Halloween can be a special family time for the Christian family. Here are some suggestions for making this time more meaningful. Perhaps these suggestions will be helpful in building your own family traditions. Just try one or two this year.

Party Ideas:
Try these party ideas to provide kids a safe place on Halloween night.

• Circus, Circus – Have a “let’s pretend” circus complete with three rings, circus animals, and acts.

• Pumpkin Patch Party – Meet in a pumpkin patch or create a patch in your back yard. Carve pumpkins, hold a seed-spitting contest, and eat pumpkin pie.

• Costume Ball – Have a sports night where different balls are used for activities, such as a football throw or a three-person basketball game. Come dressed in costumes, of course.

• Armor of God Party – Make or purchase armored costumes. Discuss spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12-13).

• Living Library – Have a parade with costumed characters from favorite books. Create rooms based on themes from books such as Tom Sawyer, Jurassic Park, or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

• Pie Fair – Have pie judging, pie eating, pie throwing, a pie raffle, and a pie walk.

• Cider Squeeze – With this apple theme, have apple pies, caramel apples, and apple games such as bobbing for apples and apple rolling.

• Fiesta! – Have a piñata, tacos, chips, luminaries, and Mexican music.

• Noah’s Ark – Have kids come in animal costumes. Choose someone to dress as Noah. Serve animal crackers. Talk about Christians’ responsibility to care for the animals God has created.

September is the time to get back into the routine of school and schedules. Summer is over and fall is on the way. Your child will be developing new friendships, learning and having fun. This can be a stressful time of adjustment—you can choose the attitude for your family!

Remind your child how Jesus grew when he was a boy.

“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).

Read about Jesus in the temple in Luke 2:41-52. Talk about what it means to be in favor with God and man. When we are obedient and make the right choices we will find favor as well. Have each child write the Luke 2:52 in their best penmanship. Young children can trace the verse and older children can make bubble letters or any kind of decorated art piece. Display the Bible verse in a prominent area in your home and discuss as your child begins the first full month of school.

Watch for signs of stress—plan fun activities for the weekends. Enjoy life together!

Mark Feinburg, a professor at the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development says, “Negative sibling relationships are strongly linked to aggressive, anti-social and delinquent behaviors, including substance use. On the other hand, positive adjustment, including improved peer and romantic relationship quality, academic adjustment and success, and positive well-being and mental health.”

Families who are committed and spend time together can prevent these negative effects. Parents who demonstrate love, forgiveness and grace teach children how to have healthy relationships.

I am the Lord your God who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go (Isaiah 48:17).

Have you ever heard of being teachable? What would happen if you went to school but you decided you would not learn anything? You do not pay attention in class, you do not complete your work, and you just sit at your desk all day and do nothing. Besides getting in a lot of trouble, you would not learn anything! Being teachable means we don’t act like we already know it all but that we are ready and willing to learn everything we can. God wants to teach us about His Word so we will know the right choices to make in life.

You have an incredible opportunity to teach your children to love and obey God. What are you doing to be teachable? Are you using teachable moments to reach your own children? What do you need to change in your schedule to make this happen?

Communication changes constantly and our children quickly adapt to the technological world around us. Even young children can pick up an iPhone and find a game to play or send a simple text. Boys and girls would be shocked to hear about the days when phones had cords and could not be moved from room to room, much less taken outside!

Have a fun family night looking up pictures of old phones or other ways of communication. End the night by texting Bible verses to each other. See who can come up with the best “text language.” (See examples below)

Remember—although the ways of communication change, the Bible stays the same. The truth that Jesus loves us is true today just as it was when the Bible was written.

JSS LUVS U

“God luvd d wrld so much that he gave Hs 1 & onlE Son, so that evry 1 hu blevs n HIM wil not perish bt hav eternal Lyf” (John 3:16).

“Do 2 othRz Az U wud lik them 2 do 2 u” (Luke 6:31).