~The quest to live intentionally allows me to focus on what truly matters.~
Like Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” By sharing our ideas we can make a difference in each other’s lives. I would like to share an idea that really made me stop to think a few years ago. I’m not exactly sure where I heard it (probably one of the many podcasts I listen to) but I was listening to a lady and she mentioned how their family places more emphasis on their child’s baptism anniversary than on their birthday.
As a young woman trying to make sense of the world on her own, this really made me think, “Wow! How awesome and important is that!?” Growing up, we did big things for our birthdays, which was fun and exciting, and I am very thankful for the time my parents dedicated to celebrating my birth. However, I couldn’t help but think of the impact it would have made on the development of my faith if we placed more attention on celebrating my baptism rather than the day of my birth.
So, I made a note of this idea and filed it away in hopes of remembering to do something similar with my own children. When my eldest daughter turned three, I realized that would be the year we would really start doing big things for the anniversary of her baptism. At this time, she loved doing projects and activities. She was able to understand more complex thoughts and was able to communicate effectively for a preschooler.
I then took this great idea and put my own spin on it. I decided we would have a theme each year to help us focus our activities and honor the importance of her baptism. This first year, I chose “Creation” as the theme. I thought this would be a great theme. I had ideas to study the creation story in the book of Genesis, create meaningful discussions about God’s creations, work to create new things through arts and crafts, and ways to give back or support God’s creation through service.
Creation Story & Activities
We had discussions each day about the things God made and completed educational activities involving the creation story. Below are links to FREE activities we used throughout the entire month.
- Days of Creation Free Printable
- God Made a Colorful World Colors Book
- Free Adam & Eve Printable
- Creation Pre-K Pack Printables
Creation: art on canvas.
Feeding the birds
Pumpkin muffins for the family
Flower Hunt
Service Project
My intention is for our little ones to understand that we have a responsibility to serve others. Therefore, to fit our creation theme, we decided to give back to our community by picking up trash, pulling weeds, and cleaning benches at a local park cleanup.
Adding to our celebration
In the middle of our celebration of Ava’s baptism, we intentionally decided to baptize our youngest daughter Celia. We decided to do this because we thought it would be a great way to honor this special occasion together. Each girl has her own separate baptism date which we will celebrate, but now we will have the opportunity to honor and celebrate together throughout the entire month.
Creation Themed Baptism Party
We celebrated Celia’s baptism with family & friends directly after the service. Click HERE to see how we carried the creation theme to her party AND for a FREE Download!
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity…. Ephesians 5:15-16
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