For those of you who were interested in studying the Fruit of the Spirit this summer, I have finished our first week prelude to the study. This is just the introduction the week before you start, and it takes only 2 days. We will work on the prelude this week, and begin next Monday, May 28. So here goes:
This is my outline of what I am doing with the Fruit of the Spirit (Christian virtues) this summer.
Suggested Supplies:
- A binder or sketchbook to hold each child’s artwork during the study, as well as page protectors, if you use a binder. I bought spiral-bound sketchbooks at Michael’s, but I think a binder with page protectors may have been a better choice.
- A printer
- Various coloring pages (I will include links, but you can find a LOT of coloring pages on the internet for each subject)
- Bottle caps – you never can tell what you can use a bottle cap for in crafts. I am using mine to make necklace charms for some of the virtues, as well as snail shells.
- Felt – I am using felt to make a patch for each virtue. I am making each child a cape, and at the end of each week we will sew a virtue patch on each cape. At the end, they’ll have a fun cape to play with and remember the study all year long. Felt is also great for creating shapes when you can’t find them at the store, or you are really cheap (like me) and don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for craft supplies so you make them yourself.
- Various shaped craft manipulatives related to each virtue, such as foam hearts and flowers, wooden shapes (I found hands, hearts, trees, and I found snails for our study of patience).
Prelude: 2 days
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Day 1:
Print Galatians 5:22-23 in large letters and hang it in a prominent place where your family will see it often.
Introduce Galatians 5:22-23. Briefly explain each “fruit,” and explain that these are virtues each Christian needs to develop in order to be complete in Christ. Have a time of discussion where any questions can be answered and if there are any unanswered questions, write them down and either look up or think about answers to present the next day.
Introduce the format for the weeks to come. Each week there will be memory work, there will be practice of that week’s “fruit,” and there will be daily crafts and activities to help solidify the concepts and keep the kids engaged. If you have different ages you are working with, let everyone know that the younger kids will not be memorizing as much as the older kids, but that everyone will be memorizing at his or her own ability, and each will be challenged.
Discuss the benefits of learning these Christian virtues in the community of a family where they can be practiced until they are habits, in a safe, supportive environment, where they can fail among brothers and sisters who have their best interest at heart. Make it clear that you are all learning together, and it is the job of each to gently help one another rather than point out failures of others for the sake of pride. Also make it clear that success must be celebrated in others to encourage the formation of good habits.
Coloring page link: http://sermons4kids.com/fruit-of-the-spirit-colorpg.htm
Day 2:
Review the verse. Don’t worry about memorizing the verse right now. By the end of the summer, they will know it from repetition.
Make fruits out of construction paper (make the pieces before-hand if you have little ones, and have them glue the pieces together i.e. Stems on the fruits, leaves on the fruits, etc. I cut out a large apple, pear, banana, grapes, cherries, an orange, a raspberry, lemon, and a strawberry. Write the name of one virtue on each fruit, and hang the on the wall surrounding the paper with Galatians 5:22-23, which you printed out the previous day.
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