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Welcome to another edition of The Toolbox. This is a segment in FamJamz designed with you, Big Kids (Parents), in mind. The purpose of it is to give you tools for you to implement at home with your kids.

This month we are talking about honor - letting others know you see how valuable they really are. There are lots of ways we can honor people and honoring for what they’ve done is great, but we should also honor people because of who they are. That can be really challenging especially because we are naturally wired to put ourselves first, but honor is the opposite. Honor teaches us to see others first. In Romans 12:10 says, “Love each other deeply. Honor others more than yourselves.”

So here’s what we want you to do this month. Parents, as you’ve heard, our widget  is a badge of honor which your kid is supposed to give away to someone they admire. Well, we want you to make sure that this happens. Don’t allow for this widget to become just another toy in your home. Follow up with your kids and see to it that they honor someone this month by giving their badge away.

Kids, in your family yearbooks, write the name of that person down and why you  gave them your badge. If possible, take a picture of them and paste it on there.

As always, we love to hear stories from you so email them in to famjamz@ubcmiami.org.

Honoring others is the ultimate challenge this month. Everyone is valuable. We gotta look at this world and attach value to people.

So, that’s it for this edition of The Toolbox. Don’t forget, the tools only work when you take them out of the box.

Happy new year! Welcome to another edition of The Toolbox. This is the segment in FamJamz designed with parents in mind. The purpose of it is to provide tools and ideas to do at home with your kids.

This month we’re talking about self-control - choosing to do what you should do, not what you want to do. Self control is a tough virtue and not just for the kids, but also for us big kids.

Here’s our challenge this month. Count to ten. We’re asking adults and kids to count to ten when you feel yourself getting impatient or upset, or when you’re about to do something you shouldn’t. Think about what you want to say or do and ask yourself… is it wise? Ask God for the power to exercise self-control. Pause, think, and then act. See, here’s the thing about virtues, we never outgrow them do we? These are things we’ll need to practice for our whole lives. So Parents and Kids, this is an opportunity to help each other with gentle reminders that self-control can be just ten numbers and a prayer away.

And like every month, we want you to write down at least one story about self-control in your family yearbooks. It’s gonna be neat to look back and see all that God has done in your lives over this past year. You can do it as a family or individually. and if you want to share a story with us, email us at famjamz@ubcmiami.org

That’s it for The Toolbox. Don’t forget, the tools only work when you take them out of the box.

Parents, thanks for checking out November’s Toolbox! The Toolbox is a segment in FamJamz designed with you in mind. The purpose of it is to provide you with tools and ideas to implement at home with the kids.

Last month, Parents, we asked you to show us the different ways your kids were showing the virtue of creativity. This month we’re talking about gratitude — letting other know you see how they’ve helped you. And we want the kids telling us about the family.

Here’s what we want them to do. In your Family Yearbooks, we would like for kids to write thank-you notes to their family members. The idea is for them to let others know they see how they have helped them.

Parents, if it’s ok with them and with you, we’d like to know what kids are grateful for. Would you share with us the notes they’re writing via email? Send them to us at famjamz@ubcmiami.org. At the end of the month, we’re gonna celebrate the ways these guys are learning to be grateful. It’s important to be grateful. You know that. So let’s help our kids learn a little more about that this month.

Thanks for checking out The Toolbox. Remember… the tools only work when you take them out of the box.

Welcome to the Toolbox! This is a new segment in FamJamz  designed with parents in mind. The purpose is to provide you with tools,  ideas for you to implement at home with your kids. Last month, we told you about the family yearbook. We want all of you to be keep up with this because every month we’re gonna be writing in them.

This month, we’re talking about creativity: using your imagination to do something unique. Everyone is creative. We’ve used our imaginations at some point, whether it’s problem solving, decorating cookies, or coming up with our own dance moves. God created us to be creative. And here’s the best part: our creativity looks different than everyone else’s. And that’s ok! In fact, it’s by design.

So here’s what we want you to try out at home, Parents. We want you to be “Creativity Hunters.” For example, if you see your kids have made a really cool drawing or maybe built something original out of legos, we want you to snap a picture of it and put it in your Family Yearbook. The whole point of this activity is for us to celebrate our kids, to celebrate the creativity God has given them. Use those moments to build them up and remind them that their creativity comes from God.

Ask your kids to write about the picture in your Family Yearbook. They can write about what they created and add a “thank you” note to God for giving them their creativity. And if you want, send us a copy of the photo as well. We would love that!

And don’t forget, the tools only work when you take them out of the box.

Thanks for checking out The Toolbox! This is a new segment in FamJamz designed especially with parents in mind. The purpose is to provide you with tools to apply at home with your kids. This month we’re taking a look at the virtue of knowledge.

It is so important to let kids know that God loves them just as you know that for yourselves. And when we love God back, we give Him the #1 spot in our lives. We love with all our heart and soul and strength. And we want to impress that on our kids, right? Well, that’s where our widget, the Family Seal, comes in.

Make sure to put the Family Seal on your Family Yearbook, which can be one of the books we’re making available in FamJamz, or your own special book. Either way, put that seal on your yearbook and start talking! This month, Parents, we want you to tell your kids about how YOU came to know God. How did you learn about Him? How has your view of God grown over the years? How has your relationship with God changed?

Encourage your kids to ask questions. This is a chance for them to listen to your stories. We know you have some pretty cool things to share with your kids about your relationship with God.

Then comes the really fun part. Write down the highlights of your conversation in your Family Yearbook. Moms can write, Dads can write, kids can write. Anyone can even draw pictures and stuff. Whatever you want, it’s your Family Yearbook.

At the end of the FamJamz season, we’ll look back together and see what God has done in the lives of our families. Don’t forget… the tools only work when you take them out the box.

If you have any questions, email us at famjamz@ubcmiami.org
‘Til next time!