Children's Ideas About Parables
Parables teach moral lessons and religious principles through metaphor. Unlike fables, however, parables use real situations, and sometimes real people, to teach. Getting children interested in parables is not extremely hard. Often, you just need to use a creative method of telling the parable. For instance, rather than hold a conversation about spiritual gardening, you can plant trees with your children.
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Natural Lessons
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Parables for Kids makes it clear how many of Jesus' teachings come from nature. For example, "The Sower and the Seeds" (Mark 4:3-9 and Matthew 13:3-9) compares receiving the teachings of Christianity with seeds planted in different locations: a seed planted in ready soil grows strong, while a seed loosely planted that birds take away does no good. Combine nature parables with time outside; in this way, the children see the metaphor presented to them.
Create Your Own
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Create your own parables using children's activities. To do this, after each session with the children, find a way to use the activities of that day to teach a moral lesson. For example, if you spend a day decorating a tree house, spend the next day talking about how decorating applies to moral living. Teach the kids about how cleaning the house makes it seem more inviting, and how by cleaning out moral "dust" you make room for friends in your life.
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Get Them Active
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By getting your kids active in parable storytelling, they are more likely to remember and understand the lessons. Instruct your children to paint pictures representing the parable. Allow them to interpret the parable the way they wish, and discuss why they made certain decisions in the painting. For example, one of your children might paint a wolf black, to symbolize its lack of spiritual cleanliness. Verbally reward children for their interpretations of the parable.
Purposes of Parables
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Pedagogically, parables work because, simply, they illustrate points. But, beyond that, parables use broad and nonspecific characters and actions, which people can relate to. Religiously, parables hold another purpose. When religious believers are under threat, parables enable teachers to give lessons with reduced risk of persecution. Parables represent a striving for moral value despite the intentions and values of others. After your children hear many of the parables you tell, teach them to deliver these stories so they can pass along the same moral lessons themselves.
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References
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