Review | God First Loved Us: A Valentine's Devotional Journal for Kids

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Having a devotional time as a family is very important to us, so I am always on the lookout for family devotionals that are age appropriate for Addie and Ian.

God First Loved Us: A Valentine's Devotional Journal for Kids by Heather Brown From Upside Down Homeschooling has fit the bill in what we look for in devotionals, but also goes beyond our normal expectation.

The devotional is intended to be used from February 1st through February 14th to teach children that true love is about much more than hearts and candy- it is all about Jesus laying His life down for us because He loved us.


 
Each day is set up around one main Bible verse and the HEARTS™ acronym:



H– Handwriting practice {writing the verse of the day}
E– Exploring Scripture
A– Act {art, puzzles, journaling, service projects, crafts and more}
R– Reflect {a quiet time for reflection with prompts to get them thinking}
T– Talk to God {prayer time with prompts}
S– Share {telling others, service projects, baking, good deeds and more}

In the place of Addie's usual handwriting lesson, I am using the chosen verse of the day and the lined paper from the packet. There are two versions of each journaling and handwriting practice pages, one with dotted handwriting lines for younger children and one with normal lines for older children.

During the time of reflection,  there is an activity for children to participate in to really "bring home" the lesson they learned that day. From coloring sheets to baking cookies, each activity has been thought out and planned in order to make this devotional more than just "another" lesson.

Teaching our children God's Word is so important to the development of their faith, and now there are so many resources at our disposal to make that time easier to have.