Thanks to all the parents who participated in the St. Matthew’s parenting seminar! You can view the prezis for The Apprenticeship of Being Human and Love, Language and Literature. And here are some of the resources mentioned in the presentation and in small group discussions . . . and a few more:
Books
- Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
This is the single best introduction to the world of children’s literature! - You Are Special by Max Lucado
This is the best introduction to Lucado’s wonderful world of Wemmicks. - The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
Coles has also written The Call of Stories, a brilliant work that reflects on power of poetry and literature. - The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm
This is perfect for young children as young as 24 months. - The Jesus Story Book Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones
The JSSB is great for children 3 and up. - ESV Family Bible
With the full text of selections from Scripture accompanied by illustrations, this is a “bridge” for kids (roughly 5 and up) who are ready for the Biblical text but still want illustrations. - How Full is Your Bucket? (for kids) by Tom Rath
For your visual learners, this book is a perfect way for them to see how they affect others.
Table Toys (in case you’re interested)
- Tegu Blocks (the fantastic magnetic wooden blocks)
- Keva planks (to build your own city)
- GeoPuzzles
Web Resources
- Aslan’s Library is a great blog devoted to ‘beautiful and true theological books for kids’ – and is co-authored by my sister-in-law and another dear friend.
- Tell Me About a Time You Were Bad is a brilliant, short article by Bob Priest describing how confessing his own sins to his young son helped his son to grow in repentance.
- Tumblon is the web app my good friend Jonathan and I built to enable parents to track their kids developmental milestones – and it is free! This rough video shows how it works.
- Why Early Childhood Parenting is a Gospel Priority is a piece that I wrote for Christianity Today on why what you do matters so much.
- Liturgies of Life is an essay that I wrote for Cardus on the role of habits in forming children, and The Essential Story explores the role of stories in virtue formation.
Printable
Here is a printable version of The Practice of Parenting (an appendix from my book). It is designed for you to complete to help you:
- Assess your family habits of Love, Language and Literature.
- Evaluate how these practices establish Normal and Normative expectations.
- Consider how your habits influence your children’s Character, Competence, Creativity and the ability to Collaborate.
- Decide on a specific practice that you want to nurture (like reading together) or eliminate (like yelling in conflict).
Feel free ask questions, share suggestions and leave comments below. And feel free to use the share buttons to share these resources with folks who weren’t able to participate in the seminar!