FAMILY NIGHT GUIDE LINES AND HELPFUL TIPS
Written By Brian Robbins
Help your family build stronger and closer relationships with each other… AND WITH GOD!!! Are you looking for creative and fun ways to build a strong presence of godliness in your family nights each week? See faith grow in your family as you connect to God through devotions that deal with real issues of faith and love and how to deal with temptations and challenges when they arise. The power of family nights can creat lasting impressions for our next generation as we, parents and guardians, take the opportunity to instill godly beliefs and values to combat against negative and worldly influences arising from the media and schools negative peer pressiure, and temptations of the heart. Family nights that are twenty to sixty minutes of fun and instruction can help family develop special and unique memories that may last a life time. It isn't necessary to always make positive and lasting impressions upon our children from a formally organized time during a creative lesson or a specific location; these times may also arise spontaneously while we are simply carrying our family tasks together with our children; these special times may occur while you're driving, eating a meal, walking playing a game or spending time together as a family. It is important though to set up an established formal time for regular weekly family nights so that all the family members may refer back to these special times during their weekly routines.
There are several keys which should be incorporated into having effective F-A-M-I-L-Y Nights:
* FUN TIMES!
Get out of yourself and be focused to give at the end of the day. Your family might not remember everything in the lesson, but they will cherish the times of laughter and when you give 100% of yourself to them.
* AVOID TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
You want your family to open up and actively participate in each family night. If you do all the talking, you’ve missed the point in having a family night. Try giving assignments, asking questions and being creative in every opportunity when possible. Your family will learn more and open up more when you involve their emotions and personal feelings during these times.
* MAKE LASTING IMPRESSIONS!
Find ways to make each family night memorable. It is important that you go back to a lesson learned or an event that took place during a family night that can be applied during a challenge or testing time you or your family might be going through so that biblical principles can be seen and applied by your family in a practical way and not just discussed as theories.
*INVITE VARIETY!
Don’t get in a routine unless a certain activity becomes a fun family tradition that everyone enjoys. Keep the sense of excitement and unpredictability through variety. Experiment and discover new things by using props, books, music, puppets, games, videos or outdoor activities.
* LOVE TO BE SIMPLE!
When you become too complicated or sophisticated, you’ve missed the whole point. Don’t try to create deeply profound lessons. Just try to reinforce biblical values and beliefs in a simple, easy to understand way. Read short passages, not long, drawn out chapters. Your goal is to keep it simple.
* YOU MEET THE NEED!
If the lesson you use begins to go in another direction due to an accident or an off question, go with it sometimes. Some of the best teaching opportunities can come from unplanned and unexpected issues.
Brain Robbins
Fiji
Click on the link below for some great family devos from the Fiji Church.
http://www.fijicoc.org/ -
Family Night Guide Lines and Helpful Tips
Written by
Brian Robbins, Fiji
Sunday, 24 March 2013 23:44
Published in
Family Devos