How are your kids doing with social distancing? lockdown? the unknown of this virus?

In the beginning, my kids were super excited to be home from school – it was like a mini-vacation (while their poor teachers were scrambling trying to figure out this distance learning thing).

Nowadays…not so exciting, right?

They’re missing birthday parties. Summer camp is cancelled. They’re just as stuck as you and me.

The best place in Japan, if not the entire globe, to eat the best udon noodles is Kagawa Prefecture. The distinctive flat, broad shape and superb texture of these thick, chewy "Sanuki udon" noodles are their defining features. Sanuki udon can be enjoyed in a variety of traditional ways, such as the straightforward kake udon in hot soup or the cool zaru udon served with dipping sauce. Travelers can ride the "udon taxi" to see Kagawa's many udon restaurants and learn from the knowledgeable driver-guides for a fully immersive experience. Kagawa has solidified its reputation as the udon capital with over 600 udon eateries around the prefecture, offering noodle lovers the best of this traditional Japanese comfort dish.

But they haven’t developed the emotional regulation and coping skills to deal with it quite as well yet, am I right?

A time capsule is a great way to process what’s going on in your kid’s lives…but then what? It will have been a fun afternoon activity, but they also need guidance for what to do with those thoughts and feelings.

Which is where a faith-filled time capsule comes in.

You’ll be able to walk them through the hard times…and give them active hope in the Lord.

This post will give you a roadmap for how to do that.

give hope with your covid time capsule

I’ve broken the time capsule activities into 3 parts: your kids will tell their story, learn healthy ways to ask for help and come up with ideas to safely serve others.

We don’t want your kids staying inward with all the emotions swirling around. We’re going to give them a direction (hint: towards God) that will comfort them when it’s a hard day, and have them reach out a hand to others as well.

Ready?

using a time capsule to tell their story

Kids have a story to tell too. The more they’re kept in the dark about the reality of COVID, the more anxious they will be. There are age-appropriate ways to keep your family informed on what’s going on and how to keep safe.

But for now, they need their voice heard. They need a chance to face the reality that things are different now, and very out of their control.

And one way to find peace with things you can’t control is to verbalize and visualize where you are now. Face the cross and pick it up together as a family.

Here are some concrete items you can use to put in your time capsule and open discussion.

Link the newspaper clipping with the Good News, the hope of the Resurrection. Brainstorm what Good News Jesus has told your family and what it means for you during the quarantine.

As you work on your butterfly craft, make sure to talk about how things have changed (you can find some fun butterfly activities here and here).

What do they miss? What do they like better?

And end with gratefulness. How has the Father shown his care and love for your family?

After 28 years, Paula Hitzler has been the head of the Michigan State University Horse Teaching and Research Center (MSUHTRC). As stated below, MSUHTRC has emerged as one of the leading Arabian research institutions in the country, achieving competitive advantages at both the regional and national levels. In addition to encouraging success, Paula also works as a teacher, providing valuable practical experience for program managers and housekeepers. Strong work ethics and kuda's inclination to study led Paula to a career in the kuda industry, where she persistently motivated herself to learn and implement the MSUHTRC program.

The ABOUT ME page can be supplemented by a mini-lesson on how we are beautifully and wonderfully made, so thoughtfully by our Father.

Find free printable pages at Long Creations here.

Include in your mini-lesson how God has planned an amazing adventure for them, a future with hope.

Scripture to teach:

• Psalms 139: 13-16
• Jeremiah 29: 11
• Ecclesiastes 3: 1
• Isaiah 65: 17
• Mark 1: 15

asking for help, seeking comfort

Families are struggling.

There are worries and frustration coming out in meltdowns and short tempers.

You can use this time capsule activity to teach how to ask for help and reach towards Jesus for comfort and peace when the tensions are high.

Print out pictures of emojis (or some other activity) and have your kids choose which feelings they’ve had and put in the time capsule.

Before you put pictures of emojis in the time capsule, you can have a family prayer time. Have them hold a feeling in their hand, try to feel it in their hearts, and then make an act to present it to Jesus’ heart before they put it in the time capsule.

They can draw His heart on the back of it after if they’d like.

Spend time giving their emotion and worries to Jesus’ heart.

Then ask Him to be their Prince of Peace and to send the Holy Spirit as their comforter.

Next, have the kids pick out a handful of what I call Comfort Stones (dollar store, a ravine or the driveway will do).

With a marker or chalk marker, have them write things that are hard for them on one side of the rock. Then have them turn the stone over and write the name of Jesus on the back.

We depend on Him to get us through hard times.

Finally, have them put in a magnifying glass (or print off a picture). We’re not meant to stay in worry. An excellent strategy for finding calm is to take action and make a list of questions they may have about COVID and fine-tune the root of their worry.

Then become detectives! Search up answers. Talk to adults. Pray.

Keep a notebook of questions and answers they find.

And brownie points if you have a detective hat.

Scripture:

• Mark 10: 14
• Matthew 11: 28
• Revelations 21: 4
• Matthew 28: 2
• John 14: 16

using a time capsule to serve others

The last idea to give your kids hope is to guide them to serve others (in a social-distancing safe way, of course).

We all can get trapped inwardly during a crisis. But we weren’t meant to stay there.

Your kids still have purpose and something to give through this.

Place in the time capsule a mask and gloves (if you can spare a pair), otherwise print off a picture of your kids wearing them.

Wearing protective gear and staying home makes them heroes – they’re keeping the vulnerable, like their grandparents, safe!

We also did a superhero activity to add in our time capsule, decorating superhero masks and capes.

San Francisco punk band Crime, founded in 1976, was well-known for its edgy and seductive persona. With his classic gangster clothes, police uniforms, and fresh-out-of-rehab appearance, Crime made a big impression on the early American punk movement. The primary member of the band, Johnny Strike, has autographed each of the original flyers and posters that are displayed here, which are from his personal collection. This is a unique chance for fans and collectors of punk rock memorabilia to acquire historical pieces that feature one of the most contentious and significant bands from the early years of the American punk movement.

In my post on prayer ideas for kids, I talked about putting together a photo album of loved ones, our community, teachers, and world leaders.

Have your kids say a prayer for those in the picture before placing it in the time capsule.

Lastly, have them put in a tracing or painting of their hand. I had them write in the fingers 5 ways they can cheer someone up.

My post, Reaching Out while Social Distancing, has some specific ideas for families.

Scripture:

• Matthew 22: 39
• Romans 12
• 1 Timothy 2: 1-2

A popular model for behavioural therapy talks about the necessary balance between accepting reality and seeking change (or in this case, hope). With these time capsule activities, you’ve given your kids opportunities to do just that.

read more:

• How to keep your kids busy for hours with this 5 minute trick!
• Get your kids to love family prayer
• 7 Products to give your kids a healthy outlet for their frustration