A couple of years ago behavior had gotten out of hand at our house, (I know I am not alone on this here LOL) and I decided there needed to be some sort of consistent "house rules". My dilemma was, I didn't want my kiddos to get confused with different sets of rules for home, school, park, riding in the car, etc. I also wanted a set of expectations for our home that our children felt were applicable to themselves and to my husband and I. What better place to look for guidance on this than the Bible?! The Bible can be hard for littles to understand, let's be real, it is even difficult sometimes for adults to unpack and internalize. That is where my God's Top Ten printables came into play. God's Top Ten was an easy way to teach our children 10 lifelong "rules" that apply to every place they go, every situation, and can set them up for lifelong success.
This God's Top Ten poster is a great way to display all ten of God's commandments. The language is kid-friendly and geared towards positive actions they can "do" rather than what they can't do.
When introducing God's Top Ten, this poster helps more visual kiddos see them in order with the top four aligning vertically toward God and the remaining six aligning horizontally toward their peers, siblings, and parents.
To this day, using this poster is working great at home even as my children grow up. It is still a focal point in our house that we can come to and use as a resource when our choices and actions reflect more worldly desires.
Now that we know what God's Top Ten are, how do we go further with it so children can truly start to understand? This was my dilemma. Many of the resources I was finding were not "kid friendly" enough for my Pre-K/Kinder babes at school. Most of them were coloring sheets. While I think that coloring sheets are great for building fine motor skills, I wanted something that would tie in reading, writing, and problem solving.
These foldable books are super simple to make by just folding this God's Top Ten printable in half and then in half again! They can color the front cover. Then, your kiddos or students can trace each of God's Top Ten. After that, they can practice pointing and reading it. At the end of the booklet, your kiddos or students can get creative and complete an activity pertaining to whichever one of God's Top Ten you studying that day or week. My littles at school have loved bringing these home and practicing reading them to their parents at the end of the week as a "familiar read" book.
What to do when you are done covering each of God's Top Ten? Well, play games of course! It is amazing how much you can teach through a game!! Kids love to play and learn. These games can be played independently or with a group and include all ten of God's Top Ten. For the Pre-K/Kinder crowd, I have created this fun matching game. The student will match God's Top Ten NUMBER to the IMAGE for that commandment.
For the older kiddos that have a little more fine motor skills, I have created a board game to play. Littles could play this game with some support from a teacher or parent as well.
Download these God's Top Ten printables for your kids today and you will be on your way to teaching what rules God thought were the most are important in your home, at school, and in your community.
Growing my gifts according to His grace.
~ Danielle Mae
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