questions

Call me crazy, but I generally love car time with my girls. It’s a chance to chat and connect and hear about their day especially when I pick them up after their morning of preschool. Often times though, I’m met with silence and tired brains that have been learning and playing hard and as my oldest sometimes says “I just don’t wanna talk about it right now.”

I strive to keep the conversation going though, admittedly so they won’t fall asleep in our five minute drive home, but also so I can learn and encourage and know what’s brewing in their little hearts. I also love to use questions to help them to start thinking about their day and how we are all “on Mission”. I generally ask a question and then we all take turns answering, even the two year old – which is often comical! We usually don’t get more than a couple questions in at a time and that’s okay. My goal isn’t to work through a whole list of questions, it’s to provide a safe place where my girls feel like they can chat and share and open up their hearts. I believe it’s also crucial and more beneficial to ask questions that can’t be easily answered with a yes or a no, but ones they have to give details with. This usually Spurs on deeper conversation.

Here are some great conversation starters centered around leading our little ones to see their lives as “being on Mission”:

What did you love about today?
What did you not love?
What would you do different about today if you could?
How were you able to serve others today?
How did you serve your teacher and bring her honor?
Were you kind and loving in all you did today? With all your friends?
Was there anyone who was “left out” or maybe alone today?
Were you left out today or maybe felt alone? How did that make you feel?
Did you see a special “need” in your class today that maybe you could help with?
Were you able to share with a friend today?
If you could help or serve anyone today, who would you want to help? Why?
What’s the name of a new friend that you played with today?
Who did you have an opportunity to share Your bible story or scripture verse with today?
Is there anyone or anything you would like to pray for today? (And then we pray for that!)

Let’s be mamas that reclaim the car time and the dinner table time and make sure that it’s a space where our children are chatting and connecting as a family, which starts especially as little ones!

And on those few days when they “just don’t wanna talk about it,” we crank up the silly songs and sing our way home!

What conversation questions do you use with your kiddos to get them talking? Do you listen and share too?

Here are some great resources to encourage us as we lead our little ones to love Jesus and love others!

Love Does for Kids

I’ve been able to get a prerelease copy of the first five chapters of Bob Goff’s new book, Love Does for Kids and it’s super cute and a fun read! The pics are fun and the stories he tells are so great! I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as deep theology; however, the basic and simple command to love others as Christ loves them permeates each chapter I’ve read so far. I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the book! You can preorder it and find out more info over at The Love Does for Kids Website !

(A quick disclaimer, I was a part of this Book Launch Team and will be sharing more about the book in days to come!)

Culture

We’ve been having lots of random discussions lately about different cultures and what that even means. We recently “adopted” a college student from China and so we’ve been learning about how they do things differently and different isn’t bad!

I came across this great graphic that helps explain what culture is and all that makes up one’s culture! Hope it helps you in explaining it to your little ones too!

(I wish I knew where this came from, found it in the world of Pinterest but it wasn’t linked to the original author!)

Cool World Cooking

My oldest has been loving baking and cooking lately with me! So I’ve been on the hunt for some good international recipes that she can help me make! I came across this cookbook series over on Amazon, Cool World Cooking. It’s super cute and has a book for several different regions like Africa, Middle East, Italian and French. And just a tip, the more they are in the kitchen with you, the more likely they are to eat what is served! Just try it and hopefully you’ll be surprised! Which regional foods look yummy to you?

Questions

It’s so important to be intentional in our conversations with our kiddos. Do you talk to them about your faith? About what God is teaching you?

It’s also important to chat about topics like poverty and homelessness, refugees, cultures, religions, and other “hot topic” social issues. But sometimes we don’t know where to start or what to say. That can’t or shouldn’t stop us though. If you aren’t chatting with them, the world surely is! I pray my voice is always loudest with my girls – but not louder than the Lord’s voice.

Here is a great article with questions that can encourage conversations around poverty.

What resources can you share with other mamas as we strive to live On Mission?

Tag: questions

Things We’re Loving