FAMILY EXPERIENCE
Try these activities to celebrate God’s gift of our bodies. The first works well with younger children, and the second works well with preteens.
• Hopping-Popping Bodies—Help children draw a gingerbread-cookie-type person and then draw arrows from different parts of the body to the outer rim of the paper. From the head, help children write words that describe what they like to learn about. From the hands, write things they like to do. From the feet, places they like to go. From the stomach, things they like to eat, and so on.
Read aloud Psalm 139:14 and use your bodies to express the information on the pa
pers. Have children act like kernels of popcorn. Have family members “burst” open with their answers as you mention each body part. For example, say: “We thank God for our minds to think about….” After everyone has popped up and shared an answer, move on to the next body part.
• Wonderfully Made—Remind older kids of how wonderfully God has made them. Read aloud Psalm 139:14. Discuss messages that today’s society communicates about beauty and body image. Then describe what God sees in each person. Together, create a poster that communicates either Psalm 139:14 or our worth and image in Christ. Hang the poster near a mirror as a reminder of how much God values each of us.
Chat with your children about body image by using these discussion starters:
1. Why did God give us bodies? What are some special things you can do with your body?
2. What does God want us to do with our bodies? How does he want us to take care of them?
3. What are some ways we can be kind to our bodies—and to other people’s bodies?
