Today we are doing some social-emotional and sensory play! It has been such a long day getting five children to their various parties and obligations. My 8-year-old decided that we should set up a beauty shop while we had our devotions so that I could relax, and Rosie could brush my hair, lotion my hands, and put sparkles on my eyes. It was a wonderful idea, and Rosie enjoyed listening to the story and treating Mommy like Queen Esther. Rosie is the kind of little one who makes messes if she doesn’t get enough sensory input, so after a day in the car, lots of slippy lotion was a great treat.

It was such a nice relaxing time, and Rosalie was listening carefully to our devotion. Like her mama, she listens better when she has something to do with her hands! We talked about looking forward to the offering at church this weekend, which is benefiting a women’s and children’s shelter. Our children had an opportunity to work for some friends this week and were paid today. Today’s teaching helped them see that they can be a bridge to the King for some suffering families. They are eagerly awaiting this weekends offering to bring their gifts in honor of the Baby King.

When you unwrap your worth in the Gift of Christ, you release your grip on all the other gifts. You are loved and carried and secure, and what else do you need when you have Him? You are free, free, to lavishly give away your gifts when all your value, worth, joy and riches are in the greatest of gifts.

-Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp

Our whole family looks forward to our devotions from Unwrapping the Greatest Gift! Although I had great hopes of having everyone together every night, conflicting schedules of the seven of us have me thinking more of Grand Central Station than the peaceful scene I have planned!  We soldier on though, and remember that life doesn’t have to be Hallmark perfect to be a great memory!

Tonight our devotions are going to be with just me and two littlest girls. Since my energy is running low tonight, I’m going to choose a calming activity to do with them. I’m going to put them in the bath, and have devotions there! I’ve got some glow sticks that I’m going to surprise them with….we can turn off the lights and pretend we are in the belly of a whale!  The goal is to help them connect with the story. I know we will continue to talk about Jonah this week!

Sometimes it’s only when you see that you have very little in your hands that you can take hold of God’s very big hands. Could there ever be a bigger, better gift than getting more of God? Jonah said sorry to God and turned around, right there in the turning and churning tummy of the fish. You always get the greatest gift when you turn around and go the right way, right toward the smiling ways of God.  – Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp

Preschoolers love playing with light. Light provides a new dimension to play, and is a wonderful sensory component to add to activities. Today we are talking about the prophecy in Isaiah:

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. 

For those who live in a land of deep darkness,

A light will shine….

Isaiah 9:2

Give your child a nativity scene to manipulate. If you don’t have one, there are many fine ones on the market. I saw the Fisher Price one at Sams Club yesterday.  Give them some battery operated LED candles and dim the lights as you read tonight’s devotion. Let them tell the story of the baby Jesus to you.

As for you, let the baby be your light this advent season. It’s so easy to get caught up in your to-do-to-mail-to-bake list this time of year. We found ourselves getting overwhelmed with activity this weekend, and I sensed the anxiety rising. I had to make the difficult decision to clear the deck a little bit today, and say “no” to some things. Don’t be afraid to guard your peace this advent year, so you can focus on the light…the baby in the manger.

“For a Baby has been born, the only One who is blazing Light,

and all the people who had been bumping around in the dark blink their eyes to the relief and the miracle of Light warming their faces, and they name the Baby Amazing. Strong God. Eternal Father. (Yes, they name the Baby that, because under that fresh baby skin is the forever Father God who is without end!)

We don’t have to stumble around in the dark, because Jesus is running the world. We don’t have to be scared of the dark, because Jesus is our forever Light.”

-Ann Voskamp, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift

People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7

Today’s advent devotional is about Samuel choosing king David. We are going to talk with our preschoolers about hidden things today!

Slice some apples so that you can see the star inside, and point it out to your children. Share the apples together as you read your family devotional.

If you have any left over, let your preschoolers stamp star wrapping paper!

“Why should the eye be so lazy? Let us exercise the eye until it learns to see,” writes G.K. Chesterton. Let us exercise the eye until it sees through the fat of things, down to the eternal of things. Let us exercise the eye by walking with Christ.

There is the call for every Christian to answer his calling to be an ocular surgeon. Our seeing must cut through surfaces and down to souls.

– Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift

As we read today’s devotional in Unwrapping the Greatest Gift with our preschoolers, today’s activity is a simple one. Block play. Block play is one of the most valuable educational activities young child can engage in, and is often overlooked. Studies show that preschoolers and toddlers who play with blocks frequently have significantly higher math skills in high school. Building with blocks builds motor coordination and spatial skills, encourages problem solving, and creativity. For more information on the science behind block play and preschoolers, and how to use blocks with your child to build language and social skills, check out this informative article at Parenting Science.

But isn’t this just playing? Won’t it be a distraction for them?

Yes, it is play, but also work. And it shouldn’t be a major distraction. As a matter of fact, a basket of blocks is a wonderful tool to help children of all ages focus during read-aloud time. Many children are able to listen better when they have something to do with their hands.  While they are working, they are taking in more than you think! We like to vary our construction materials, and rotate blocks, Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys and Duplo during our read-aloud times.

The blocks you see in this picture come from an art activity from A Year of Playing Skillfully,  our home school curriculum for children three to seven. This was an ongoing art project in shapes and color value that delighted our children and provided our family with a huge basket of these gorgeous blocks.

Today in Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, we are talking about Jacob and his ladder. Provide some construction toys for your child to explore while you read.

See, Jesus doesn’t just come down to show you the steps you have to take to get up to heaven – Jesus comes down and makes Himself into the steps to carry you up to heaven. 

Everybody else may tell you the steps you have to take  to get better. But Jesus is the only One who becomes the steps to take you there Himself- because He loves you already, just as you are.

Jesus doesn’t wait for you to be good. He comes to be with us who are having very awful, miserable, no-good days right now. Jesus comes to carry us who are feeling mad and bad and sad and anything but glad, and He left heaven to be with us who feel left out. Jesus comes to us who seem to get every step wrong – He becomes the step just to get us.

– Ann Voskamp, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift

Today’s preschool sensory activity focuses on the fizzy bubbly laughter that Sarah laughed when God told her that she would have a child. We are going to let our little ones have a little fizzy fun! Pour some baking soda into a pan or tray. Fill some small cups with white vinegar tinted with food coloring. Add some medicine droppers or pipettes. (The ones from our color mixing kit will work perfect for this)

Let your little one drop the colored water on the baking soda…make sure you tell them “No pouring, only dripping” or it will be over pretty quick! Ask me how I know. This is a wonderful fine motor/art/science activity for preschoolers!

I was thinking about laughter today, and remembering back to one of my favorite times with my children. I’m normally not a beach person, and rarely get into the water. Sharks and tsunamis and all. I prefer to watch them all play from the comfort of a beach chair with a book and a Diet Coke in hand. Dad is usually the one taking them out into the waves, and giving me a heart attack with how far out they go. But my daughter begged me to come in, and I obliged. I played tag with the waves for her a bit and began to enjoy myself. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an unusually strong wave came up and knocked me completely over. My daughter looked at me sitting in the sand with seaweed in my hair, and we both began to belly-laugh so hard. Her bright eyes crinkled with laughter…I still remember her face. I will always remember that simple moment as one of the very best of my entire life. I’m so glad I got out of that beach chair and played with my child.

Joy is the gigantic secret gift that God gives us and we never stop unwrapping. We were once all alone, but now we’ve been given a Child – the many-many-many-great-grandson of Abraham, the Baby Jesus. And Jesus makes us laugh because he’s coming to save us and free us from all our fears.

                                                                                 – Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp  

For tomorrow you will need some nubby yarn in different colors, wooden clothespins, a little bit of cardboard, and some black felt or paper scraps.  We will be practicing some fine motor skills making some sheep!