Resources for Faith Formation at Home

Church leaders will discern, what your priorities are for ministry at this time and what's most valuable to your families? 

Parents have a primary role in forming faith.  Parents and grandparents, caregivers and others who nurture children and youth, have the potential to shape faith at home and in every context of daily living.  It is realized in simple, consistent, practices and activities that become a part of our everyday routine.  Here we offer ideas and resources, practices and strategies for creating a "spiritual footprint" in the household.

This Week's Top 3 Resources:

• Roots at Home Resources  
   
• 40 Ideas for Families from Network (Faith Forming Families- CRC)
   
• Faith Nurture-Super Fun Way to Help Families Form Faith-Summer 2020 Edition

Others:

• There's No Wrong Way to Pray by Ninke and Watson, from Beaming Books (Free Study Guide here)

• Creating Sacred Spaces at Home from Traci Smith, Author of Faithful Families & Prayers for Faithful Families
   
• Top Tips for Christian Parents- from Care for the Family
   
• Faith Chatter Conversation Cards from Patheos
   
• 27+ Virtual Volunteer Opportunities- from Noelle Budihar

• 10 Ways to Help Your Family Grow in Faith from network
   
• Bible Questions Dice from Godventure
   
• Faith at Home Packet (bags) -Activities for Younger Children- by Kristin Putney, SNEUCC
   
• Faith at Home, Now and Always- notes from Kristin Putney, SNEUCC- based on her recent presentation
   
• Faith at Home Weekly Devotionals, by FORMA
   
• Praying In Color- Make a Memory Map, from Sybil McBeth
   
• Making an Altar at Home- Rows of Sharon, Sharon Ely Pearson
   
• Curated Ideas for Practicing Faith at Home- Stephanie Haines, Gilead Congregational Church
   
• Milestones Ministry and Taking Faith Home During Worship- Milestones Ministry
   
• Children, Worship, and Wonder- Stories in the Style of Godly Play from Families and Children, DHM
   
• Be Still and Know Meditation- United Church of Christ
• Maundy Thursday (and other great activities) for Families by Vibrant Faith Ministries
   
• Bedtime Box Prayers- ​by Kristin Putney
   
• Exploring the Bible at Home- Simple tips from Karen Ziel
   
• Messy Church-Mini Mess by Lindsey Goodyear
   
• Devotion and Activity Resources for the Home Bound from Homiletics
   

• Faithful Families: http://www.traci-smith.com 

• A daily family practice: https://faithink.com/the-faith5-steps 

• Downloadable activities & resources from Beaming Books: https://blog.beamingbooks.com/activities-resources?fbclid=IwAR3GEtj1bSRQxj24fAcb42wfS5yVhojXA04kngtvBrGJUZwr1PaixAhvIIM 

• VibrantFaithAtHome.org 

• Children’s Ministry Resources from Practical Resources for Churches: https://www.prcli.org/webinars-res/childrens-ministry/ 

• Building Faith: https://buildfaith.org/page/5/?s=at+home 

• IllustratedMinistry.com 

• Milestones Ministry Taking Faith Home: https://milestonesministry.org/taking-faith-home/ 

• Minno Kids videos/streaming: https://www.gominno.com 

• ThirtySecondsOrLess.net (very short videos with a discussion question - free) 

• Godly Play videos (free): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTFi5xLBbZ6OmANYKiDl03Q 

• Children’s storybook reviews & resources: http://storypath.upsem.edu 

• WorshipingWithChildren.blogspot.com 

• Art/craft projects: https://wehavekids.com/education/all-christian-crafts and https://rediscoveredfamilies.com/family-friendly-activities/ 

• Worship At Home guide: http://www.going4growth.com/downloads/Worship_at_home_March_2020.pdf 

• Take a virtual tour of a museum and talk about where you see God: https://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR2IPtNt6gP9GiQfvkObgEkytntb0TgWO8pGYFQT2QfX3DmAEnPuevb6TDQ 

• Creative Children’s Ministry: http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com 

• Faith 5 (for families): https://faithink.com/the-faith5-steps 

Online media and devotionals:

• Parenting for Faith Podcast-Rachel Turner
   
• The Spirituality of Parenting with Sandy Eisenberg Sasso- The On Being Project

• Prayer and Worship in our Homes from Anderson, Edwards, et. al. Church Next
   
• 3 Minute Retreat (Daily) for Parents from Loyola Press
   

• d365.org (for teens) 

• DevoZine (for teens by teens): https://devozine.upperroom.org 

• UpperRoom.org (for adults) 

• SanctifiedArt.org (for adults) 

• SaltProject.org (for adults & church leaders) 

• OnBeing.org (for adults) 

Apps: 

• Soulspace Christian Meditation (free) — with Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/soulspace-christian-meditation/id1474323716 

• Bible App for Kids: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-app-for-kids/id668692393?fbclid=IwAR2RaTespdLGUXtFEz83rUAWxelm876HWcKI3X21y7gHTwgQnFngGsuFxlw 

Books :

• Little Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellisst (a hopeful message for early and mid childhood)
   
• Great books that can be accessed online for free!  http://barefootfamily.me/books-you-can-read-online-during-covid-19/  

• Faithful Families by Traci Smith 

• Prayers for Faithful Families by Traci Smith

• Praying in Color for Kids by Sybil MacBeth – prompts for coloring, doodling our prayers 

• Worm Watching and other wonderful ways to teach children to pray by Ingalls and MacDonald 

• Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life by Sheila, Dennis and Matthew Linn 

• God and Goodnight Moon: Finding Spirituality in Storybooks by Open Waters 

• Writing to God- Kids edition by Rachel G. Hackenberg

        For children, every book opens a window to another world. Show them the world God would like them to see. 

Videos :

• https://t.e2ma.net/webview/qqyg8b/200aafe0b4a50a701529d7e13ef0b921 — (Amplify has made several resources free and accessible for churches to participate in a church-wide or group study and children’s content — some from Deep Blue — to keep them engaged in the Bible.) 

• Videos for kids: https://crossroadskidsclub.net/video/ 

Recent Seasonal:

• Pentecost Mini-Mess from Lindsey Goodyear

• Graduation and Formation Resource- from Milestone Ministries
   
• 8 Ways to Live the Great 50 Days- Easter to Pentecost by Amy Sander Montanez and Building Faith
   
• Holy Hikes with the Psalms for Children and Youth (Building Faith)
   
• Holy Week Journey with Audra Holmes, First Congregational Church of Lebanon
   
• Holy Week Resources for Families from Christian Publishing Incorporated
   
• Making Palms at Home- A How to For Families by Teresa Bielecki
   
• Messy Holy Week by Lindsey Goodyear
   
• Holy Week Resources for Families from Christian Publishing Incorporated