Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / Fun Halloween Alternatives for Your Family

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Fun Halloween Alternatives for Your Family · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of the Five Minute Parenting Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Karen Ferguson, wife, mom, grandmom, and children's book author with a background in K-8 education and a passion for equipping parents to raise confident and God-confident kids.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, we'll cover parenting practices from both a practical view and a biblical view.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Our goal is to help you raise kids with a positive, godly self-image so they can become all they were created to be.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: I know you're busy, so we'll keep it short.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let's take just five minutes and dive in.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: I remember as a kid being excited, but also a little creeped out by Halloween.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: I was excited to gather gobs of candy.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: It was fun to dress up, and we lived in a neighborhood that did it big.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: But it also felt very dark to me.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the costumes were disturbing, and I had several experiences knocking on doors that were beyond creepy, which is a story for another time.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: But as parents, my husband and I decided to not celebrate Halloween with our kids.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know some of you might find that unusual, maybe even a little bit religious, but we decided to be different.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Having done some research on what happens in the dark of night on Halloween, plus some experiences as a kid and teen that opened my eyes to spiritual warfare, we decided that we would make the night fun as a family.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: We would do special things together, but we would not promote a celebration of Halloween.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Now, rest assured, this podcast is not intended to convince you to not celebrate Halloween.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: And for ultimately, you know, we go by our own convictions based on our personal relationships with God.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're not a fan of Halloween either, or if you've been disturbed by the growing darkness in our culture and are rethinking your normal activities this year, or if you'd just like to try something new, I found some great ideas I'd like to share with you.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now, these ideas are not all my own.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: I found many of them through Lifeway.com and a fantastic site called children's ministry.com, which I will link to in the show notes.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: But for our family, we kept it simple.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Donut holes and other desserts, apple cider, and a special movie plus games as a family.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Then we'd take our girls to the harvest festival at our church, which back then was often days later.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: But these ideas I found online sound so unique and fun, and they're ways to really put a focus on God.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm only including a few here.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: You'll find more ideas by visiting the links in the show notes.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: So here we go.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Plan a Noah's Ark Party, where every creature in the animal kingdom is available as a potential costume.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: You could get creative with rainbow fruit-inspired snacks, simple materials for kids to make a tinfoil boat, and you could hide some plastic animals around your home or yard.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Guests could make animal masks or better yet, bring in a face painter.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: You could read the kids one of your favorite Noah's Ark books.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And may I suggest my book, Guess Why God Made the Rainbow?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Had to plug that.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Or watch one of your favorite Noah's Ark shows.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: I highly recommend checking out Minnow for that.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's a fabulous media site for families.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's spelled M-I-N-N-O, and we'll have a link to that in the show notes as well.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or how about a heroes of the Bible party?
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Children can choose to dress up from a list of biblical figures you want to focus on, and you can plan food and games around those people like Abraham, Joseph, Jonah, or Esther.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Choose fun Bible-based games like Who Am I?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Where guests write down the name of a biblical hero on a slip of paper and stick it to another person's forehead.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: That person asks yes or no questions to figure out who they are.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: You could do a special craft like the hero shield, where guests decorate cardboard shields, cardboard shields, that's hard to say, with symbols representing a biblical hero, like a lion for David or a dove for Noah.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Both of these themed parties sound so much fun.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: And if you do a quick Pinterest search, you'll find many ideas for costumes, food, and games to make it really special for your family.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Or if you're up for something even more elaborate, how about a mini storytelling retreat where you invite families to come for a potluck and afterwards play games, do crafts, and then have each family put on a skit about one of their favorite family experiences.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: You could close your group time by pointing people to Jesus as the best storyteller, by giving each family a story that Jesus told so they can discuss what the story means.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: What a great way to be a witness in your community.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Or I love this one.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: A family harvest of blessings party.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Invite your friends, neighbors, and extended family for a big party and have them come dressed up as their favorite food if they want to.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: You could even collect food to donate to your community.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, and check out the fruit basket upset game, which you'll find in the show notes.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: It looks super fun.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Watch Veggie Tales, my favorite, and turn on the music for some fruit-inspired songs and let the kids and adults dance.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: These are just a few ideas I came across that I hope you'll find inspires you to try something different this year.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if you do want to keep it simple, desserts, apple cider, a movie, a board game as a family will keep it fun and cozy.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's it for today.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for joining Five Minute Parenting.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Be sure to like, subscribe, and share this podcast and come back next week for another episode.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Have a blessed week.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Are you looking for creative, biblically based books for that special child in your life?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Would you like to inspire in your child a love for reading and a love for God's Word?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Check out Questions for Kids, a picture book series your whole family can enjoy.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: You'll follow the adventures of Lucy and her Papa Joe as they journey into the Bible to discover unique periods in Bible history, getting answers to life's important questions and learning all about God's never-changing, never-failing, and never-ending love.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Each book counters the cultural narrative by diving into the Bible to explore the people, places, and events that will help shape a strong faith in God.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: With these delightfully illustrated books, you'll help build your child's biblical literacy.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: One bold, beautiful book at a time.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: You'll find the Questions for Kids series by Karen Ferguson on Bookshop, Amazon, at your favorite book retailer, or visit Karen's website at Karenferg.com.