Growing Wiser
Growing by praying!
Quick jumps:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | |
---|---|---|---|
Matthew 6:5-15 | God knows our needs | God knows what is best | Ask God for what you need |
Warm-up | Running on hot lava | Junkyard dog | Dance and freeze |
Move | Slow squats | Partner squats | Weighted squats |
Challenge | Bowl of burpees | 20, 15, 10, and 5 | Race and pray |
Explore | Read the verses and act out a scene | Reread verses and discuss | Reread verses and gather objects |
Play | What’s the time Mr Wolf | Sequence memory | Pay it back |
Watch the family.fit five steps
Getting started
Help your family to be active this week with three fun sessions:
- Involve everyone – anyone can lead!
- Adapt for your family
- Encourage each other
- Challenge yourselves
- Don’t exercise if it causes pain
Share family.fit with others:
- Post a photo or video on social media and tag with #familyfit or @familyfitnessfaithfun
- Do family.fit with another family
Day 1: Warm-up
Running on hot lava
Spread out around a space. Select a leader. When the leader says “hot lava” everyone runs on the spot as fast as they can. When the leader says “stop” everyone does squats. Repeat until everyone is breathing heavily.
Rest and talk together.
What would you like for your next birthday?
Go deeper: What is the difference between a need and a want?
Day 1: Move
Slow squats
Family.fit is about fun, but correct technique is important too!
Complete five squats as follows:
- Take five seconds to descend as low as you can
- Hold for three seconds
- Stand up fast in one second
Complete three sets. Rest as needed.
Go easier: Squat onto a low chair.
Go harder: Increase to seven squats per set.
Day 1: Challenge
Bowl of burpees
Each family member writes or draws a personal prayer need on a piece of paper and places it in a bowl. Take turns to pick a prayer need and read it aloud. Everyone completes seven burpees before someone prays for that need.
Continue until all needs are prayed for and all burpees done.
Day 1: Explore
God knows our needs
Read Matthew 6:5-8 from the Bible.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of communicating with God who is our loving heavenly Father. He teaches us how to pray and gives us a pattern to follow.
Have one person stand on a chair with arms stretched upwards and pray in a loud voice, “God you are great and I am here to worship you today”. Another person kneels with head bowed and prays the same prayer silently.
In these verses Jesus talks about different ways of praying.
How does verse 8 help our understanding?
Chat to God: Talk together about what each of you ‘need’ today. Then go to your room and close the door. Spend some time in silent prayer asking your Heavenly Father for these needs.
Day 1: Play
What’s the time, Mr Wolf?
One person is Mr Wolf and stands at one end with their back to the other players. The others stand on the starting line and shout “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?” Mr Wolf responds with a number from 1-12, for example “It’s two o’clock”. The players take two steps towards the wolf. They continue to ask the question and take steps until the wolf responds, “It’s dinner time”. All players try to run back to the starting line without getting caught by the wolf. Take turns to be the wolf.
Health tip
Eat well.
Day 2: Warm-up
Junkyard dog
One person sits on the floor with legs out to the front and arms out to the side. The others jump over the arm, the legs and the second arm. Everybody jumps two rounds and changes places so everybody gets to jump.
Rest and talk together.
Do you know the meaning of your name, or why your parents chose it?
Go deeper: In what ways do you hear God’s name being respected or disrespected in your community?
Day 2: Move
Partner squats
Stand facing a partner. Hold each other’s wrists and squat at the same time. Do three rounds of 10 squats.
Go easier: Complete three sets of eight squats.
Go harder: Increase squats to 15 per round.
Day 2: Challenge
20, 15, 10 and 5
Start with ‘high fives’, then do:
- 20 jumping jacks
- 15 lunges
- 10 push-ups
- 5 squats
End with ‘high fives’.
Do three rounds with no rest between them.
Go harder: Increase number of rounds.
Day 2: Explore
God knows what is best
Read Matthew 6:9-15.
The first half of this pattern for prayer is focused on God:
God’s name – How can we keep God’s name holy and honor Him in our lives?
God’s kingdom – Describe some of the good things happening in your community or the world that reflect God’s heart.
God’s will – Talk about what God might want to do through your family this week.
Chat to God: Hold hands in a circle as you ask God together to help you to do His will. Finish by reciting verses 9 and 10, adding actions for ‘name’, ‘kingdom’ and ‘will’.
Day 2: Play
Sequence memory
Everyone faces a leader who thinks of three or more different workout movements in a sequence (for example, jumping jacks, lunges, jogging). The leader demonstrates the sequence of movements and the others mimic the routine in the right order as quickly as possible. Whoever is first to complete the sequence correctly becomes the next leader.
Health tip
Plan for success.
Set goals together as a family and start making plans for how to accomplish them.
Day 3: Warm-up
Dance and freeze
Put on some up-tempo music. Everyone dances using their whole bodies. Take turns to stop the music. Everyone freezes when it stops and then does 10 speed skaters (bend and touch knee with opposite hand).
Repeat until everyone is breathing heavily.
Rest and talk together.
What is one thing you would enjoy eating every day of your life?
Go deeper: What do our bodies need every day?
Day 3: Move
Weighted squats
It’s important to add weight to the squat if you can. Take turns to grab a backpack, a large water bottle (or a child!) and complete 10 squats. Encourage each other!
Do three rounds.
Go easier: Do five squats each round.
Go harder: Increase to 15 squats each round.
Day 3: Challenge
Race and pray
Bear walk – Walk face down with feet and hands on the floor.
Crab walk – Walk face up with feet and hands on the floor.
Form two teams and find a timer. On “go”, one person from each team does a bear walk across the room to a piece of paper and does 10 lunges. They draw something on the paper they would like the family to pray for and crab walk back. Continue until each person has drawn three prayer pictures. Which team won? Pray together for the needs you have drawn.
Increase or decrease the number of lunges as needed.
Day 3: Explore
Ask God for what you need
In this pattern for prayer, there are four specific requests which Jesus encourages us to make.
Talk about what each of them mean and look like in your everyday life.
Gather four objects in your house to remind you of them and use them as you recite these verses together.
In this pattern for prayer, there are four specific requests which Jesus encourages us to make.
Talk about what each of them mean and look like in your everyday life.
Gather four objects in your house to remind you of them and use them as you recite these verses together.
Chat to God: Jesus finishes His pattern for prayer with a strong reminder of the need to forgive others. Is there someone you need to forgive today? Make this the focus for your prayer – silently or together.
Day 3: Play
Pay it back
Stand opposite a partner. One person is ‘A’ and the other ‘B’. Player A touches Player B (for example, a shoulder tap). Player B repeats that action back to A and adds a second action (for example, a shoulder tap and a head touch). Continue adding actions until one player cannot remember the sequence correctly.
Reflect: How did you feel during this game? Did it seem like retaliation? Is there someone you still need to forgive?
Tip for parents
PKeeping positive, having a routine and trying to get some one-to-one time with each child when you can, will help you manage your children’s behavior and your feelings.
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