Crafting Arrows
Ideas and articles to equip parents to disciple their children
to know God, love Him & walk with Him daily.
ABC Scripture Cards:
Print & cut to have a scripture for every letter of the alphabet you can memorize as a family
Print & cut to have a scripture for every letter of the alphabet you can memorize as a family
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Inviting your children to pray. (Kristen Tschida)
Create intentional sacred space and time to develop a consistent prayer life and invite your children into this friendship with God. Set a regular time, a sacred appointment. It can be 10 minutes, but commit to make it happen. Guard this sacred space and time. The investment into these divine moments with God will reap a great reward. God loves to spend time with you and He loves to spend time with your children too! Download the Kids' Prayer Sheet:
Create intentional sacred space and time to develop a consistent prayer life and invite your children into this friendship with God. Set a regular time, a sacred appointment. It can be 10 minutes, but commit to make it happen. Guard this sacred space and time. The investment into these divine moments with God will reap a great reward. God loves to spend time with you and He loves to spend time with your children too! Download the Kids' Prayer Sheet:

kids_prayer_sheet.docx |
The 3 Things your children need from you (Kristen Tschida)
There is a 13 word sentence in Scripture that summarizes the three needs of every child. At Jesus' baptism, as he was coming up out of the water, heaven opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on him. And a voice from heaven spoke 13 words, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well-pleased" Matthew 3:17. These are the most compelling 13 words that any son or daughter could hear. They are power-packed with meaning of significance and belonging.
1) Acceptance~ "This is my son...." There is security in the midst of acceptance. Your son/daughter knows that he/she belongs to you! Build this into your child's heart. I would sing-song a little ditty with my kids throughout the day when they were young, "I love you when you're happy. I love you when you're mad. I love you when you're sad. I love you when you're frustrated. I love you all the time. No matter what you do, you are mine. You are mine." It is silly, but it communicated a truth. You are accepted. No matter what! This word acceptance speaks to unconditional love.
2) Affection~ "...whom I love..." Verbally communicate love to your children, not because of something they do but because of who they are. Use various ways to connect with your children's hearts. Each of your kids have a way to receive love, just like you do. Think of the 5 love languages and watch the way your children respond to the different expressions: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, and Gifts. Children need all the expressions, but each one may respond better to a particular expression of love. Get creative in how you show affection.
3) Affirmation~ "...with him I am well pleased..." Call out the gold in your kids! Affirm who they are and how God has divinely designed them. Use your eyes of faith on challenging days to speak to your child's spirit, not to their flesh. Ask God what He says about your kids? See it by faith and say it. Help your kids take a step toward the greatness within them. Your children need to know that you are well pleased with them NOW, not when they act right or who they will become, but right now. Just like God is well pleased with you right now in your journey.
Prioritize these three big ideas from the 13 word sentence in your daily walk with your family. Keep them before you: Acceptance, Affection, Affirmation. How did each of your kids receive those big ideas today?
There is a 13 word sentence in Scripture that summarizes the three needs of every child. At Jesus' baptism, as he was coming up out of the water, heaven opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and alighted on him. And a voice from heaven spoke 13 words, "This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well-pleased" Matthew 3:17. These are the most compelling 13 words that any son or daughter could hear. They are power-packed with meaning of significance and belonging.
1) Acceptance~ "This is my son...." There is security in the midst of acceptance. Your son/daughter knows that he/she belongs to you! Build this into your child's heart. I would sing-song a little ditty with my kids throughout the day when they were young, "I love you when you're happy. I love you when you're mad. I love you when you're sad. I love you when you're frustrated. I love you all the time. No matter what you do, you are mine. You are mine." It is silly, but it communicated a truth. You are accepted. No matter what! This word acceptance speaks to unconditional love.
2) Affection~ "...whom I love..." Verbally communicate love to your children, not because of something they do but because of who they are. Use various ways to connect with your children's hearts. Each of your kids have a way to receive love, just like you do. Think of the 5 love languages and watch the way your children respond to the different expressions: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, and Gifts. Children need all the expressions, but each one may respond better to a particular expression of love. Get creative in how you show affection.
3) Affirmation~ "...with him I am well pleased..." Call out the gold in your kids! Affirm who they are and how God has divinely designed them. Use your eyes of faith on challenging days to speak to your child's spirit, not to their flesh. Ask God what He says about your kids? See it by faith and say it. Help your kids take a step toward the greatness within them. Your children need to know that you are well pleased with them NOW, not when they act right or who they will become, but right now. Just like God is well pleased with you right now in your journey.
Prioritize these three big ideas from the 13 word sentence in your daily walk with your family. Keep them before you: Acceptance, Affection, Affirmation. How did each of your kids receive those big ideas today?
Jesus wants us to be like Children (Kristen Tschida)
In Mark 10:13-16 we see parents bringing their children to Jesus. He took them in His arms and He blessed them! He loves children! And He wants us to be more like them. We are His sons and daughters. Here are some qualities of children that we could emulate:
1) Children don't believe in limits. They push limits! They believe they can do anything. How many children do you know who talk about their future like this, "I'm going to be a doctor and a teacher and a fireman and then a superhero." There is nothing they can't do!
2) Children don't believe in moderation. :) How many snacks can they eat at a movie?
3) Children are literal. Jesus said it, I believe it.
4) Children NEVER stop asking. They are relentless.
5) Children believe that their father's resources are never-ending. They know that daddy is their provider with unlimited access to whatever they want! How often when we were raising our kids they would ask for something and one of us would say that we cannot afford to buy that toy/game/etc today. The response was always the same, "Just stop at the money machine." :)
6) Children have an unshakable trust in their father (and mother).
In Mark 10:13-16 we see parents bringing their children to Jesus. He took them in His arms and He blessed them! He loves children! And He wants us to be more like them. We are His sons and daughters. Here are some qualities of children that we could emulate:
1) Children don't believe in limits. They push limits! They believe they can do anything. How many children do you know who talk about their future like this, "I'm going to be a doctor and a teacher and a fireman and then a superhero." There is nothing they can't do!
2) Children don't believe in moderation. :) How many snacks can they eat at a movie?
3) Children are literal. Jesus said it, I believe it.
4) Children NEVER stop asking. They are relentless.
5) Children believe that their father's resources are never-ending. They know that daddy is their provider with unlimited access to whatever they want! How often when we were raising our kids they would ask for something and one of us would say that we cannot afford to buy that toy/game/etc today. The response was always the same, "Just stop at the money machine." :)
6) Children have an unshakable trust in their father (and mother).
Daily Declarations (Kristen Tschida)
As kids hear themselves declaring God's truths, they will believe them. Romans 10:9 tells us to declare with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Speaking truth solidifies it in our hearts. And Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Faith gets activated in their hearts when they hear what God says about them! And speaking God's truth refocuses them to what God is saying. As kids declare His truth, they are choosing to believe what God says over anything else they see. It is a decree of faith that brings life and hope and it pleases God because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Declarations are agreement with heaven's reality. They are prayers as if God's solution is already in place, calling those things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17).
As kids hear themselves declaring God's truths, they will believe them. Romans 10:9 tells us to declare with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Speaking truth solidifies it in our hearts. And Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Faith gets activated in their hearts when they hear what God says about them! And speaking God's truth refocuses them to what God is saying. As kids declare His truth, they are choosing to believe what God says over anything else they see. It is a decree of faith that brings life and hope and it pleases God because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Declarations are agreement with heaven's reality. They are prayers as if God's solution is already in place, calling those things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17).

kids_declarations.pdf |
Adventures in Odyssey (Focus on the Family): 30 minute drama that combines faith lessons parents appreciate with characters and stories that kids love. Created for children ages 8-12, but loved by listeners of all ages. (I still listen to them.)
LIsten on-line to Adventures in Odyssey
LIsten on-line to Adventures in Odyssey
Training Kids to Spend Time with Jesus (Kristen Tschida)
It is important to model for your children a secret place lifestyle and it is equally important to teach them how to cultivate their own time with Jesus. It is never too early to begin training this essential foundation in their lives. When my children were young, I had them with me during my "tent time". As crawlers, they would crawl over my lap and Bible and journal, but they were with me when I was having conversations with Jesus. When they were old enough to color, without eating the crayons :), I would give them their own journal (spiral notebook) and they could journal their thoughts to Jesus and I also bought them each a cheap Bible that they could "highlight" scriptures. Of course it was all scribbles and messy but it began laying the foundation of a time during the day to talk to Jesus and listen to HIm. I have a handout you can use for your kids to help them foster a friendship with Jesus: 6 minutes with Jesus (divided into 1 minute sections: Praise, Cleanse, Thankful, Word, Listen, Ask). They can do them in any order they want! Or you can get 1 section done a day if your kids are little arrows. The goal is to make this "tent time" a desire in the life of your children.
It is important to model for your children a secret place lifestyle and it is equally important to teach them how to cultivate their own time with Jesus. It is never too early to begin training this essential foundation in their lives. When my children were young, I had them with me during my "tent time". As crawlers, they would crawl over my lap and Bible and journal, but they were with me when I was having conversations with Jesus. When they were old enough to color, without eating the crayons :), I would give them their own journal (spiral notebook) and they could journal their thoughts to Jesus and I also bought them each a cheap Bible that they could "highlight" scriptures. Of course it was all scribbles and messy but it began laying the foundation of a time during the day to talk to Jesus and listen to HIm. I have a handout you can use for your kids to help them foster a friendship with Jesus: 6 minutes with Jesus (divided into 1 minute sections: Praise, Cleanse, Thankful, Word, Listen, Ask). They can do them in any order they want! Or you can get 1 section done a day if your kids are little arrows. The goal is to make this "tent time" a desire in the life of your children.

kids_tent_time_6_minutes_with_jesus.docx |
Identifying Spiritual Gifts in Children (Kristen Tschida & Diane Cory)
It’s more difficult and problematic when trying to identify spiritual gifts in young children. However, it is possible as parents and teachers observe and interact with children in play and within a variety of venues. Here are some things to look for in young children as they play. As you read the descriptions in this article, make note of children you think may fall into that area.
*Click the file to download the article
It’s more difficult and problematic when trying to identify spiritual gifts in young children. However, it is possible as parents and teachers observe and interact with children in play and within a variety of venues. Here are some things to look for in young children as they play. As you read the descriptions in this article, make note of children you think may fall into that area.
*Click the file to download the article

gifts_in_young_children.docx |
3 favorite ways to help them be more sensitive to God’s leading (from Seth Dahl, children's pastor at Bethel Church)
1) Asking questions. There are many times our children experience difficult things, and it can be easy for them to be overwhelmed with the situation. In these times, questions help so much. Say your child is having a hard time at school. They come home and tell you all their friends said and did that hurt them. Asking them, “What’s Jesus saying to you about this?” is a good place to start. Many times, our children tell us what others are doing instead of asking Jesus what He’s doing.
2) Paying attention to dreams. When my children wake up in the morning, I often ask them if they had any dreams. After years of doing this, my children now know God leads them this way, and many times they come to us and tell us what they were.
3) Telling stories. My kids love Winnie the Pooh stories, so when I tell them, I often teach them about ways God will lead them. I tell them stories of Winnie having a hard day but asking Jesus what He’s saying about it. I tell them Winnie finds himself in a place where he doesn’t know what to do, but then he remembers a dream he had. I tell them how Winnie remembers a Bible story that’s similar to what he’s going through. I use our story time as a time to teach my children ways God will lead them.
God is leading your children constantly. He is their ever present help in time of need. With these 3 simple ideas, you can help them become more sensitive to His leading.
1) Asking questions. There are many times our children experience difficult things, and it can be easy for them to be overwhelmed with the situation. In these times, questions help so much. Say your child is having a hard time at school. They come home and tell you all their friends said and did that hurt them. Asking them, “What’s Jesus saying to you about this?” is a good place to start. Many times, our children tell us what others are doing instead of asking Jesus what He’s doing.
2) Paying attention to dreams. When my children wake up in the morning, I often ask them if they had any dreams. After years of doing this, my children now know God leads them this way, and many times they come to us and tell us what they were.
3) Telling stories. My kids love Winnie the Pooh stories, so when I tell them, I often teach them about ways God will lead them. I tell them stories of Winnie having a hard day but asking Jesus what He’s saying about it. I tell them Winnie finds himself in a place where he doesn’t know what to do, but then he remembers a dream he had. I tell them how Winnie remembers a Bible story that’s similar to what he’s going through. I use our story time as a time to teach my children ways God will lead them.
God is leading your children constantly. He is their ever present help in time of need. With these 3 simple ideas, you can help them become more sensitive to His leading.
Parents are prophets to their children (from Mark Batterson's book, Praying Circles Around Your Children)
Parents: You are prophets to your children. Jewish philosophers didn't believe that the prophetic gift was reserved for a select individuals. The more one grows in grace, the more prophetic one becomes. Prayer is the way we write the future~ the way we prophesy into our children's lives. {The apostle Paul encourages believers to "eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy....anyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort", I Corinthians 4:1 & 3.}
I once read that at least 40% of our lives are based on personal prophecies. The right word spoken at the right time can make an eternal difference. We all need people to speak prophetically into our lives and our children do too!
Parents, speak words of encouragement and comfort to your children. When you catch them doing something wrong, gently rebuke them and lovingly remind them, "that's not who you are". When you catch them doing something right, reinforce it. Fan into flame the gift of God that is in them. Ask the Holy Spirit to begin to speak to you about your children, so you can speak what God says into their hearts.
Parents: You are prophets to your children. Jewish philosophers didn't believe that the prophetic gift was reserved for a select individuals. The more one grows in grace, the more prophetic one becomes. Prayer is the way we write the future~ the way we prophesy into our children's lives. {The apostle Paul encourages believers to "eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy....anyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort", I Corinthians 4:1 & 3.}
I once read that at least 40% of our lives are based on personal prophecies. The right word spoken at the right time can make an eternal difference. We all need people to speak prophetically into our lives and our children do too!
Parents, speak words of encouragement and comfort to your children. When you catch them doing something wrong, gently rebuke them and lovingly remind them, "that's not who you are". When you catch them doing something right, reinforce it. Fan into flame the gift of God that is in them. Ask the Holy Spirit to begin to speak to you about your children, so you can speak what God says into their hearts.
Study Your Children to Know How to Pray for Them, (Kristen Tschida)
One of your chief responsibilities as a parent is to be a student of your child. In a sense, you know your children better than they know themselves. They cannot remember their first few years of life; you CANNOT FORGET. :) You remember their first words, their first steps and the first day of school like it was yesterday. You have a vantage point as a mom or dad. No one sees the past, present and future quite like you do. Part of your job is to help your children connect the dots between who they were, who they are and who they are becoming. As you walk in the role of "prophet-historian" you train your child(ren) in the way they should go.
With each of your children, ask the Lord what you are to pray. As you see their strengths and weaknesses and vulnerabilities, seek Scripture you can declare over your children~ with great confidence that God hears and He responds to the prayers of His people. Here are some of my Scriptures that I have prayed & continue to pray over my children: Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Lord, let my children earnestly seek after You; that they would seek You above all else. Father, would You reward them for a diligent, whole-hearted lifestyle of walking in faith before You. Do not let them wander from Your love; impart more and more belief in their tender hearts. Isaiah 43:1, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine." Father, thank you for calling my children by their names. Give them ears to hear Your voice, that is kind and full of love toward them. Seal my children in Your family. I declare over each of my children, YOU BELONG TO THE LORD. Not one missing. ALL saved for God's glorious Kingdom.
One of your chief responsibilities as a parent is to be a student of your child. In a sense, you know your children better than they know themselves. They cannot remember their first few years of life; you CANNOT FORGET. :) You remember their first words, their first steps and the first day of school like it was yesterday. You have a vantage point as a mom or dad. No one sees the past, present and future quite like you do. Part of your job is to help your children connect the dots between who they were, who they are and who they are becoming. As you walk in the role of "prophet-historian" you train your child(ren) in the way they should go.
With each of your children, ask the Lord what you are to pray. As you see their strengths and weaknesses and vulnerabilities, seek Scripture you can declare over your children~ with great confidence that God hears and He responds to the prayers of His people. Here are some of my Scriptures that I have prayed & continue to pray over my children: Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Lord, let my children earnestly seek after You; that they would seek You above all else. Father, would You reward them for a diligent, whole-hearted lifestyle of walking in faith before You. Do not let them wander from Your love; impart more and more belief in their tender hearts. Isaiah 43:1, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine." Father, thank you for calling my children by their names. Give them ears to hear Your voice, that is kind and full of love toward them. Seal my children in Your family. I declare over each of my children, YOU BELONG TO THE LORD. Not one missing. ALL saved for God's glorious Kingdom.
No Excuses to NOT Pray for Your Children, Kristen Tschida
Susanna Wesley gave birth to 19 children, including John & Charles, the founders of the Methodist movement. As a mom of 19 children, living in a very small house, there was no way of finding a quiet place to pray. This did not keep Susanna from praying.
She would sit in her rocking chair in the middle of the living room, put a blanket over herself and intercede for her children! Any excuses just disappeared with Susanna's example. When you make your children's beds or fold their clothes, pray for them. Go into their rooms when they are sleeping and pray for them. Use your commute to work or your work out time to pray for them.
You don't become a praying parent by default. You do it by design, by desire, on purpose. Susanna Wesley shaped the destinies of her children. Your prayers for your children are the greatest legacy you can leave. They mark them, shape them and create their destinies.
Susanna Wesley gave birth to 19 children, including John & Charles, the founders of the Methodist movement. As a mom of 19 children, living in a very small house, there was no way of finding a quiet place to pray. This did not keep Susanna from praying.
She would sit in her rocking chair in the middle of the living room, put a blanket over herself and intercede for her children! Any excuses just disappeared with Susanna's example. When you make your children's beds or fold their clothes, pray for them. Go into their rooms when they are sleeping and pray for them. Use your commute to work or your work out time to pray for them.
You don't become a praying parent by default. You do it by design, by desire, on purpose. Susanna Wesley shaped the destinies of her children. Your prayers for your children are the greatest legacy you can leave. They mark them, shape them and create their destinies.