Habits of a Child's Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines

Based solidly on Richard Foster's classic work Celebration of Discipline, this book takes some of the basic components of Christian discipline--including prayer, fasting, meditation, study, service and worship--and adapts them for the very young. The first half of each chapter explains a particular spiritual discipline to parents, and encourages them to practice it in their own lives. The second half offers suggestions for teaching the discipline to children of various ages, with ideas for hands-on learning activities. For example, a school-age child can keep a prayer journal, recording prayer requests and, when possible, answers received; a younger child can give up sugary foods once a week and remember that time with God is the best""dessert"" of all. Many parents will appreciate the authors' suggestions about the discipline of simplicity, teaching children to let go not only of unnecessary material things but also of obligations that are not helping them grow spiritually. This is a wise, essential book.