Hey Friends,
I don’t know about you but the one Christmas item I used to keep up all year round was Christmas cards. I would hate to take down all the beautiful faces of friends and family and so my fridge would become obnoxiously overwhelmed with cards and I was always picking up knocked off Christmas cards from the fridge and then at some point around July I would get on a cleaning/decluttering kick and decide I couldn’t handle all the visual chaos and throw them all away.
But this always made me sad, because I love to see faces of people I love and also because when I would open my fridge I would be reminded to pray for the person whose Christmas card caught my eye. Then I met this amazing couple who has kids several years older than mine and they introduced me to a simple way to keep those faces close by (without all the clutter).
It’s a simple method for remembering to pray for friends and family. It’s a tradition, I started with my kiddos this year and we have been having an absolute blast, praying for friends and family. Every day they are so excited to see whose “picture” is going to be next and we love talking about who is in the picture and praying for them.
This is about as close as I will ever get to a craft blog post🤣🤣🤣 but I did take a few pics to show you how we simply put this project together.
You’ll need:
– Christmas cards, birth announcements and/or small pieces of paper to write down names of family or friends that you don’t have a card from but that you want to be consistently praying for.
– a hole punch
– ribbon, string, ring
Directions:
1. Hole punch all the cards in the corner
2. Attach with ribbon, string or ring. Leave ribbon or string loose enough to allow movement of the cards.
That’s it- easiest craft ever! No Pinterest fail possible here, Mama🤗💗
How I use the prayer wheel with my kids.
In the mornings right after breakfast my kids (ages 4 and 2 1/2 currently), spend time with Jesus (have devotions). This includes a Bible story and coloring in a journal.
We also incorporate prayer in our devotional time together. I use the prayer wheel as a simple way to teach them to be praying for others and to learn how to do so.
We pick 1-2 cards a day and simply go in order. We always talk about who is on the Christmas card and I ask the kids if there is anything specific they want to pray for them.
A lot of times when they see pictures of other kids they will say they want to pray for them “not to hit” or “to be kind!”….all great ideas! If they aren’t sure there are several simple prayers I have them repeat after me.
Here’s a few examples:
“Jesus, give the __________ Family peace and joy today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
“Jesus, help the ________ Family be encouraged by you today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
“Jesus, help everyone in the _______ Family know you Jesus and follow you everyday for their whole lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen”
“Jesus, help the ________ kids obey their parents with a happy heart today, In Jesus’ name, Amen”
“Jesus help the _______ kids be kind to eachother today, In Jesus’ name, Amen”
If there is something specific that I know the family is needing we will pray for that too.
I have been trying to video my kiddos praying and then texting it to that person that day. Who wouldn’t love to get a text of your kiddos praying for them!!!???
Its a simple and powerful way to teach your kids that spending time with Jesus in prayer is not just about praying for themselves but also about praying for others and being an encouragement to other people.
My kiddos have absolutely been loving this and I think your kiddos will too! If you didn’t save your Christmas cards or thats not something many of your friends and family send. You can easily do this by using 3×5 cards or any small pieces of paper. Write the name of a family or friend on the card, attach them together and start praying!
What are some of you favorite ways to teach your kiddos to pray for other people? I love hearing ideas from other Mama’s, Dads, Granparents ect… about what is/has worked for you!
I am praying for you! That the Lord gives you wisdom and joy as you train your kiddos to follow Him.
Love this! My cards are all still sitting on my kitchen counter waiting for me to do this! You’re inspiring me to go ahead and get it done! 🙂 Love you!
Love you too and thank you for being our inspiration!!!!!!!!!!
This is adorable! I heard something like this when my kids were younger! 🙂
Thanks Esther!