April Fool’s Day is a great time to introduce, discuss, or reinforce the inerrancy of God’s word with all ages.
How? 
Here are some easy ideas and tips, broken down by age.

Toddlers/Preschoolers/Young Children: 
There are a couple of ways I reinforce the concept of the inerrancy of the Bible on a child-like level each week I teach preschool Sunday School.  Try these at home with your family!

1. Every time I tell a Bible story, I have an actual chapter and verse Bible in my lap.
No matter what preschool visual or story book I might be holding up, I always point to my Bible and say, “This story is from God’s true Word, the Bible.”  Those visual and auditory cues are important in helping young children understand what God’s Word is.

2. During song time, we always do the following two fingerplays.
A figure play is simply words said in a sing-songy way with motions.
Tip for home:  Put these on note-cards and keep them around the house so you can learn them and use them frequently with your kiddos.

This is True Fingerplay
1, 2,  (hold up right pointer finger, then left pointer finger)
this is true, (hold out palms like an open book…the Bible)
God loves me, (point to yourself)
and God loves you! (point to someone else)

The Bible Fingerplay
The Bible is God’s special book (hold palms together like a closed book)
His words are written there (open palms out like opening a book)
And when I turn each page to look (keep left palm up and use right hand to pretend to turn pages)
I handle it with care.  (continue turning pages)

Friend and fellow preschool teacher at church who taught me this next chant says,
“We do it while marching, slow stomping through “snow”, fast across hot sand, etc.  Sometimes I clap it before Bible story.”  Thank you, Julie Bridgeforth!

Absolutely True Chant
Absolutely True!
Absolutely True!
Everything the Bible says is absolutely true!

3. Non-Spiritual Bonus!  🙂
Before moving on to older children….
I’m a children’s literature junkie when it comes to holidays and I simply could not write this post without sharing my favorite for April Fool’s book, even though it has nothing to do with the truth of God’s Word.    It’s quite clever and we love pulling it out every year this time!

Older children/teens:
The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity: & How to Answer Them Confidently is a book I picked up to deal with questions like, “Is the Bible Really the Word of God?”

I asked our former Student Ministries pastor for a book recommendation on the subject.  He has used this resource on occasion with our church’s teens:  Who Made God and Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  John 17:17

For more easy ways to find and use God’s word in topical teachable teachable moments, see your copy of Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments.

Last April Fool’s Day I had a few of you thinking I had lost my mind with my “Pet Parenting with Scripture” blog title.   However, the concept did actually bring up some interesting points and I wanted to include a couple of additional ones here.

Caring for Pets –
Reader Kay Pickar shared the following in response to that blog –

A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
Proverbs 12:10
We’ve had to talk about this verse a few times when the kids were too rough with a pet
or they didn’t want to take the time to feed our pet.
It’s been a good discussion.

Conversation to have with your kids about animals before it’s too late!
Yes, we need take good care of any animal we bring to our home as a pet.
However, we also need to help kids understand the value of their lives versus the pet’s. 
Anyone else have a door dasher dog?
We’ve got two of our own and have fostered a few through a rescue group, and this is our cautionary tale… 

One day, foster Gumbo bolted out the door and the kids and I dashed after him as fast as we could.  I was terrified that Gumbo was going to dart in front of a car.  But, I was even more terrified  that my kids would run into the street after him without thinking since they were in such hot pursuit after this little doggy that we had been entrusted to care for and had come to adore.

Thankfully we caught him, but it reminded me that I needed to have a serious chat with my kids about the value of their lives versus our pets’. 
I shared the following – 
*As much as we love our pets/animals, people are always more important.
*If it’s a choice between the pet or you getting hurt, make the decision to keep yourself safe. 
Then I threw out several “What if?” scenarios to see if they really understood.
I want them to have already thought through these things so they will be equipped when split second decisions are necessary!

This is serious business, folks!
I’m still haunted by this tragic news story where three family members drown trying to save their dog.  After watching my kids running after Gumbo to try to catch and protect him,  I can more easily see how something like that could happen.

Hence, my conversation with my kids and my encouragement to you, my lovely readers, to do the same.

This was the day we picked up Gumbo from the rescue.
He was a scruffy mess, but stole my heart right away!

Lookin’ good after his first grooming!
He could finally see the world!

For teachable moments on all sorts of topics, don’t forget to refer to your copy of
Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments.

April Fools! 

Just getting you in the mood for the holiday!

A friend of mine and I were joking about this as a blog theme as we were discussing my crazy doggies.  We have two of our own and often have a foster dog as well.  She and I were being goofy, elaborating on this silly idea for a post when she stopped and made a very valid, more serious comment. 

She’s a counselor and pointed out that consistency is the key whether we are parenting a dog or a kid.
Quite true!  
Not only must we be consistent in obedience training (if we want them to ever learn…I confess, I’m a total fail at this with our dogs!), but we must be consistent in the way we treat pets and children.

If our children see us treating our pets without respect, they might learn that it’s ok to treat smaller things cruelly.

There’s also a flip side. 
I heard a whole radio talk show where people were calling in saying how they felt their family members loved their dogs more than them.  How sad!  I’m all for loving our pets well, but let us remember to be consistent and put as much (scratch that)…more effort into loving our family well.

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 John 13:34-35

Our two pups, Lacy and Cindy Lou –

Want ideas for parenting with Scripture?
Get a copy of Parenting with Scripture: A Topical Guide for Teachable Moments.