BOZ BUZZ eNewsletter

Imagine All The Fall Fun Your Kids Can Have

Get Your Imaginations Ready for
BOZ's New DVD in Early November!

When the weather grows cooler, indoor opportunities abound! That makes autumn a great time to get imaginative and help your preschooler think of creative ways to engage their God-given imaginations.

What’s New Online?

Be sure to check out BOZ's new-look home page! There are even more options when you get there, including quick access to family activities and parenting tips from our valued partners: MOPS International and FamilyLife. You can also find great teaching resources for your preschool Sunday school class or for use in home schooling by clicking here.

And, if you haven't done so yet, be sure to enter the Big BOZ Bonanza for your chance at one of hundreds of great prizes!.

Thank You God For…Adventures in Imagination is the newest BOZ DVD that will be available in Christian stores November 4. (You can also pre-order now online … click here for details.)

In this DVD, BOZ, Drew, and Gracie discover all kinds of wonderful ways they can use their imaginations. Take a look and see if these might also be ideas you and your child will enjoy doing together.

Read a Book
As BOZ says in the show: "You can learn almost anything if you find the right book. And you can find the right book if you know where to look. And there is one place in our town, where every kind of book can be found." That place, of course is: "the big, big house of books called the library." (And don't forget, BOZ books are also available at you favorite Christian store or online.)

What Do You See?
When preschoolers look at clouds, a cardboard box, or a closet full of clothes they see … a world of imagination before them. As BOZ says, "When you're looking at the things in our colorful world, there's a fun game you can play. With a little imagination, you can see what you want."

Imagine Ways to Help
When Drew and Gracie learn that a local food drive is helping people in their community, BOZ encourages them to use their imaginations to think of creative ways to help others: "Someone had to come up with the idea for the food drive, and that's using imagination," BOZ says. "So, let's use our imagination to see how we can help each other."

Sounds pretty imaginative

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Hey Mom …
Have Fun!

It is important to relate to your child as a parent. But sometimes, it's important just to have fun with your child. Quality time may be as simple as reading a book with them or playing with them! Here are some fun ideas for your child … and you!

First, remember to try to see through your child's eyes. In other words, what does he or she like to do: play trucks, cars, dolls, house, color, games? Whatever it is, jump in! This is your chance to have fun while teach your child to use his or her imagination.

Occasionally, it's fun to have a day of all fun! Try changing up your routine with a "Backwards Day." Beginning in the morning, try to do as many things as possible backwards. Dress backwards in your clothes, walk the dog backwards, and read storybooks from end to beginning. You can even eat your meals backwards by having breakfast for dinner! This is a great way to make special memories with your children while encouraging their creativity.

Not only will your fun times build memories, you'll discover that when you relate to your children, it creates a special relationship — one they know they can trust in years to come.

For more fun ideas be sure to visit the MOPS International website.

Seeing What's Really Important

From an early age, this one simple phrase can help give your children the right perspective they need to see what's really important: "People are more important than things."

Once you as a parent start incorporating this phrase into daily instruction, you'll be amazed at how it fits into so many situations — and how clarifying it truly is. This phrase captures the heart of God in the Scriptures, the heart of Jesus in the Gospels, and the heart of the saints in the rest of the Bible.

As you teach your preschoolers that "people are more important than things," you'll want to be sure to do at least two things.

Teach it often and have lots of grace. As adults we struggle with the truth of this phrase. Consequently, we should understand if our children struggle as well. Hearing the phrase will help them better understand what is going on inside of them as they respond to and interact with life.
Model it well. Opportunities abound in the lives of moms and dads to model this phrase. Choose to play with your children instead of working on a project. Let your children help you prepare dinner, even if it slows things down. They will catch the truth of this phrase as they experience its blessings through you.

When a family lives out the phrase "people are more important than things," they will focus on what is really important. As a result, a family will find itself enjoying the joy of God in their lives … and through their lives.

Check out next month's BOZ Buzz for another great FamilyLife parenting tip. For more parenting insights, go to FamilyLife’s website.