Episode Summary: This Theology Thursday we look at Deuteronomy 6:7-9 as the second half of the foundation of Christian Parenting. In these verses, we look at how simple it is to teach our kids about God and his Word. We talk about him! All-day, every day! That’s it! You can do it, mama! Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Lamentations 3:22-23 Playfully Faithful Parenting Podcast is a ministry of CreatedtoPlay.com. For more resources, tips, devotions, and tools check us out online: https:/...
Jan 13, 2022•13 min•Ep. 28
Episode Summary: Let’s talk about memorizing Scripture! Is it enough? No!! Your kids can memorize the ABC Song, but it doesn’t mean that they can do anything useful with the letters. God calls for Scripture to be in our hearts, not our heads. Play is the way to help littles move God’s Word from rote memorization to hiding it in our hearts. So, let’s give up memorization and dig into learning and experiencing God’s Word, so that it may take root in our hearts. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy...
Jan 10, 2022•17 min•Ep. 27
Episode Summary: In our first Theology Thursday we look at Deuteronomy 6:4-6 as the foundation of Christian Parenting. It all starts with God and who he is. Then we prioritize our heart’s response to God. Join the brand new Facebook Group to share your thoughts: Christian Motherhood with Purpose and Play Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Mark 12:28-30 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you...
Jan 06, 2022•11 min•Ep. 26
Episode Summary: I am so excited for you to listen in on a conversation I have with my blogging friend, Kayla Alonso from Baby Devotions. We talk about Christian Parenting in a bilingual home, play-based learning, contextualizing the Gospel for our kids, teaching our kids about emotions through David and his intimacy with God, and SO MUCH MORE!!!! Kayla is so fun and I know you will feel encouraged and inspired by this mama. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (Thi...
Jan 03, 2022•36 min•Ep. 25
Episode Summary: In this episode, I share a few of the ways my family celebrates the New Year with young kids to make it both fun and intentional with our faith Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more information, please see my disclosure policy .) Printable New Year’s Eve Crown Prayer Trail Mix Recipe Playfully ...
Dec 27, 2021•11 min•Ep. 24
Episode Summary: It’s Advent! This is a time of preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus. Each of the weeks of Advent has a theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Let’s talk about love and how we can celebrate God’s wonderful love demonstrated through Jesus’ incarnation. DM or email me pics of your kids embracing the love! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Jesus is born! Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small com...
Dec 22, 2021•6 min
Episode Summary: Let’s look at the second message of the Connected Families Framework: You are LOVED no matter what. With this message, we need to look below our kids’ behavior to what it is like to be our kids? We can then have more empathy and see our kids and their needs. Through this message, we give our kids a glimpse of God’s incredible and unconditional love. Our children get to experience that our love is not dependent on their behavior - good or bad. That is HUGE!!! Verses from the epis...
Dec 20, 2021•20 min•Ep. 23
Episode Summary: It’s Advent! This is a time of preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus. Each of the weeks of Advent has a theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Let’s talk about joy and how we can share joy with others this season in a very practical way! DM or email me pics of your kids sharing the joy! Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a pur...
Dec 15, 2021•6 min
Episode Summary: In this episode, we talk about Santa and if he can be included in a Christian Christmas. I do not presume to tell you if he SHOULD be allowed, but simply can he. My answer is yes! And, if I am wrong, I have done it from erring on the side of grace, love, joy, fun, and abundant life. I will live in the freedom of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and not in the fear of the law, though it does guide and teach me. My heart is for my girls to know and follow Jesus an...
Dec 13, 2021•18 min•Ep. 22
Episode Summary: It’s Advent! This is a time of preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus. Each of the weeks of Advent has a theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Let’s talk about peace and praying for those who may surprisingly need a little extra peace this season. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more infor...
Dec 08, 2021•6 min
Episode Summary: In this episode, I share how using the church’s calendar, or liturgical calendar can help you and your kids to grow closer to Christ. Plus, a few ways to play your way through the rhythms of growth, preparation, and celebrations. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more information, please see my ...
Dec 06, 2021•20 min•Ep. 21
Episode Summary: It’s Advent! This is a time of preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus. Each of the weeks of Advent has a theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Let’s talk about Hope by dreaming with the Holy Spirit about 2022! Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more information, please see my disclosure polic...
Dec 02, 2021•7 min
Episode Summary: Prayer can feel intimidating, even though it should be so natural to speak with our creator. In this episode, I share a few ways to add a little play to your prayers as we teach our kids to have daily conversations with God. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more information, please see my discl...
Nov 29, 2021•18 min
Episode Summary: It’s Advent! This is a time of preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus. Each of the weeks of Advent has a theme: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Let’s make an Advent Wreath to help us creatively and playfully celebrate the birth of Christ. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more information, pl...
Nov 28, 2021•9 min
Episode Summary: Let’s look at the first message of the Connected Families Framework: You are safe with me. With this message we need to look at ourselves, before looking at our kids and their misbehavior. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Matthew 7:3-5 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more information, please see my disclosure policy .) Connec...
Nov 22, 2021•18 min•Ep. 19
Episode Summary: Do you ever start reading a book and feel like the author just ripped your thoughts and feelings from your mind and wrote them down much more poetically and eloquently than you could? Then as you read along feel a sense of validation for some crazy, out-of-the-box beliefs you have because someone else was published for sharing them? Ok, so maybe that is just me, but that is how I felt reading The Gift of Wonder. When I reached out to tell Christine Sine how connected I felt to h...
Nov 15, 2021•39 min•Ep. 17
Episode Summary: This was a fun episode for me. In it, I share the 8 play personalities of Dr. Stuart Brown through a biblical worldview. The play personalities are: Joker Kinesthete Explorer Competitor Director Collector Artist/Creator Storyteller Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the episode: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links . For more information, please see m...
Nov 08, 2021•26 min•Ep. 17
Episode Summary: In this episode, I had the privilege of chatting with Sonia Amin, author of Bax and His Bubbles. Here’s her bio: Dr. Sonia Amin is a pharmacist and children's book author of Bax and His Bubbles - All About a Kid and His Thoughts. She is passionate about encouraging others to live healthy lives and values the importance of nurturing our spiritual, physical, and mental health. She lives in Florida with her husband and two sons. You can find out more about her and her debut childre...
Nov 01, 2021•21 min•Ep. 16
Episode Summary: One of my daughters had the “worst day of her life today” and I didn’t. It was hard, but I experienced the Holy Spirit working in my heart, my parenting, and my family. We all have bad days, but can we as mamas learn to not let our kids’ bad days become our bad days or feel like their behavior is a reflection of our parenting? How do we hold on to Jesus and trust we are doing our best as mamas when we are getting called “the worst mom in the world”? Ultimately, Jesus, but an awe...
Oct 25, 2021•23 min•Ep. 15
Episode Summary: This episode is really just some of the thoughts that have been on my heart over the last few weeks about Halloween. I encourage you to follow your convictions, but as Tara Leigh-Cobble of The Bible Recap says, “don’t shout where the Bible whispers and don’t whisper where the Bible shouts.” Halloween and Trick or treating are not in the Bible. If your family’s version of Halloween involves costumes and candy, I think you should enjoy it and use it as an opportunity to shine the ...
Oct 18, 2021•18 min•Ep. 14
Episode Summary: In this bonus episode, I share about a great resource for teaching your elementary-aged kids about church history in a fun way. This is a new book series by Danika Cooley called the Who What Why? Series. It includes three books: Who Was Martin Luther? What Was the Gutenberg Bible? Why Did the Reformation Happen? This book series has history, culture, theology, humor, and the gospel all in an easy-to-read, fun collection. I love Danika Cooley’s style of writing. It feels like I a...
Oct 14, 2021•11 min
Episode Summary: This is such a fun conversation with Christie Thomas of Little Shoots Deep Roots. We talk about how small habits can make a big impact and how spiritual parenting can be awkward at times, but grows to become more natural as we begin to add little touch points of faith throughout our days and lives. Christie’s Bio: After getting a BSc in Biology, Christie spent her entire adult working life in Children's Ministries until, a few years ago, God called her home to educate her three ...
Oct 11, 2021•24 min•Ep. 13
Episode Summary: In this episode, I share a theology of creativity and how we can better incorporate that into our lives, our kids, and our faith. We talk about process art vs product art, plus being made in the image of a creative God. I also share NASA research that proves we are all “creative geniuses” from birth and we talk about ways to practice using that creativity that is still there in all of us. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Genesis 1:1 Genesis 1:27 Links from the episode:...
Oct 04, 2021•22 min•Ep. 12
Episode Summary: In this episode, I share about a little mental shift we can make to help us make more time for play. I introduce the ideas of: micro-play meso-play macro-play mega-play Play is important, but it doesn’t need to meet certain expectations. It can be quick and easy while still making a positive impact. Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Playfully Faithful Parenting Podcast is a ministry of CreatedtoPlay.com. For more resources, tips, devotions, and tools check us out online...
Sep 27, 2021•12 min•Ep. 11
Episode Summary: In this episode, I interview Katie Wetsell of Parent with Hope. She is Connected Families Certified Parent Coach and loves to especially help parents of children who experience anxiety. Katie introduces us to grounding, a coping tool, and ways to use it both playfully and faithfully as we help our kids work through tough moments Katie’s Bio: I'm a pediatric nurse and mom of four through birth and adoption. I am passionate about encouraging and empowering parents to love their fa...
Sep 20, 2021•26 min•Ep. 10
Episode Summary: This episode is inspired by something I heard Stefanie Gass say on a recent episode of her podcast. She said, “I don’t know how to play with my kids.” I thought, “Oh! I can help!” Here are a few tips I have to share: 1. Ask your kids for help 2. Just say yes 3. Keep practicing 4. Prioritize the time 5. Create something 6. Let it go! 7. Put on some music 8. Pray Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Ecclesiastes 11:8 John 10:10 Links from the episode: https://stefaniegass.co...
Sep 13, 2021•13 min•Ep. 9
Episode Summary: In this episode, we talk about the history and importance of Sunday School and Children’s Ministry for your family. All of these benefits are to support and equip families as they pursue Christ every day in their homes and in their communities. Children’s ministry is not designed to be your child’s primary discipleship. We all need more than 1 hour of Jesus a week . Here are the benefits of Sunday School that we discuss: 1) Kids learn that church is a fun, safe place. 2) Childre...
Sep 06, 2021•14 min•Ep. 8
Episode Summary: In today’s episode, I talk with Christia and Kenny DeShields about playful declarations and their newest book, God Made Me Perfect. Christia and Kenny DeShields are educators, songwriters, musicians, and creatives, who carry the spirit of family everywhere they go. Parents to three boys, ages 2, 4, and 6, They enjoy family adventures, making memories and having fun. Find them on Instagram: moda_christia + kennydeshields Verses from the episode: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Links from the e...
Aug 30, 2021•24 min•Ep. 7
Episode Summary: In this episode, I share practical tips on how to incorporate play into your family’s faith and faith into your family’s play. Faith into Play: Look for and ask about: Bible Stories Characters God’s Characteristics Fruit of the Spirit/godly traits Play into Faith: Do Playful Bible Reading & Playful Prayers Use games, experiments, and object lessons to share about the character of God Sunday School Music and Worship music with hand motions Seeds Family Worship Dana Dirkson Ce...
Aug 23, 2021•26 min•Ep. 6
Episode Summary: Let’s talk about what play really is. We will look at it both from a scholarly and a Biblical POV. United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of the Child’s definition : “‘ Play ’: Children’s play is any behaviour, activity or process initiated, controlled and structured by children themselves; it takes place whenever and wherever opportunities arise. Caregivers may contribute to the creation of environments in which play takes place, but play itself is non-compulsory, driven by in...
Aug 16, 2021•20 min•Ep. 5
