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After the Story

One of the fondest time parents have with their children is story time. Parents love to see their kids wide-eyed as they read a story to them that feeds their sense of adventure and imagination. Most kids have that favorite book that ends up with worn edges and bent pages – that story that you can nearly tell by heart without having to read the pages. 

Stories to children are part imagination and part reality. Kids don’t always have the ability to separate what is make-believe and what is just a work of fiction. This is why it is important for kids to read good, wholesome material instead of stories of evil monsters, an horror. I’ve heard countless stories of children who can’t sleep at night because some story or video they watched made them scared. I can even recall a few myself from my childhood.

Stories are great teaching tools if they are used for more than just a mere story. Instead of just reading a story for the sake of ritual or filling time, why not approach it from the point of building character and faith. As you read the story (or at least at the end), look for opportunities to turn it into a teaching point. If you are reading a story about the Bernstein Bears who get lost in the woods, then discuss how it feels to be lost and scared. Talk about how disobeying our parents can get us into trouble. Discuss how it felt when they (or you) got lost before, and how it felt to be found. Discuss how Jesus came and saved us when we were lost. Don’t just let the story end, make it continue in their hearts.

Use everyday things to turn a kid’s heart toward God, and make Him real to them. The more you make them aware of God’s realness, the more they will learn to develop a relationship with Him and know He’s there for them. 

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