If you're looking for ideas of things to do with your children this summer that also reflect your faith, we have a wonderful activity in mind thanks to a recent post on Instagram.
In the post shared by The Bookoholics, we can see a collection of children's letters to God. The idea came from their 3rd grade teacher and the results are adorable, and also revealing.
(It's important to bear in mind that without any proper credits, we can't be exactly sure of the origins of these letters, but the idea in itself is what's interesting.)
The letters written in varying levels of penmanship capture the preoccupations of children. If you take a moment to flick through the results, you'll certainly have a good giggle. From kids questioning if it's okay that a bride and groom kissed in church, to a child sharing his admiration for the way God so perfectly placed the stars in the sky.
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Unsurprisingly one 8-year-old boy questioned: "I wish you would tell me why you made it so we have to die." Whereas a young girl called Norma asked if the length of a giraffe's neck was an accident!
The benefits for kids
Although this is supposedly just a school exercise, if you consider the activity it is one that has many benefits: Firstly you get your child to put pen to paper -- a skill many of us are not practicing. There's also the way in which a child can share what is possibly one of their biggest concerns, or a curiosity they're dying to understand. By opening up you might be able to help put their mind to rest.
A further benefit of course is the way it can help a child feel closer to God. Writing a letter to Him might even feel more concrete to them rather than saying a prayer. And if you send the letter in the post, the USPS may forward it to a church or sometimes a volunteer service may reply to the letter -- it depends on the postal district.
And don't worry, if you want to get younger children involved you could suggest getting them to tell you what they'd like to say to God and write it down on their behalf.
Finally, you could also make this an annual activity. Just be sure to take a photo of the letters before sending them off to keep an adorable record of your child's correspondence with their Heavenly Father.
