From the Beginning
Getting to know God – Right From the Beginning
A Christian program for introducing babies and toddlers to daily life with God
This program is directed to little children of about 1/2 year to 4 years old and communicates to them that God loves them, that he has made them beautiful and that he is the creator of all the world around us which the children are about to discover.
We want the children to get to know God as a loving father who cares for them and listens to them.
We use a lot of visual aids and many songs. On our German homepage you can have a look
at the pictures: http://www.vaaj.de/galerie.htm.
We have developped this program in the eighties and published a book (with songs on a CD) in German language (http://www.vaaj.de/buch.html).
Carol and David Boyd about this program:
Recently, we reviewed a developmental program entitled "The First Years Last Forever." This title conveys the importance of those first moments, months and years in a child's life. The most significant impartation they can be given is to be able to be secure and trust the love of their parents and God, our Father.
Science now shows us how critical those early months of stimulation and relationship are to the healthy physical and emotional development of our children. Our creator has always known this and designed the family to be the conveyors of this foundation for life.
Conscience, values, caring are imparted in the life of the family as the parents allow their own lives to be oriented by the ways of God.
As parents, missionaries and teachers we recommend this book for it's contribution to demonstrating, hands on understanding of the ways of God, a healthy picture of themselves and an interest and understanding of the world around them.
In recommending this book, we do so on the basis of personal experience. As parents we have experienced the developmental years of our four children and attempted to do that according to what we understood as biblical patterns. We have not only proven these biblical concepts and principles in Germany but in numerous cultures, we can say with confidence that they actually work. God's word is just as effective and dependable in the life of a child as it is for the adult. The greatest encouragement you can give your child for life has little to do with material security but the confidence that God is good and is his Father.
Relating daily life to God
according to Deuteronomy 6,5-7
1. Speak about God "when you get up".
∙ Sing a good-morning song when the baby wakes up.
2. Speak about God "when you sit in your house".
∙ Sing a song of thanksgiving before you nurse or feed the baby.
∙ In front of the mirror
∙ When you change diapers
∙ When you bathe the child
∙ When you have the child in your arms
∙ Celebrating the birthday
3. Speak about God "when you are on your way"
∙ Take time to consciously discover the wold with your child. Then we can point out and sing songs that God created all of this for us because he loves us.
4. Speak about God "when you lie down"
∙ When you bring the child to bed
Information
The book which explains this program is being translated into English.
The Russian and the Bulgarian translations are already available.
We are working on the Romanian translation as well and we will continue to give seminars in Romania and Russia.
If you are interested in getting more information contact vaa@ywam-hurlach.de.
If you read German visit our web-site www.vaaj.de or the "VAA-Information / deutsch" about seminars, our book and other material.