Busy Boxes--Keeping Little Ones Busy During Your Quiet Time

If you are blessed with children then you know it can be at times difficult to get into your quiet time without distraction. Without a doubt, young children (toddlers and preschoolers in particular!) require constant attention and care, and the word "quiet" means absolutely nothing to them! So how can a mom of littles still spend daily time in God's word? Enter the Busy Box:

I assembled my Busy Box by taking a medium-sized snap-top storage container and writting my son's name on it. Because Brett is school age (kindergarten), I chose not to fill his Busy Box with toys or other playthings, but materials he can use for his own quiet time, such as his Bible, Bible studies, character-building books, journal and markers, etc.. Brett will have his own quiet time in his bedroom while I have mine, and Henry (9 mos.) will watch a biblically-based video, such as the Baby Faith series, from his playpen. Our new baby (arriving in 8 weeks!!!!) will be napping or in my arms. I will make a Busy Box for Henry when he turn 1 year old, and fill it with simple toys and books. I have also burned a CD of Brett's favorite praise and worship music that he may choose to listen to while having his quiet time as well. I plan on putting different activities in his box everyday, instead of just the same thing over and over, as to prevent boredom.

Here are some of the resources I'll be using for Brett's Busy Box:

The Little Boy's Bible for Mothers and Sons--this is a great beginers bible for little boys! This book features devotions at the end of each chapter, one for mom and one for sons titled "Becoming a Man of God" (I just love that!)

Bible Studies from Hem of His Garmet--this website offers good-quality, free printable Bible studies for children of all ages. http://www.hem-of-his-garmet-bible-study.org/

A Child's Book of Character Building by Ron Coriell--beautiful book broken down into twelve chapters, each one focusing on a specific character attribute, such as thankfulness or obedience. I believe there are other books in this series; I am using book 1.

Draw to Learn the Book of Proverbs by Ray and Charlene Notgrass--this book takes children through the book of Proverbs by having them draw their own idea of how the particular Scripture they are studying should look.

These are some of the resources I am planning on using in combination with music, seasonal books (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Advent) and maybe the occasional DVD. I haven't looked into resources for other age groups since Henry is still a baby!