Mom Heart Moments #121

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.

OH, THE MESSES WE’VE MADE IN our home over the years. This verse always makes me giggle as I picture all the oxen tromping through my house!

Thousands of Legos, dress-up clothes from the thrift store, an old tape recorder, swords and capes, a play kitchen with real pots and pans and plastic food, garden tools, wood and nails, blankets and card tables for making indoor tents, colored pencils, paints, butcher paper by the yard, Play-Doh, cups of tea —all these and more were the building blocks of my children’s playtime.

They were not allowed to use any screens more than thirty minutes during daylight hours unless they were sick —they knew not to ask. All because I had read article after article that said how important play, discovery, and creativity were to the growth process of children’s brains.

Building a “real” culture of life in your home may require planning, and it also probably means lots of kids will spend time at your house —because yours may be one of the only places where children are still encouraged to be creative and play and run wild and have free time and fun! We always enjoyed local parks when we lived in small apartments overseas, and found various hiking trails, too, so we could take a good, long walk each day.

In everyday life, nature, and home, God has provided all that our children need to develop intelligence, great vocabularies, and healthy minds and bodies. Mamas need to be protectors and promoters of that provision so children can gain all that’s possible from it!

Consider your own home and your children’s free-time activities. Is there room for creative play, both in the house and on the calendar? See what you can do to promote imagination in your house today!