you could ask God anything, what would it be?” Spend time discussing and searching the Bible in prayer for God's answer question. Keep in mind that there may not be a clear answer, but going to God with our wondering is one way we connect ourselves to him. Trust His spirit to guide your family as you explore.
The 5 As
Do the “5 As” as a family.
Affirmation (say something you appreciate about the person)
Apology (apologize to the person for something)
Affection (hug or kiss the person)
Ask (ask, “Is there anything I can do for you?”)
Amen (pray for the person)
Have each family member do these 5 As for one other family member.
Storybook Bible
Use a storybook Bible to read your favorite story but this time, find a specific theme to apply the lesson to your lives. For example:
Creation – God’s greatness and power
Noah – Trusting God even when we don’t understand
David and Goliath – Facing our giants
Daniel – God’s faithfulness
Esther – Brave obedience
Pulling out specific, life-applicable themes from the Bible stories you’ve read a hundred times will make them come alive for you, bringing spiritual growth for yourself and your family.
Memory Verse
Choose a verse to memorize together as a family. Quiz each other throughout the week. Here is a suggestion for this season (but you could memorize a shorter portion of the passage for younger kids.)
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIRV)
"Don’t worry about anything. No matter what happens, tell God about everything. Ask and pray, and give thanks to him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds. He will do this because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood."
Bible Stories
Read through a children’s Bible together. This is a simple solution if you're just starting out. There are many children’s Bibles available! Choose one you and your family like and read a story each night, morning or whatever time of day works best for you.
social media
check out the links below to find additional resources, updates from gateway kids, and more.
