Lunch Lessons

This is most certainly one of my favorite ideas! Ever! It is truly amazingly effective for sharing goodness with your kiddos. I have used the time during lunch to teach, share and discuss with my kids some of the most important things in life: Making Good Choices, character, integrity, kindness, forgiveness and learning to connect with God.

I read this idea in the Ensign magazine several years ago. It was just a simple small paragraph that one intentional mommy shared ideas of the life of Christ with her toddlers while they munched on their lunch. It struck me immediately as profound and effective. I could picture this being a blessing to my kids and our family. Now I can clearly claim after years of using this wonderful way, teaching my children joyfully during their lunch has been a fundamental building block for their learning. I recommend this method to everyone!

What could be more natural than a parent sharing values and the teachings of Christ during lunch time? Here is how we have done this–in such a simple manner; Truly Easy Peasy. Feel free to adjust for your family.

1. Make Lunch– Work together, even if your 2 year old is in charge of grabbing napkins, he is helping. Set out the lunch for the kids. Make sure everyone has a drink and everything is ready, so you can have a few uninterrupted minutes for the lesson (not always possible).
2. Pick out a Lunch Lesson. I have primarily used artwork of events that have happened in the life of Christ as well as other scriptures, articles about heroes in history, and whatever crosses my path that I consider of worth. Pictures work best for keeping your young child’s attention.
3. Hold up that picture and then tell the story. Tell the story of the 10 lepers who were healed by Jesus, only one returned to offer thanks. This is a powerful lesson of Gratitude! Then offer a challenge for everyone to say thank you all that day to anyone who helps them. I often will add something from my own life, when someone offered gratitude to me, or maybe a time I regret not giving appropriate thanks! If you feel it would be effective, ask your kiddos how they like it when someone forgets to say thank you? Or better yet, remind them of the kind deed they recently did for the neighbor who profusely thanked them! You get the picture! You are now connecting the dots with them!
4. That’s it. Teaching a lunch lesson will maybe take 4-8 minutes of your time. This will come to be a beautiful daily ritual, that your children will crave and treasure. Soon 1 lunch lesson will turn to 2 everyday. Then as your children grow, you can assign the lunch lesson to an older child, who picks from the growing number of pictures in your big binder full of sheet protectors (to avoid food spills) Your older child will learn in a new way, because they are teaching!
5. Best. Idea. Ever. Seriously. This one is my favorite. Learn with your children and watch their understanding increase. It is stunning.

When your kiddos venture off to school, do lunch lessons have to end? Nope? Just laminate some small 3×5 pieces of artwork (often found in bookstores) and then have a post it and pen ready! I stick a lunch lesson into the lunch boxes of my kids with a little love note or a challenge. Sometimes if it has been a rough morning, I just write a note of encouragement and love.

If there is any tool I were to teach new mommies it would be this one! No doubt! While toddlers, kids and older kids are filling their bellies at lunch, this is the perfect time to fill their minds and hearts with fundamental goodness. Give it a try and tell me how is goes. I hope it will be a blessing to you and yours as much as it has been to my little clan.

Kim

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