Bible Reading Plan for Children

We do family devotions and Bible reading daily with our children, but from around age seven, our children also start to read the Bible on their own. When I first started having them do this, I just let them read the Bible in order. However, I realized that I needed to change that when my daughter came across the narrative about David’s children, and did not understand what had happened to Tamar. Thankfully, she came to me with her questions, and I was able to gently explain that what happened to Tamar was a terrible thing, but she was not old enough to be told what that was. I explained that just knowing about certain bad things is a burden on a person’s heart, and there are some burdens too heavy for children to carry. I explained that when she was older and could carry that burden, I would answer her question, but for now, she would need to trust me in holding onto it for her.

While she was satisfied with this answer, I realized that I needed to give more specific direction in what our children were to read each day. I found several good websites that offered Bible Reading Plans geared toward children, which did not include content that the kids may not be ready for. I settled on one, printed it out, and saved a copy of the text on my computer. Since that time, I have been unable to located the website where I found this plan. I really wish I could give credit where it was due, so if anyone knows where this plan originated, please let us know!

Daily Bible Reading Plan
Section 1

_ Genesis 1:1-2:3 _ Genesis 2:4-25 _ Genesis 3 _ Genesis 4:1-16 _ Psalm 1 _ Romans 8:3-39 _ Matthew 3:13-17 _ Genesis 6:8-22 _ Genesis 7 _ Genesis 8 _ Genesis 9:1-17 _ Genesis 11:1-9 _ Psalm 46 _ Proverbs 2:1-15 _ Colossians 3:9-17 _ Genesis 12:1-9 _ Genesis 12:10-20 _ Genesis 13:1-13 _ Genesis 15:1-21 _ Psalm 49:1-9 _ Proverbs 3:1-26 _ Genesis 18:1-15 _ Genesis 18:16-33 _ Genesis 19:12-26 _ Genesis 22:1-19 _ Genesis 24 _ Psalm 14 _ Proverbs 10:1-10 _ Genesis 25:27-34 _ Genesis 26:1-6 _ Genesis 26:17-34 _ Genesis 27 _ Psalm 15

_ Proverbs 10:11-21 _ Genesis 29:1-30 _ Genesis 32 _ Genesis 33 _ Psalm 16 _ Proverbs 10:22-32 _ Genesis 37:1-11 _ Genesis 37:12-36 _ Genesis 39:1-6 _ Genesis 39:7-23 _ Psalm 18:25-34 _ Romans 13:1-7 _ I Corinthians 13 _ Genesis 41:14-40 _ Genesis 41:41-49 _ Genesis 41:53-57 _ Genesis 42 _ Psalm 91 _ Proverbs 11:1-9 _ Proverbs 11:10-21 _ Titus 3:1-8 _ Genesis 45:1-16 _ Genesis 45:17-28 _ Exodus 1:15-22 _ Exodus 2:1-9 _ Psalm 40 _ Isaiah 58:10-14 _ Proverbs 11:22-31 _ Exodus 2:11-22 _ Exodus 3:1-15 _ Psalm 19 _ Proverbs 12:1-4 _ Exodus 4:1-17

_ Exodus 5 _ Genesis 3 _ Exodus 7:15-24 _ Exodus 8 _ Exodus 9 _ Exodus 10 _ Psalm 23 _ Proverbs 12:15-28 _ Exodus 12:1-28 _ Exodus 12:29-36 _ Exodus 12:37-42 _ Psalm 25 _ Proverbs 13:1-12 _ Exodus 13:17-22 _ Exodus 14:5-14 _ Exodus 14:15-29 _ Exodus 15:1-21 _ Exodus 15:22-27 _ Exodus 16 _ Psalm 27 _ Proverbs 13:13-25 _ Exodus 20:1-20 _ Numbers 13:1-24 _ Numbers 13:25-32 _ Joshua 1 _ Psalm 29 _ Proverbs 14:1-12 _ Joshua 3 _ Joshua 6 _ Judges 6:11-23 _ Luke 19:28-40 _ Matthew 26:17-30

Section 2

_ Matthew 26:31-56 _ Psalm 22:19-27 _ Luke 22:54-62 _ Luke 23:1-25 _ Luke 23:33-49 _ Luke 24:1-12 _ Luke 24:13-35 _ Psalm 32 _ Proverbs 14:13-25 _ John 20:24-31 _ John 21:1-7 _ John 21:15-25 _ Psalm 33 _ Proverbs 14:26-35 _ Judges 6:11-23 _ Judges 6:33-40 _ Judges 7 _ Judges 14 _ Judges 16:4-21 _ Judges 16:23-31 _ Psalm 34:1-10 _ Proverbs 15:1-15 _ I Samuel 1:1-20 _ I Samuel 1:21-28 I Samuel 2:1-10 I Samuel 2:12-26 I Samuel 3 I Samuel 8:1-22 I Samuel 10:1-15 I Samuel 10:16-27

_ I Samuel 15 _ Psalm 37:1-11 _ Proverbs 15:16-33 _ I Samuel 16:1-13 _ I Samuel 17 _ I Samuel 18:1-16 _ Psalm 51:1-13 _ Proverbs 16:1-16 _ II Samuel 1:1-16 _ II Samuel 1:17-27 _ II Samuel 5:1-16 _ II Samuel 7 _ II Samuel 9 _ II Samuel 22 _ Acts 1:1-11 _ I Kings 1:28-48 _ I Kings 3:1-14 _ I Kings 3:16-28 _ I Kings 4:29-34 _ Psalm 61 _ I Kings 8:22-30 _ I Kings 10:1-13 _ I Kings 10:14-29 _ I Kings 11:1-13 _ Psalm 84 _ Proverbs 16:17-33 _ Acts 1:12-26 _ Acts 2:1-13 _ Acts 2:14-43 _ I Kings 11:26-40

_ I Kings 17:8-16 _ Psalm 85 _ Ephesians 6:1-3 _ Proverbs 17:1-15 _ Jonah 1 _ Jonah 2 _ Jonah 3 _ Jonah 3, 4 _ Daniel 3 _ Daniel 6 _ Psalm 147 _ Matthew 4:1-11 _ Psalm 89:5-13 _ Proverbs 17:16-28 _ John 3:1-21 _ John 4:4-42 _ Luke 6:12-19 _ Psalm 90 _ Proverbs 18:1-12 _ Matthew 5:1-12 _ Matthew 5:13-26 _ Matthew 5:33-48 _ Matthew 6:1-15 _ Matthew 6:25-34 _ Matthew 7:1-12 _ Matthew 7:13-29 _ Matthew 13:3-23 _ Psalm 92 _ Proverbs 18:13-24 _ Mark 4:35-41

Section 3

_ Mark 4:35-41 _ Mark 5:35-43 _ Mark 6:30-44 _ Mark 6:45-56 _ Psalm 93 _ Proverbs 19:1-10 _ Matthew 17:1-13 _ Matthew 18:1-11 _ Matthew 18:23-35 _ Psalm 96 _ Proverbs 19:11-21 _ John 9:1-41 _ John 10:1-21 _ Luke 10:25-37 _ Luke 11:5-13 _ Luke 12:13-34 _ Luke 12:35-40 _ Luke 15:1-7 _ Psalm 97 _ Proverbs 19:22-29 _ Luke 15:11-21 _ Luke 17:11-19 _ Luke 18:9-14 _ Luke 19:1-10 _ Luke 19:16-30 _ Matthew 21:28-32 _ Matthew 25:1-13 _ Psalm 98 _ I Samuel 20:1-17 _ Proverbs 20:1-16

_ John 14:1-14 _ John 14:15-31 _ John 16:5-16 _ Psalm 99 _ Proverbs 20:17-30 _ John 17:9-19 _ Acts 5:1-11 _ Acts 6:1-7 _ Acts 8:26-40 _ Acts 9:1-9 _ Acts 12:1-17 _ Acts 19:23-41 _ Psalm 148 _ Proverbs 21:1-10 _ Romans 5:12-21 _ Romans 6:1-14 _ Romans 6:15-22 _ Romans 7:14-25 _ Romans 8:1-17 _ Romans 12:1-12 _ Psalm 101 _ Proverbs 21:11-20 _ I Corinthians 1:18-30 _ I Corinthians 10:1-22 _ I Corinthians 15:12-28 _ I Corinthians 15:35-58 _ Psalm 103 _ Proverbs 21:21-31 _ II Corinthians 1:3-11 _ II Corinthians 5:1-10

_ II Corinthians 6:14 -7:1 _ II Corinthians 9:6-15 _ Psalm 104 _ Proverbs 22:1-16 _ Galatians 3:15-25 _ Galatians 5:16-26 _ Galatians 6:1-10 _ Psalm 111 _ Proverbs 22:17-29 _ Ephesians 1:3-14 _ Ephesians 1:15-22 _ Ephesians 2:4-10 _ Ephesians 3:6-13 _ Ephesians 3:14-21 _ Ephesians 4:1-16 _ Psalm 112 _ Proverbs 24:1-10 _ Ephesians 4:17-31 _ Ephesians 5:1-10 _ Ephesians 5:11-20 _ Psalm 113 _ Proverbs 24:11-22 _ Philippians 2:1-11 _ Philippians 2:12-18 _ Philippians 3:12-21 _ Philippians 4:4-9 _ Colossians 1:15-23 _ Colossians 2:6-15 _ Psalm 114 _ Proverbs 25:2-14

Section 4

_ I Thessalonians 4:13-18 _ I Thessalonians 5:1-11 _ II Thessalonians 1:3-12 _ II Thessalonians 2:1-12 _ II Thessalonians 2:13-17 _ Psalm 115 _ Proverbs 25:15-28 _ I Timothy 2:1-5 _ I Timothy 4:7-16 _ I Timothy 5:1-8 _ I Timothy 6:3-10 _ Psalm 119:165-175 _ Proverbs 26:1-16 _ II Timothy 2:1-13 _ II Timothy 2:14-26 _ II Timothy 3:14-17 _ Psalm 121 _ Proverbs 26:17-28 _ Hebrews 1:1-14 _ Hebrews 2:5-18 _ Hebrews 3:1-6 _ Hebrews 3:7-19 _ Hebrews 9:11-28 _ Hebrews 9:19-39 _ Hebrews 10:19-39 _ Hebrews 11 _ Hebrews 12:1-13 _ Hebrews 12:14-29 _ Hebrews 13:1-17 _ Psalm 125

_ Proverbs 27:1-14 _ James 1:2-18 _ James 1:19-27 _ James 2:1-13 _ James 2:14-26 _ James 3:1-12 _ James 3:13-18 _ James 4:1-12 _ Psalm 133 _ Proverbs 27:15-27 _ I Peter 1:3-13 _ I Peter 1:14-2:3 _ I Peter 2:4-10 _ I Peter 2:11-25 _ I Peter 3:8-22 _ I Peter 4:7-11 _ I Peter 4:12-19 _ Psalm 135 _ Proverbs 28:1-14 _ Psalm 100 _ Psalm 139 _ Proverbs 28:15-28 _ II Peter 1:2-11 _ II Peter 2:1-22 _ II Peter 3:1-14 _ Psalm 146 _ Psalm 4 _ Psalm 119:1-20 _ Proverbs 29:1-14 _ I John 1:1-10

_ I John 2:1-11 _ I John 3:1-9 _ I John 3:10-24 _ I John 4:7-21 _ I John 5:1-12 _ Psalm 145 _ Psalm 24 _ Proverbs 30:1-14 _ Luke 1:5-25 _ Luke 1:26-38 _ Luke 1:39-56 _ Luke 2:1-7 _ Luke 2:8-20 _ Luke 2:21-38 _ Matthew 2:1-12 _ Isaiah 9:6-7 _ Jude 1:17-25 _ Psalm 47 _ Psalm 150 _ Revelation 20:1-10 _ Revelation 20:11-15 _ Revelation 21:1-27

 

Encouragement for Christian Parents

As a Christian mother, my number one priority is to train up my children to know Christ. Nothing else can come close to the priority of wanting my children (and my children’s children, and my children’s children’s children…) to spend eternity with God – and with me! That goal drives every decision that I make in parenting. Iron Man and I spend much time teaching our children what we believe and why we believe it. Biblical teaching takes precedence in our homeschool, and we make every effort to talk of Biblical precepts as we go through our daily lives. Most importantly, we pray for our children.

And yet, we know that no matter what parenting decisions we make, the ultimate responsibility in our children accepting Christ as Savior will rest with… our children. An old pastor of ours used to say, “God doesn’t have any grandchildren,” meaning that no one is saved based upon their parent’s salvation, or lack thereof. Each of us must make that decision for ourselves, no matter what our roots are. The great news here is that anyone can be a child of Christ, even if they were not raised in the faith. The difficult news is that there is no guarantee that our children will accept our Christian faith for themselves.

So with that little thought, are you wondering why the title of this post is “Encouragement for Christian Parents”? Keep reading!

My favorite parenting book is Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. On my Parenting Pages, I have written a brief review of the book and hope to be able to write a more comprehensive synopsis at some future point. For now, I just want to share one insight that greatly encouraged me in regards to the discouraging “no guarantee” thought stated above. Tedd Tripp writes that God has already shown great mercy to our children by their very placement in our homes, where they hear His truth, are taught His Word, and see faith lived out. In placing these children in our families, He demonstrates that their salvation must be pretty important to Him too!

We don’t bring our children to Christ by being perfect parents, and thank God for that! If that’s what it took, we’d all fail miserably! We have a responsibility to pray for our children, praying to the One who created them, who can soften even the hardest heart of stone. We have a responsibility to teach our children diligently day in and day out, to live out our faith ourselves, and to model Christ to them. We have a responsibility to be honest with them when we fail – demonstrating repentance and the power of forgiveness. In a home like that, children are blessed indeed! Perfection? That is impossible, but through the imperfections, we can teach our children about our need for a Savior and forgiveness.

Take encouragement that while it’s true there is no guarantee, the very placement of our children in authentically Christian homes is a great blessing to them, and a great start on a path toward knowing Christ.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

 

Dad Dollars

Recently in the waiting room of my doctor’s office, I picked up a Family Fun magazine. (Great magazine, by the way! If I would ever decide to subscribe to another magazine, this would be the one!) Anyhow, I read a wonderful idea, and put it to good use last week.

The idea is:

1. Put Dad’s face on a dollar bill (Do this for free by clicking here).
2. Print out a whole bunch of them (We made ours closer to the size of Monopoly money than real money).
3. Use them as a rewards system for the kids.

We have used various rewards systems for several years, to grow the kids in responsibility and good character. At one time, we used dried beans in a jar. For a while, we used homemade “treasure cards.” Now, it’s the new and improved… Dad Dollars!

Each morning on the kitchen counter, I set out an envelope for each child, and place three Dad Dollars on top of each one. A child can collect their Dad Dollars when they finish their morning chore pack. However, they only have until 10:00am to complete their chores and collect their dollars. At 10:00, any dollars remaining on the counter go back into my envelope. Sounds mean, I know, but the idea is to promote diligence and promptness. I’d rather they learn it now, while they have only a few Dad Dollars to lose, rather than when they are fully-grown adults and their employment is on the line.

Nearby is a list of rewards that the kids can purchase, and their cost in Dad Dollars. Our rewards include:

• Little candy (lollipop, etc) ~ $1
• Big candy (candy bar, etc) ~ $5
• Trip to a local play place (similar to Chuck E. Cheese) ~ $20
• 1/2 hour of video game time ~ $5
• Video ~ $6
• Camp out ~ $20
• 1 US Dollar and trip to the Dollar Store ~ $10
• Stay up 1/2 hour late ~ $6
• Ice Cream ~ $10
• New art supply ~ $15
• 1 US dime ~ $1

Notice that most of the rewards are things that are no-cost or low-cost to mom and dad. This is deliberate, because we really couldn’t afford to maintain a system like this long-term if it wasn’t frugal! I also don’t want the kids to become materialistic. I want them to appreciate little things like a candy snack or video game time, rather than taking them for granted.

The cost of most rewards are per each child who wants them. For group rewards, such as the play place or camp out, the kids can pull their resources to pay, or one child can treat everyone and experience the joy of giving to their siblings.

If a child seems to be accumulating too many Dad Dollars – enough that their envelope is stuffed, or I am running out of dollars to give their siblings – they will be required to cash some of them in. We pay out 10 cents per Dad Dollar.

Most of the rewards cost more than the children typically earn in a single day. They can earn extra Dad Dollars by doing extra chores, or they can save up for what they want. Either way, there are important lessons to be learned about saving, and about making wise choices about how they spend a limited supply of money – a lesson that everyone would do well to learn!

 

Children’s Chores: the Specifics

Recently, a dear friend recommended that as a follow-up to my blog post about our new chore system, I write about what chores my children do. This friend has children that are all very young (3 girls age five and under, and expecting her 4th child). I know exactly where this friend is coming from, because when my fourth child was born, my oldest was five years old as well.

When we were at that stage, I was still rather sporadic about chores. I did most things on my own, and tried to find little ways that they could help, if for no other reason than to keep them busy so that I could get a few things done! I too wondered what tasks would be reasonable to expect from my young children. I would brainstorm ideas to occupy them in a useful way, encourage their desire to be helpful, and begin to instill in them a work ethic. As they grew capable, I would have my little ones do small tasks, such as:

• wipe off the front of the refrigerator
• wipe the baseboards in one room
• use window wipes to clean the glass kitchen doors
• fold some washcloths or socks
• pick up toys or books
• dust-bust a messy area
• put away some kitchen towels
• bring me a clean diaper and wipes
• throw away dirty diapers
• throw dirty clothes in the hamper or down the laundry chute
• help wipe the floors while I mopped (I could barely keep them out of the kitchen! They loved playing in the water, so giving them a few rags made us all happy!)

While most of these items can be done by children around ages two to four years, even a one-year-old can help with picking up toys, diapers, and dirty clothes!

Sometimes the result of their efforts was more mess than we started with, but I didn’t mind because they were so excited to “help,” and I figured that the mess was less than if I had just let them roam aimlessly while I was busy with housework. In a lot of ways, this strategy still works well with my youngest children. It is difficult to get too structured with chores until they get a little bit older.

Now that I have a few older, more independent children, chore systems have become very valuable to our family. We change the chores as often as the need arises, sometimes frequently until we find a good routine, but once established, we keep it in place for a while. Currently, I’m not 100% happy with the chores that are assigned, and will probably work through a few changes in the next few weeks before we begin our next homeschool year. For now though, here is what it looks like:

Our children have a Morning Chore Pack which is to be done before breakfast every day. After breakfast, they work through Chore Pack 2, including one or two weekly chores for that particular day of the week. They typically finish both chore packs and their weekly chore by 9:00 or 9:30am every morning. Otherwise, they need only help clean up after mealtimes, and attend to their jurisdictions (simple tidying of their designated areas of the house) and “Company’s Coming Jobs” as I deem necessary.

Polly (Age 11)

Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)

1. Make bed
2. Get dressed
3. Put nightgown away
4. Brush hair
5. Pick up in bathroom
6. Prepare breakfast

Chore Pack 2 (done right after breakfast)

1. Plates & silverware in dishwasher
2. Wipe table
3. Tidy Living Room
4. Tidy Family Room (this is a group effort)
5. Brush teeth
6. Bible Reading/Prayer
7. Bible Memory
8. Piano Practice
9. Weekly Chore

Weekly Chores:

• Monday: Plan Lunches & Snacks for week
  Clean Guest Bathroom
• Tuesday: Living Room
  (Dust, Tidy TV Stand)
• Wednesday: Clean van with Fred
  (Week 1: Windows, Week 2: Dust-Bust)
• Thursday: Help with Laundry
• Friday: Family Room (empty pencil sharpener, wipe computer screens, wipe down desks)

Gameboy (Age 9)

Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)

1. Make bed
2. Get dressed
3. Put pajamas away
4. Pick up in bedroom
5. Brush hair
6. Pick up in hallway
7. Empty top rack of dishwasher

Chore Pack 2 (after breakfast)

1. Dust-bust under table
2. Empty dustbuster
3. Empty kitchen trash (if full)
4. Tidy downstairs hall & steps
5. Tidy Family Room (group effort)
6. Brush teeth
7. Bible Reading/Prayer
8. Bible Memory
9. Piano Practice
10. Weekly Chore

Weekly Chores

• Monday: Upstairs Trash with Fred
  Kids Bathroom (Mirror, Sink, Toilet)
• Tuesday: Vacuum Upstairs
• Wednesday: Help with Laundry
• Thursday: Upstairs Trash with Fred
• Friday: Kids’ Bathroom (Mirror, Sink, Toilet, Tub)
  Collect Trash from Curb

Bubbles (Age 7)

Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)

1. Make bed
2. Get dressed
3. Put pajamas away
4. Pick up in bedroom
5. Brush hair
6. Empty silverware from dishwasher

Chore Pack 2

1. Wipe up George
2. New trash bag in kitchen (if empty)
3. Tidy downstairs bathroom
4. Tidy Family Room (group effort)
5. Brush teeth
6. Bible Reading/Prayer
7. Bible Memory
8. Piano Practice
9. Weekly Chore

Weekly Chores:

• Monday: Downstairs Trash with Princess
• Tuesday: Dust Family Room & Dining Room
• Wednesday: Dust Bedrooms with Mom
• Thursday: Downstairs Trash w/Princess
  Help with Laundry
• Friday: Guest Bathroom (Mirror, Sink, Toilet)

Fred (Age 5)

Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)

1. Make bed
2. Get dressed
3. Put pajamas away
4. Pick up in bedroom
5. Brush hair
6. Empty bottom rack of dishwasher

Chore Pack 2 (after breakfast)

1. Wipe up kitchen chairs
2. Help Mom in kitchen
3. Tidy kitchen table area
4. Tidy Family Room (group effort)
5. Brush teeth
6. Laundry down chute (I tell them him whose laundry day it is, and he works with Princess to throw it down)
7. Weekly Chore

Weekly Chores

• Monday: Upstairs trash (with Gameboy)
• Tuesday: Put away shoes from baskets (with Princess)
• Wednesday: Clean van with Polly: Pick up stuff from floor
  Help with laundry
• Thursday: Upstairs trash (with Gameboy)
• Friday: Put away shoes from baskets (with Princess)

Princess (Age 3 – Almost 4)

Morning Chore Pack (before breakfast)

1. Make bed
2. Get dressed
3. Put pajamas away
4. Pick up in bedroom
5. Brush hair
6. Set out spoons and bib

Chore Pack 2 (after breakfast)

1. Refill napkins
2. Help Mom in kitchen
3. Tidy dining room
4. Tidy Family Room (group effort)
5. Brush teeth
6. Laundry down chute (with Fred)
7. Weekly Chore

Weekly Chores

• Monday: Downstairs trash (with Bubbles)
• Tuesday: Put away shoes from baskets (with Fred)
• Wednesday: Help Mom with laundry
• Thursday: Downstairs trash (with Bubbles)
• Friday: Put shoes away from baskets (with Fred)
  Help put laundry away

Laundry Notes:

Laundry is mainly my responsibility, but the kids help out on the day that I do their laundry. Here is how that looks:

Polly, Gameboy and Bubbles: Polly, Gameboy and Bubbles always help sort clean laundry into piles belonging to themselves and their laundry-day partner, fold their own clothes, and put their own laundry away. They are adept at all tasks related to laundry, with one exception: Bubbles still has trouble folding big bath towels! I have them help me with additional laundry tasks only when needed.

Fred: Fred always helps sort clean laundry into piles belonging to himself and Gameboy, folds his own socks and underwear, and puts his own laundry away. He also has the ability to help me sort dirty laundry by color, fold any of his own clothes, and fold small towels and washcloths. He does these extra tasks occasionally to help out, but I do not have him do them every week.

Princess: Princess can fold fold socks, small towels and washcloths, hang up dresses, and help with putting her own laundry away. She does these things occasionally to for practice and to help out, but I do not have her do them every week.

Kitchen Jobs:

Polly: load silverware & plates into dishwasher, wipe table

Gameboy: Dust-bust under table,Empty kitchen trash (if full)

Bubbles: Wipe up George,New trash bag (if empty)

Fred: Wipe chairs, Help Mom in kitchen

Princess: Refill napkins, Help Mom in kitchen

Jurisdictions:

Polly

• (upstairs) Kids’ Bathroom
• (downstairs) Living Room

Gameboy

• (upstairs) Hallway
• (downstairs) Hall & steps

Bubbles

• (upstairs) Girls’ bedroom
• (downstairs) Guest bathroom

Fred

• (upstairs) Boys’ Room
• (downstairs) Kitchen table and floor

Princess

• (upstairs) Girls’ Room
• (downstairs) Dining Room

Group Jurisdictions

• Play Room
• Family Room

Company’s Coming Jobs:

Polly

• Tidy jurisdictions
• Wipe living room glass & TV

Gameboy

• Tidy jurisdictions
• Vacuum downstairs

Bubbles

• Tidy jurisdictions
• Wipe kitchen table
• Wipe bathroom sink

Fred

• Tidy jurisdictions
• Pick up in Family Room
• Play with George

Princess

• Tidy jurisdictions
• Pick up in Family Room
• Play with George

Friday Afternoon Round-Up:

• Week 1: Play Room
• Week 2: Family RoomFor an explanation of what a “Round-Up” is, see Tackling the Messiest Rooms

Saturday Morning Room Inspection:

While the kids tidy their bedrooms daily, we don’t expect perfection. On Saturday mornings, however, we do room inspections before they can go play. Since there is no school and no weekly chore for this day, they have time to focus on getting their rooms back up to speed for the next week.

Our chore schedule actually feels very light at the moment because it is summer, and we are not homeschooling.  We enjoy this because it allows a lot of freedom for the kids to play outdoors, go out on fun outings, and for us all to work on other projects (household or fun) that we do not have time for during the school year.

Looking for more ideas to help the days to run more smoothly? Check out this list of blog posts related to Household Management!

 

FAQs about our Larger than Average Family

In our “a boy for me and a girl for you, then praise the Lord, we’re finally through” culture (to quote Voddie Baucham), our family kind of sticks out in a crowd! From curious strangers at the grocery store to our closest family members, we get a lot of questions and comments on a regular basis. Many of the questions and comments are comical in nature, and a rare few are downright rude.  But most people are very supportive and encouraging, and we do get some serious questions from those who are genuinely interested in knowing the answers. I thought I would take a crack at some of the questions that we most frequently hear, both the silly and the serious.

Are you nuts? No.

Don’t you know what causes that? Yes.

Was this planned? Since before the Earth was formed? Yes. In our own minds from the beginning of marriage? No. Each individual child around the time of their conception? Yes.

Why?? There are so many answers to this, and I can’t begin to explain the depth of the many reasons why. But here are a few of the answers… We have a tremendous heart for children. We have felt convicted that God desired us to have each and every one of these children. We believe children are a blessing and not a burden. They are a joy and a balm to our hearts. We consider it an honor to raise up a lot of children in our faith to bring glory to God. How’s that for starters?

I know a woman who grew up in a large family, and she hated it. She swore she would never have children. When I meet someone who grew up in a large family, they always let me know! They never fail to tell me their feelings about it. Occasionally one will express that they hated it, but by and large, most will tell me how much they loved it and how glad they are to have had lots of siblings. Sometimes a teary-eyed older person will tell me that now that their parents have passed on, they are so glad to have those sisters and brothers with whom they shared their childhood. Some will tell me that now some of their siblings have passed on, and how dearly they miss them.

So what makes the difference between those who loved it and those who hated it? I can’t be certain, but I have a theory that it often has something to do with their parents’ feelings about their large brood. When parents believe their children to be a burden and hardship, and are bitter about being stuck with their “lot in life,” I think this bitterness rubs off on the children, who grow up with a mindset that having a large family is a terrible thing to be avoided. But, when parents feel that raising a large family is a privilege, blessing, and honor, I suspect that the children grow up feeling that it’s pretty special to be part of such a family.

I can only speak for my crew, and they think it’s awesome to be part of a large family.

Are you the most patient woman in the world? Absolutely not. Having a lot of children has been a magnifying glass to my impatience, and has driven me to my knees in prayer more times than I can count. I can say with certainty that the Lord has used my “mommy of many” role to refine me in patience and many other ways.

Are you the most organized woman in the world? Ha ha ha!!!! Hold on while I wipe the tea off my face that I just spit out… Ahem. To answer this, no, I am not the most organized person in the world. By sheer necessity, I’ve (once again) been driven to my knees to seek wisdom in how to manage things. I’ve read books, I’ve applied, I’ve adapted, and I’ve carefully planned routines and systems in the home to help me live in an organized way. With the Lord’s help, I’ve learned to be organized enough to manage a house full of children. Which, by the way, is partially why I started this blog!

What about “Me Time?” Hmmm… How do I answer this? Let me preface by stating that I do believe rest is essential, and every mother needs some amount of quiet, calm, peaceful time to regroup. However, I think that “me time,” in the way that most people think of it, is overrated. I’ve searched the scriptures, and there just isn’t anything in there that would justify tremendous amounts of “Me Time.” Rest? Yes. Enjoyment of creation? Yes? But there’s a whole lot more in there about hard work, dying to self, and putting needs of others before yourself.

That said, I must confess that I love the hours in the afternoon when my youngest ones are napping and the house is so very quiet. I love the early morning hours when the sun isn’t quite up, and the house is quiet. I love the time when the little ones are all put to bed, and the house is quiet. I love when I can get an uninterrupted shower. BUT! I also love: the morning time when we are bustling through the house with breakfast and chores… cuddling on the couch reading stories… the hours of homeschooling… the sound of the children playing together… the time of day when the little ones wake up from their naps… chatting with my kids while preparing dinner… playing “Hide and Seek” or “Apples to Apples” with them… making a jumbo, messy, bowl of popcorn and letting them dive in to it on movie night… and just talking to my kids.

What is “Me Time?” Is it simply doing things we love to do? My days are full of those, children included! And I even find time to do things by myself, such as writing blog posts like this or reading books. Is “Me Time” defined as rest? I manage to get that every day as well. Is “Me Time” getting out of the house alone? When I need to buy clothing for myself, I usually do so alone. I sometimes go to my doctor’s appointments alone. Occasionally I even get out to the grocery store alone, although most days I have all six kids in tow. Quite frankly, it makes very little difference to me. With a little training, kids can make it through the grocery store without making you crazy, and they can actually be taught to be helpful!

How do you afford all those kids? You’ve been reading those “Costs to raise a child to age 18″ articles again, haven’t you? Throw those away! It doesn’t have to be that way, truly. It can be that way, if you buy a bigger house with the birth of each child, buy all new clothing for each child, utilize a lot of childcare, and make dining out the “rule” rather than the “exception.” But it does not have to be that way. I happen to think that not every child (or even every two children) “needs” their own room. While I like my kids to dress in nice, up-to-date clothing, I pass a lot of clothes down from child to child, filling in gaps as much as possible with consignment store finds. We’ve had to upgrade to larger vehicles exactly two times, but I think our 12-passenger van will suffice for a long time! I cook from scratch a lot, and have learned to enjoy it. I keep easy meals on hand for days that I’m tired. Not to say that we never dine out, but our culinary experiences have gravitated more toward the “kids eat free on Tuesdays” establishments, and dining out is the exception, not the rule. We’ve learned the difference between “needs” and “wants.” Giving and needs are taken care of first, and wants are considered carefully.

But what about college? I could do a pretty big blog post dedicated to this question alone, but I’ll try to keep it simple, while being transparent.

1. First and foremost, if it is God’s will for our children to attend college, and we have been faithful in using our money as we feel He directs, we believe He will provide a way for our children to attend, and likely to do so without debt. We can trust in Him.
2. If it is not God’s will for our children to attend college, then He must have another plan for them which will provide for all their financial needs. We can trust in Him.
3. We don’t have to do it the “usual” way. Some other options are:
   *Take first 2 years at community college then transfer to a larger university.
   *Commute to a nearby university. No room & board costs.
   *Online classes may be an option. No room & board costs.
   *Kids may be able to test out of some classes.
   *A trade school might be well suited to a particular field that our children want to pursue.
   *Even if these options won’t work with all of our children (depending on their course of study), some of the options should work for some of the children, lightening the overall load of total college costs.
4. We should have more money freed up at that time to help with college when it’s needed. We are currently paying almost double our mortgage payments. Our goal is to have our mortgage completely paid off  by the time our oldest child has finished high school. Being 100% debt free will free up a lot of money to help with college when it’s needed.
5. By the time younger ones are in college, older ones will be out of college and working, not relying on us to completely support them financially.
6. There are several streams of money, large and small, that will work together help significantly with college costs:
   *We have saved some money in 529 plans
   *Kids can work
   *Scholarships (by giving our children an excellent pre-college education and lots of real-world experience, we hope they will qualify for something here!)
   *Grants may be available for a family of our size.
   *Some bonds and other gifts acquired through the years

For more on this, you might want to read a great book called College Without Compromise.

Whoah – Did you say you pay double your mortgage payments???  How in the world do you do that? Nearly double, but not quite. Anyhow, if you have ever visited us and wondered such things as, “Why don’t they move into a bigger house? Why don’t they add on to the back of their house? Why do they drive their vehicles until they die? Why don’t they just replace those kitchen countertops? Why don’t they finish that basement already?” Well, now you have your answer. One can’t double their mortgage payments when they have the burden of car payments, home equity loans, and other consumer debt. With God’s grace, principles learned by Dave Ramsey, and a fantastic budgeting system (YNAB) we have managed to be debt-free with the exception of the mortgage. We’re working to fix that situation now! For more on this, you can read this blog post detailing how we manage our finances.

But just think! If you didn’t have kids, you could get a bigger house and drive newer cars… It’s a tradeoff, I know.  But I happen to believe that we are getting the better end of the bargain!!!! I’d take children over square footage any day. If your goal is to accumulate as much stuff as possible before you die, then we would appear to be very foolish indeed. But that’s not our goal. As Bubbles so beautifully stated the other day, we want something that we can take to Heaven with us. That would be… children.

Don’t you worry that you won’t be able to do anything with your life after your kids grow up and leave the nest? No, I don’t worry about that at all. I’m capable of being passionate about many things. At this stage in my life, being a mom is “what I do,” and as such, I expect to pour my heart into it. At the same time, I’ve managed to be involved in a number of different ministries, many of which I can do with my children. I’ve no doubt that the Lord will continue to place me in the path of new and exciting opportunities that He plans for me, even after my children are grown.

Do you think everybody should have a lot of kids? No. To be honest, I really don’t spend time thinking about decisions that other people make. It is not my business, and I’m not here to pass judgment on anyone else. My job is to live as the Lord calls me. And in my case, I am called to be a mom of lots of kids, a role which I happen to love!

Are you going to have any more children? That’s a question that I’m not quite ready to answer yet! But I can tell you this. In all the many conversations that I have had on the topic of family size, not a single person has ever told me that they wish they had fewer children. I’m sure there are people out there who feel that way, but I’ve never come across them. However, many, many people, whose child-bearing years have passed, have looked me deeply in the eye and said with regret, “I wish I’d had more.”‘

 

Parenting: What No Expert Can Tell You

There are so many conflicting approaches to parenting out there. How does a parent know who to listen to? Dr. Sears, Dr. Spock, Dr. Dobson, Dr. Brazleton? Our own pediatricians? Our own parents? Our neighbors with the nice kids, or our neighbors with the spoiled – but happy – kids, or our neighbors whose kids got full scholarships to Ivy League colleges? Everyone has advice for parents of young children. It is not a bad thing to seek out the wisdom of others. In the eleven years that I’ve been a mother, I have read many a book and spoken with many a parent for ideas and wisdom on raising my own children. Some advice is useful and good, while other advice can be quite harmful. So seek tips and ideas, and learn. But before you do, dig a little deeper first, because there are certain things that the experts can not tell you. There are some critical decisions of parenting that can only come from you.

The starting question, the critical question, the question that will completely shape the parent you are, is this: What are your goals for this child? What is the end result that would make you feel that you’ve succeeded in your parenting?

Parenting means more than just teaching our children to tie their shoes, behave themselves, and stay safe. Of course, those things are important. In fact, it’s often in the day-to-day events of meeting smaller goals of childhood, that we we send larger messages which will impact our larger goal of who our children will be when they are adults.

What is your ultimate goal for your children?

Is your goal for them to be excellent students and go to a great college?

To earn a high income some day?

To be happy?

To be kind?

To be well-respected in the community?

To be well-liked by their peers?

To be well-dressed?

To be hard workers?

To be great musicians, athletes, or writers?

To not end up in jail?

I would really like many of these to be true for my children. We place a high premium on education in our homeschool. We teach our children to be kind and to think of others first. We train them to work hard. We sacrifice a lot of money for their music lessons, homeschool curricula, and sports to help them fine-tune their natural gifts.

However, those are all secondary goals for me. My ultimate goal goes deeper still.

I am a Christian. I believe that I will go to Heaven some day, and I believe that I don’t deserve it. I believe that I am a sinner, and that I am not good enough on my own to be worthy of spending an eternity with God. I believe that there is only one reason that I get that wonderful gift of eternal life in Heaven, and that is that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sin. God made each of us to live forever, and He will sustain us for all of eternity. Where we spend eternity depends on whether we choose to accept the gift that God gave us through Jesus His Son.

This is where my ultimate goal in parenting comes in. As a blood-washed, Bible-believing Christian, there is nothing more important to me than passing that faith on to my children. I can not take anything to Heaven with me, except my children. When I stand before God some day, every other accomplishment in my life will be nothing if my children aren’t there with me. What will it matter what college they went to, how big the house was in which I raised them, or how high their self esteem was, if these precious lambs are lost for all of eternity?

My goal in parenting is to pass on my Christian faith to my children, and to impress such an importance on this, that they will pass the faith on to their children. I desire that our family’s faith in Christ is passed down through multiple generations, because I want to spend eternity with my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

This ultimate goal has shaped virtually every decision in how I raise my children. While I love to consult parenting books and seek out the wisdom of others, the Bible is my primary parenting guide.

 

Older Kids Babysitting Younger Ones

You may remember from my post on A Typical Homeschool Day that my older children take turns babysitting while I tutor another sibling one-on-one. I thought it might be helpful to delve into the details of how this looks.

Our three ”babysitters” are only 10, 8, and 7 years old, so they are not old enough to stay home alone, take the little ones out alone, or even take them in a different room for very long. Likewise, the “little ones” are only 4, 3 and 1 year old, so I am not comfortable having them out of my scope of vision for very long. I believe the younger ones need to be near me most of the time, where I can have a direct influence over their behavior and character. Therefore, I don’t use the term “babysitter” in the traditional sense.

With those things in mind, here is how I structure my children’s babysitting time:

1. All are usually within my eyesight, within 10 or 15 feet, so I can notice if things are getting out of sort. This makes me available to remind, redirect or intervene when necessary.
2. Before we start, the little ones are reminded that they are to play within a certain area. In our case, I tell the children to “stay by the rug.” We have a play rug near a corner of the family room, which a number of toys, a kitchen set, and a train table are kept near.
3. The babysitters are to focus on the one year old. In other words: Play with him, keep him safe, and try to help him be good.
4. If the babysitters want to, they can plan an activity with all the littles (a tea party, puppet show, color pictures together, etc) but this is not required. The 3 and 4 year olds are expected to be able to play well without making too much noise.
5. If one of the little ones wanders away from the play area, plays too loudly, or otherwise misbehaves, the babysitters are to remind them of the rules. If they don’t listen, the babysitters are to tell me. Chances are, I’ve already noticed this and intervened, but occasionally I might miss something while I’m doing school with one of the kids.
6. If the 3 or 4 year olds knowingly misbehave, I’ll bring them over to sit beside me for a while, where they can become thoroughly bored.
7. If the one-year-old is causing havoc, I might hold him for a while, put him in his high chair with some cheerios, or sit him in the high chair with some toys to play with.
8. When a babysitter is “Kid of the Day” they have the option of taking the little ones upstairs to the playroom for their rotation. This means that three days a week, the little ones might be out of my eyesight for a half hour at most. It gives them all a change of scenery and breaks things up a bit without adding too much pressure to the babysitter or keeping the little ones away from me for too long.
9. In between the rotations, I’ll usually come and talk to the babysitter and kids. I’ll thank or commend the babysitter for their help, encourage the litte ones if they played well, warn them of an impending consequence if they have not played well, or maybe give ideas for the next rotation.

By structuring babysitting times in this way, I can give my focused attention to my one-on-one teaching sessions while still keeping an eye on the little ones. My older children can gain experience in caring for young children while still being under my watchful eye, and without too much pressure. The children gain some good, quality, “bonding’ time with one another. And of course, my younger ones are almost always near me, right where they need to be.

Want more? Check out A Typical Homeschool Day.

 

Encouraging Good Character

Bless your children generously for their good character and behavior! Here are a few ways that this can be done:

• Smile a lot! Be generous with your expressions of encouragement and appreciation of your children’s good behavior. If your children have touched your heart by their sweetness, tell them! If your daughter has been helpful to you, tell her how much you appreciate her helpfulness. If your son has demonstrated kindness to his little sister, tell him how blessed his sister is to have him for a big brother. Tell them when they have done a “great job” and let them know, “I’m so glad that I can take you out shopping, and never have to worry that you will run off or misbehave.”
• Encourage your children to express affection and appreciation to each other. Point out times that their siblings have been good to them, and say, “That was so nice of your sister to help you fix your hair! She loves you so much. I’d like you to go tell her thank you, and give her a big hug!”
• Physical touch is encouraging too. I am constantly ruffling my children’s hair, giving hugs and kisses, patting their shoulders, and giving “high fives!” The knowledge that you notice the good and appreciate it is a great motivation for your children to continue in it.
• “Tangible” rewards are also good for training and encouraging good character. We do this largely through the use of what we call “the Treasure Card System.” Each child has a little cup with his or her name on it, in which they keep “treasure cards” which we cut out and decorated ourselves. Three treasure cards are given to the children each day, and they can earn extra cards as a result of diligence in chores, excellence in work, and exceptional behavior. Cards can also be lost for misbehavior or irresponsibility. Treasure Cards can be redeemed for tangible rewards or special privileges. We have a list of rewards that they can choose from. A few examples are computer fun time, video game time, a special video, or candy. At the beginning of each week, the children cash in all their cards that haven’t been used. Each card is worth 10 cents.

A warning about tangible rewards… Be careful that this is not over-done. Tangible rewards should not be used as bribes. I have known children who refuse to do any chores unless their parents pay them. I have seen children in grocery stores who are behaving atrociously, and their frazzled mom offers to give them candy if they will stop. This type of behavior demands corrective disciplinary action, not a reward for grudgingly complying with a minimum standard.

Set the bar high, and be sure to encourage the good at every opportunity.

Want more? Check out A Fine China Plate or see the list of all my Parenting Posts.

 

An Action Plan for Discipline

Before I explain what I mean by “Action Plan,” I would like to make note of a few important points, gleaned from studying many materials by Dr. James Dobson:

 

“Discipline” is not synonymous with “punishment.” Discipline sometimes involves a negative consequence, but such correction measures are only one aspect of discipline. Discipline comes from the word, “disciple,” and it literally means, “teach.” There are three steps to discipling our children:

1. Instruction: The first and foundational step is instructing our children in what is right.
2. Training: They are learning, so we need to expect to devote time to training.
3. Correction: Only after these first two steps have been thoroughly completed, should we engage in correction for a misbehavior.

Discipline with action, not with emotions. Using anger, expressing shame, or withholding love as a discipline measure may affect a change in outward behavior, but can have severely damaging effects on your child’s heart, as well as the relationship between you and your child. Our goal is to positively influence the child’s heart, not just change their behavior.

 

Be sure to distinguish whether a behavior is a result of childish immaturity, or true willful defiance. An obvious example is the difference between a child spilling milk versus throwing food. Moments of childish immaturity should be treated very gently. If you are not sure which it was, give your child the benefit of the doubt, and use it as an opportunity for instruction and training.

 

With those items in mind, here we go…

 

In the midst of a behavior issue that needs correction, I believe it is absolutely essential to have a plan of action. Misbehaviors can be very rattling, and without a planned response, we can easily become even more flustered by having to come up with a consequence to apply. We may overreact, or we may let it slide. We may question ourselves: Were we too harsh? Were we too soft? Did the consequence really fit the offense? The emotional moment is not the ideal time to decide how an offense will be handled. It is best to have a plan already in place, that you and your spouse have given careful thought and prayer to during a quiet moment (such as when the children were in bed!)

 

We were blessed to find a chart, called the If-Then Chart, published by Doorposts. The chart contains three columns. The first column lists ten categories of common misbehaviors and includes a visual picture to illustrate the offense, so that even young children who cannot read are able to understand. The second column quotes a verse from the Bible that explains why that behavior is wrong. The third column lists the consequences that both parents have agreed to implement for each offense. I have made a few alterations to my chart, using some different verses and Bible translations than those that Doorposts chose, but the idea remains the same. If you would like me to email you my revisions, just leave a comment to this post requesting them. Your email address will only be viewable by me, not by readers of the blog.

 

How I love the chart… Let me count the ways!

1. It encourages consistency, which is an essential for turning around behavior patterns.
2. Having a written plan saves me from becoming frustrated by figuring out how to handle the situation… the plan is already in place! This has been a great help in saving me from becoming angry.
3. I no longer question myself, because I am simply administering the consequence, not reacting emotionally.
4. The chart helps to place the ownership of the negative consequences on the children. The children know in advance what will happen if they misbehave, so when they choose to engage in a misbehavior, they are in essence, choosing to accept the consequence for themselves.

We follow a series of steps in administering correction. The first step is to go to the chart, and have the child tell or show which rule they broke. We then ask the child to read the accompanying verse (or we read it to the younger children), and then we will ask what the consequence will be.

 

 A short discussion follows, which goes something like this:

 

“What did you do wrong?”

“Why was it wrong?”

“What are you going to do next time?”

 

One note on this discussion time: There are times when you are trying to determine whether the misbehavior was willful or immaturity, and you may need to ask “Why did you do that?” However, if you don’t need to ask this question, don’t. Asked too often at the wrong times, you might inadvertently encourage your child to justify their misbehaviors (for example: “Because he hit me first!”) We want to teach children to take ownership for their behaviors, and not to get in the habit of making excuses for themselves.

 

After our short discussion, the consequence is administered. We then pray together, and the child apologizes to whomever they may have offended.

 

If you are looking for advice on how to deal with specific issues, you won’t find a better or more complete resource than Elizabeth Krueger’s book, Raising Godly Tomatoes. After five children, I thought I’d seen it all, but George threw me for a loop with some of his antics! I sought ideas from Mrs. Krueger’s website, and found a few tips that actually worked. I was so impressed that I ordered her book on the same day. Mrs. Krueger is a mother of ten, ages 7 to 27, and has so much wisdom to share.

 

Want more? Check out Encouraging Good Character or see the list of all my Parenting Posts.

 

Direction in Discipline

Scripture is clear that parents are to teach and discipline their children. There are many verses that directly command us in this issue, but I will point to only three here:

Hebrews 12:11 “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (ESV)

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 13:24 “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

Think and pray on these verses. They speak for themselves and need very little commentary. Laying aside controversy over the Hebraic meaning of the word “rod” and other areas of possible dissention, for those who believe the Bible to be the Word of God, there is no question about the fact that God commands us to train and discipline our children.

Children can be taught to understand these scriptures as well. For example, I have explained Proverbs 13:24, even to to my very young children, in the following way:

“Imagine a daddy or mommy who does not love their children. They do not care if their children are good or bad. They do not care if their children grow up to do bad things and go to jail. They do not care if their children grow up to know Jesus or not. When their children do a bad thing, like lying or disobeying, their parents do not care about helping them to become better. They don’t discipline their children because they don’t care what happens to them. That’s why the Bible says, ‘He who spares the rod hates his son.’”

“Daddy and I love you very much. We want you to grow up to be God’s children and follow Jesus. We want you to learn to obey God. If you do not learn to obey Daddy and me, it will be hard for you to learn to obey God later. We have to discipline you sometimes because that will help you to make a better choice next time. If we did not teach you, you would not have a reason to try to behave better. That is why the Bible says, “he who loves his son is diligent to discipline him.”

Children as young as three or four years old can understand these basic truths, and actually see the value of correction.

Want more? Check out An Action Plan for Discipline or see the list of all my Parenting Posts.