One of the best parts of parenting is watching your children discover the world for the first time. Everything is new to them. Even before the age of two, they’re exploring, testing, and experimenting so they can figure out how the world fits together.
Too soon, their uninhibited curiosity fades as they fit into life routines, specific interests, and the whirlwind of busy family and school schedules. With a little time and effort, however, we can nurture our kids to pursue a lifelong wonder of nature and God’s part in creating it.
I think I can hear you groan. Who has time to plan family field trips? Teaching your child to appreciate God’s world doesn’t mean complex trips to planetariums, nature parks and botanical gardens. Enjoying nature can be as short as five minutes and as close as your backyard. Let your child take the lead. Join them as they twirl a dandelion or as they watch a trail of ants scuttling to a crested dirt hill. Point out details they may not have noticed, and then give God credit with a few simple words.
Here’s how you can help your child catch and keep the wonder of creation for a lifetime.
Take time: In addition to allowing your child to interrupt what you are doing, take the initiative to invite them to enjoy nature with you. As the sun sets, herd your family outside and exclaim with them over the vivid colors. Give a prize to the person who sees the first star. Point out a flock of birds as you’re walking to your car to your next scheduled event.
Go deeper with detail. Guide the conversation about what you see. Call attention to the march of the ants or the V shaped flight pattern of the geese. Count the petals of a flower. Ask questions like, “How do the ants know where to go?” or “What are clouds made of?” Keep Ziplock bags in the car to gather pinecones, stones, or leaves that you can study later at home when you have more time.
Praise God: You don’t need to start a lengthy discussion about the seven days of creation or a discourse on the irrationality of evolution. Simple phrases like, “Thank you, God, for sunsets,” or “Isn’t God amazing? He made the night sky to stretch out farther than any of us can see,” will plant the seeds of faith in God as the Master Designer. Start your day by inviting your kids to go on a God hunt: “Let’s find ten things God has made throughout today.” Then, at bedtime, pray with your kids, thanking the Lord for each item you’ve seen.
Looking at God’s world as a family will create precious bonding moments as you relax and enjoy the wonderful details of nature together. Better yet, you’ll get a fresh look for yourself at creation and the God who made it as you view it through the eyes of your children.
Karen Wingate writes about the wonders of creation in her book, With Fresh Eyes (Kregel). Visit Karen at www.karenwingate.com.