Mind Your Fruits and Vegetables

Parents, are you always looking for creative ways to teach your children about virtues? How are you going to get across things like thankfulness, joy and patience? Some talking food might help!

Consider what the fruit of the Spirit might have to say to your family. There is fruit for lots of things: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. God grows the fruit of the Spirit within us as we are faithful to Him.

You can creatively illustrate these virtues by linking them to specific fruit. Maybe a strawberry shows love. Suppose Susie the Strawberry is a symbol of love to your young child. Through a friendly character, your little one can imagine what a spiritual gift can actually look like. Maybe Peter the Papaya is patient. You and your child can use your imaginations to create engaging stories of Peter’s patience and why God calls us all to be patient. Maybe you can even taste some exotic fruits along the way!

Children love to learn about ways they can honor God. Children also love to have visual symbols. Combine those loves and you have a great idea for an arts and crafts project! Help your child actually make the love strawberry and patient papaya. Reward members of your family with your crafty fruits for displaying fruit of the Spirit. Everyone can be involved and encouraged!

Talk with your family about how their fruit can grow. If we are connected to Jesus, the true vine, then we as His branches will bear good fruit. We don’t get better all by ourselves. Rely upon Jesus and He’ll grow good things in us. You can relate this growth to your kids as God tending His plants so they’ll grow. The effort we put in is to stay close to God and soak up the water!