Obedience Activities - Building Character in your Children

10 Activities about OBEDIENCE:


1. Who’s in Charge? Discuss with your children who their authorities are. (God, Mom and Dad, grandparents, teachers, babysitters, the President, etc…)

2. Light and Dark Using lightness and darkness, demonstrate how good authority causes us not to stumble or fall.

3. Soldiers Have your kids dress up like soldiers. Give every family member a rank for the day. When given an order, they should respond with “Yes, Sir.” Or “No, Sir.” Have them request leaves and passes. Have them practice giving commands to a lower rank. Make your own boot camp. Visit a military base or talk to someone who has served in the armed forces about obedience. Learn, “I’m in the Lord’s Army”.

4. Curious George Read “Curious George” or “Peter Rabbit”. Is it okay to disobey if you are curious?

5. Family Rules Make a list of family rules. Try to keep it between 3 and 5. Use scripture to support your rules. Let the children help come up with ideas. Make sure the rules are stated in the positive. For example, instead of “No yelling” the rule could be to “Speak with respect for others”. Once you have them figured out, decide consequences for breaking the rules. Discuss having “punishments that fit the crime”. Make sure the children understand the consequences. Lastly, post the rules…frame them?? These should be positive guidelines that the whole family understands.

6. Right away For a week, give your kids points for every time they obey immediately. Teach them that delayed obedience is actually disobedience (just like partial obedience is really disobedience). Let them cash in the points for a treat at the end of the week.

7. Finishing the Job Ask your children why it is important to finish things that we start. God wants us to obey immediately, thoroughly and cheerfully. What happens if we don’t finish the job? (Make cookies, but don’t do the dishes; rake the leaves, but don’t pick them up; fold the laundry, but don’t put it away; write a letter, but don’t send it, brush teeth, but don’t put the cap back on, etc…) Give each child a task that requires finishing and praise and reward them when they finish.

8. Laws and Commandments Have your kids try and list all the laws you have to obey. (Traffic, civil, criminal, biblical, etc…) What are the consequences for disobeying? Use the car seat laws for an example. Discuss why we have police and why they deserve respect.

9. Simon Says Play Simon Says, but change Simon to the authorities in the child’s life. For example, “Mommy says” or “Your Teacher says”. You can throw in ones like “Your friends say” and see what they do. Let them know that friends are not an authority over them.

10. The Joy of the Lord Learn the song and sing with the kids while doing chores:

The Joy of the Lord is my strength (clap, clap) repeat 3 more times
He gives me Living Water and I thirst no more. (clap, clap) repeat 3 more times