Pray & Ponder
A podcast for kids and the grownups who love them!
At Restoration, we believe that God loves to talk to us and hear from us — no matter our age. We have confidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in us, inviting us to run to Jesus and trust in him, all because of God’s enormous love for us.
Pray & Ponder, was created for kids and the grownups who love them in order to make space — at home or on the road — so that we can practice listening attentively to God by reading his words to us from the Bible and by talking to him in prayer.
A Summer of Wild Wondering With God
Here are some resources to help you listen, pray, and play! We’re adding more each week to coincide with each new episode where we marvel and wonder wildly about WHO God is as he reveals himself through Scripture and in nature.
LISTEN AND REST (or get up and dance!) with this playlist.
WILD WONDERING WITH GOD – EPISODE 1 – WIND
do some creative or playful things:
-
- gather sticks and string to make a wind chime
- make a wind sock
- paint with watercolors using a straw by dropping paint on the paper and blowing the paint with the straw instead of a brush
read with a buddy or by yourself:
-
- read Christina Rossetti’s poem, “Who Has Seen the Wind?”
- read Hurry Up! A book about slowing down by Kate Dopirak
- read aloud together as a family as you huddle around The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
write about what you are thinking and seeing and experiencing:
-
- print these journal response pages as a booklet
share what you have learned with someone else:
-
- wonder together with someone else using this guide
WILD WONDERING WITH GOD – EPISODE 2 – MUD
write about what you are thinking and seeing and experiencing:
-
- print these journal response pages as a booklet
do some creative or playful things:
-
- mix some dirt and a little bit of water and paint with mud
- make “clean” mud dough
- make “mud muffins”
- play “Stuck in the Mud”. It’s just like freeze dance. Sort of. And it’s played without mud. 🙂
read with a buddy or by yourself:
-
- read Mud by Mary Lyn Ray
- read A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis
- read Yucky Worms by Vivian French — then go dig in the mud for worms
- read Little Blue Truck with a Gospel perspective
share what you have learned with someone else:
-
- teach this to someone using this guide
WILD WONDERING WITH GOD – EPISODE 3 – WATER
write about what you are thinking and seeing and experiencing:
-
- print these journal response pages as a booklet
do some creative or playful things:
-
- create a water-based sensory bin for younger kids
- check out these ideas for water play for older kids
- here are some wonderful ways to explore with watercolors
- quench your thirst with these infused water recipes
- have a “leaf race” — toss two leaves into a creek and watch them as they float to the finish line
read with a buddy or by yourself:
-
- soak in the glorious illustrations of Water Is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul
- gather your older elementary kids and read aloud together All Thirteen:The Incredible Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
share what you have learned with someone else:
-
- teach this to someone using this guide
WILD WONDERING WITH GOD – EPISODE 4 – SEEDS
write about what you are thinking and seeing and experiencing:
-
- print these journal response pages as a booklet
do some creative or playful things:
-
- make some art like Eric Carle, inspired by his book The Tiny Seed
- grab a little bag of seeds and sort and classify them: How are they alike? How are they different? Use this site on seeds to help you understand more in depth.
- gather some fallen treasures to create nature sculptures
- do some sorting, predicting, and sprouting with seeds
read with a buddy or by yourself:
-
- read Seeds Move! by Robin Page
- read A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
- read aloud together as a family as you huddle around The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
share what you have learned with someone else:
-
- teach this to someone using this guide
https://prayandponder.libsyn.com/rss
Resources you may find helpful as you share God’s love with the kids in your life:
Bible Storybooks, Bibles & Devotionals
Nursery (0-2 years old)
The Look and Point Bible is fun because it is interactive inviting the reader to look and point!
The Rhyme Bible is great for developing language skills.
A Child’s First Bible is short and sweet with a question at the end of each story.
The New Bible in Pictures For Little Eyes is a sweet classic.
The Read and Rhyme Storybook looks fun!
Lift the Flap Bible is also interactive.
The Toddler Adventure Bible Storybook looks good, too.
Found is so lovely!
The Baby Believer board book series by Danielle Hitchen is great!
Preschool (2-6 years old)
God’s Story For Me is a good collection of many stories that will enhance children’s biblical literacy.
The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible has beautiful illustrations and well-told stories.
Jesus Calling Bible Storybook is good for a short devotional and a good way to listen for Jesus’ voice.
Day by Day Bible takes kids through the Bible in one year with a short story for each day.
Early Elementary (6-8 years old)
The Jesus Storybook Bible captures God’s plan for Jesus as our redeemer from the beginning and weaves it into every story.
Shine On: A Story Bible has great wondering-type questions and a variety of illustrators.
The NIV or NIrV Adventure Bible is a full-text Bible written in slightly modified language for early readers and listeners — it’s what we use on Pray & Ponder.
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
Jesus Calling For Kids is a sweet devotional with Scripture references making a full-text Bible easier to navigate.
Upper Elementary (8-11 years old)
The Action Bible has a format that kids find captivating and it can cover a lot of material, although not in-depth.
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
Family Devotional Books
Teach Us to Pray is a great book of Scripture-centered family worship throughout the year.
Good Dirt a three-volume set that takes you through the church year.
Additional Books and Resources
The Ology is a good resource for elementary kids to read with an adult or for adult study as a way to help you explain things to kids.
The Bible Story Handbook is like a mini-commentary on teaching Bible stories to kids.
Young Children and Worship is the first of the Godly Play books.
Following Jesus is the second of the Godly Play books.
I Wonder is a good book that has great questions to get you thinking and practical tools to get you “doing”.
Spiritual Conversations With Children – I cried three times in the first ten pages.
The Religious Potential of the Child is a classic and rich with stories of children engaging with God and His word.
Favorite Websites
This site has an array of hands-on ways of praying and responding to Bible stories.
This site has some of my favorite ways to do art with kids.
This site encourages and models a form of “doodling prayer” called Praying in Color.
Favorite Podcasts
This interview with Sally Lloyd-Jones is inspiring.
This talk by Rebecca Nye is helpful in thinking about the spiritual development and nurturing of children’s spirituality.
Feel free to reach out. I’d love to connect with you! (louise@restorationarlington.org)
Subscribe to Pray & Ponder through Apple Podcasts (and leave us a review!)
At PRAY & PONDER, we believe that God loves to talk to us! We want to hear from you — kids+the grownups who love them — what you are hearing God say. What is he telling you? How is he telling you? What are you noticing about how God is at work in the world? We want to hear from you!
the Podcast Now!
https://prayandponder.libsyn.com/rss
A podcast for kids and the grownups who love them!
At Restoration, we believe that God delights in speaking to us and hearing from us — no matter our age.
We have confidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in us, wooing us to turn to and trust in Jesus all because of God’s enormous love for us.
Pray & Ponder, was created for kids and the grownups who love them in order to make space — at home or on the road — so that we can practice listening attentively to God by reading his words to us from the Bible and by talking to him in prayer.
Season 1 of Pray & Ponder was launched during Lent 2020.
Season 2 was launched in September 2020.
Below are some resources you may find helpful as you share God’s love with the kids in your life.
Helpful Tools for Holy Week
The Passion Reading for kids which you can watch together on Palm Sunday.
Restoration’s Good Friday Stations of the Cross Liturgy for Kids.
Liturgy for Holy Week at Home including instructions for an Advent-wreath-like celebration for each day of Holy Week.
A recipe for Resurrection Rolls — perfect for retelling the events of Good Friday and Easter.
A reading of The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross
Bible Storybooks, Bibles & Devotionals
Nursery (0-2 years old)
The Look and Point Bible is fun because it is interactive inviting the reader to look and point!
The Rhyme Bible is great for developing language skills.
A Child’s First Bible is short and sweet with a question at the end of each story.
The New Bible in Pictures For Little Eyes is a sweet classic.
The Read and Rhyme Storybook looks fun!
Lift the Flap Bible is also interactive.
The Toddler Adventure Bible Storybook looks good, too.
Found is so lovely!
The Baby Believer board book series by Danielle Hitchen is great!
Preschool (2-6 years old)
God’s Story For Me is a good collection of many stories that will enhance children’s biblical literacy.
The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible has beautiful illustrations and well-told stories.
Jesus Calling Bible Storybook is good for a short devotional and a good way to listen for Jesus’ voice.
Day by Day Bible takes kids through the Bible in one year with a short story for each day.
Early Elementary (6-8 years old)
The Jesus Storybook Bible captures God’s plan for Jesus as our redeemer from the beginning and weaves it into every story.
Shine On: A Story Bible has great wondering-type questions and a variety of illustrators.
The NIV or NIrV Adventure Bible is a full-text Bible written in slightly modified language for early readers and listeners — it’s what we use on Pray & Ponder.
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
Jesus Calling For Kids is a sweet devotional with Scripture references making a full-text Bible easier to navigate.
Upper Elementary (8-11 years old)
The Action Bible has a format that kids find captivating and it can cover a lot of material, although not in-depth.
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
Family Devotional Books
Teach Us to Pray is a great book of Scripture-centered family worship throughout the year.
Good Dirt a three-volume set that takes you through the church year.
Additional Books and Resources
The Ology is a good resource for elementary kids to read with an adult or for adult study as a way to help you explain things to kids.
The Bible Story Handbook is like a mini-commentary on teaching Bible stories to kids.
Young Children and Worship is the first of the Godly Play books.
Following Jesus is the second of the Godly Play books.
I Wonder is a good book that has great questions to get you thinking and practical tools to get you “doing”.
Spiritual Conversations With Children – I cried three times in the first ten pages.
The Religious Potential of the Child is a classic and rich with stories of children engaging with God and His word.
Favorite Websites
This site has an array of hands-on ways of praying and responding to Bible stories.
This site has some of my favorite ways to do art with kids which I then adapt and interpret for responses to Bible stories.
This site encourages and models a form of “doodling prayer” called Praying in Color.
Favorite Podcasts
This interview with Sally Lloyd-Jones is inspiring.
This talk by Rebecca Nye is helpful in thinking about the spiritual development and nurturing of children’s spirituality.
Feel free to reach out. I’d love to connect with you! (louise@restorationarlington.org)
Subscribe to Pray & Ponder through Apple Podcasts (and leave us a review!)
At PRAY & PONDER, we believe that God loves to talk to us! We want to hear from you — kids+the grownups who love them — what you are hearing God say. What is he telling you? How is he telling you? What are you noticing about how God is at work in the world? We want to hear from you!