After that, I desire to teach my children to show godly character. Not only do I want to model godly character for my kids, I want to teach them about the aspects of character the Bible tells us Christians will display–the fruit of the Spirit.
The Fruit of the Spirit
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23, ESV
We know that the fruit of the Spirit is developed in us as the Lord sanctifies us, once we are saved. Believers are indwelled with the Holy Spirit, and he grows within us the fruit (or character) that God desires we display in our lives. This is an act of God that we are blessed to participate in.
Can we make our kids grow the fruit of the Spirit? No. That is an act of the Lord.
We can, however, teach our kids about godly character.
Scripture discusses more fruit than just the list we find in Galatians 5:22-23. We also read of character traits we should pursue like unity, brotherly affection, and perseverance. However, the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians is a great place to start teaching our kids about godly character.
Why Not Fruits of the Spirit?
Why does the Bible say “Fruit of the Spirit”, rather than fruits?
When the Lord works in the life of a believer, he grows fruit. We don’t pick and choose which fruit. It all shows up together. A Christian doesn’t display patience without love, or peace without kindness. Godly characteristics collectively show up in our lives as fruit.
Here are some reasons Bible activities are a GREAT tool to help you teach the Bible to your kids!
Hand-on activities are a great way for us, as parents, to help our kids remember and understand biblical concepts. I’ve put together a list of crafts and activities that you can do with your kids to help them learn about the fruit of the Spirit.
Fruit of the Spirit Crafts and Activities for Kids
1) Paint a Fruit of the Spirit craft – a tree with printable labels and verse. Check out this quick video showing you how to construct your Fruit of the Spirit Tree:
2) Make this Fruit of the Spirit lapbook while doing the accompanying Bible study.
3) Print and string this fun Fruit of the Spirit necklace.
4) Sew these felt fruits to help your kids remember Galatians 5:22-23.
5) Make some cute Bear fruit bookmarks with your kids.
6) Color and assemble this Fruit of the Spirit mini-book that ties to Christian history.
7) Teach the Fruit of the Spirit with this Write, Color, and Memorize Bible verse set.
8) Print this Fruit of the Spirit craft with lessons from Christian history.
9) Play Fruit of the Spirit battleship.
Fruit of the Spirit Songs, Toys, and Stickers
Learning Resources Fruit And Veggie Tote, 17 Pieces
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT TOTE (1 DOZEN)Fruit of the Spirit StickersFruit of the Spirit SongFruit of the Spirit SongFoam Fruit Shapes (500 Pieces)
10) Paint fruit rocks with your kids. Be sure to label them with fruits of the Spirit, and display them proudly in your garden. (I like to spray painted rocks with polyurethane.)
11) Read a fabulous book about the Fruit of the Spirit together.
12) Fold these adorable fruit printables and label them with the fruit of the Spirit.
13) Follow this super cute template to make a Fruit of the Spirit garland–just write the fruit names on with a permanent marker.
14) Memorize 144 Bible verses about the Fruit of the Spirit with this cute Bible memory verse card set.
15) Make these beautiful glass pebble Fruit of the Spirit magnets.
16) Print out this Fruit of the Spirit word search.
17) Print these fun, free Fruit of the Spirit bookmarks for your kids.
18) Make this beautiful DIY stamped watercolor Fruit of the Spirit garland.
Well, there you have it. A list of fruit of the Spirit crafts and activities your kids are sure to love!
Bible Resources for Your Kids
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Puzzle-Based Independent Bible Study for Kids!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2, ESV
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- Observe: They pay attention to what they’re reading.
- Interpret: They figure out what the Bible means in that section.
- Apply: They decide how the truth of God’s Word impacts their life today.
There are a great many truths in life to be found—some interesting, some boring, and some that really matter. You can be the kind of investigator who spends time puzzling out important truth so that you can know all the knowable knowledge that God has given us. That’s right. God, the Creator of the Universe, gave you a great big letter from him to explore and study so that you can discover the truths that really matter to your life!”
Bible Investigators: Creation, (The Good Book Company, 2024), page 7
The Bible Investigators: Creation Bible study for kids, written by Danika Cooley and published by The Good Book Company, is 272-pages of learning, puzzles, and fun activities designed to help your kids become amazing independent Bible investigators–observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word as they learn what the Bible teaches on a particular subject.
Bible Puzzles for Kids
Middle grade kids, aged 8-12, love puzzles. After all, their brains are just built for figuring things out and memorizing facts. Puzzles are a wonderful way to help kids develop logic skills and retain important information. And, the book is written in a fun, conversational tone your children are sure to love!
What types of puzzles and activities will you find in Bible Investigators?
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- Word Searches
- Crosswords
- Rebus Puzzles
- Dot-to-Dots
- Logic Puzzles
- Missing Letter Puzzles
- Cryptograms
- Word Sudoku
- Mazes
- How-to-Draw Pages
- Matching Pairs
- Word Scrambles
- Journal Pages
Every child is sure to find activities they’ll love!
Elementary-aged kids need hands-on middle grade resources that engage them and equip them to process important truths.
Bible Investigators is the perfect resource to teach your kids about an important biblical doctrine, while helping them apply God’s Word to their lives today.
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Thank you so much for the ideas! Fun, practical, memorable!