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For the last several weeks, we’ve been working through the stories of five incredible women and giving our girls the chance to make daily reading interactive + fun over the summer. We’ve had discussions, completed activities, memorized verses, and so much more.

But learning isn’t just about engaging their brains.

It’s also about engaging their bodies, both physically and emotionally. That’s why, no matter what stage or season your girl is in, activities like movement and play will continue to be essential to her development and learning.

Remember when your girl was first learning how to crawl? The cross-pattern movement of opposite hand and knee together was a critical stage in her brain development. It helped fire up neurons, cells that send information from our brains to our bodies, and build new neural connections between the left and right hemispheres of her brain for better coordination.

Neurons with the most connections are located in the movement center of the brain, the cerebellum.

What does that mean? Movement can make her smarter.

And we can receive the benefits, too.

Moms, as we age we must continue to learn and challenge ourselves in new ways to stay fit physically and mentally. When it comes to strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance, we’ve got to use it or guess what?

We lose it.

As your girl prepares to head back to school, here are some fun and engaging exercises to strengthen her brain and body while she’s taking a break from her studies. Don’t be afraid to join your girl on the playground for fitness and fun!

Swing

Single Leg Balance Lunge: Stand facing away from the swing. Extend one leg back behind you and place the top of your foot over the swing. Bend your knees as you lower your hips towards the ground keeping your chest lifted.

Inverted Push-Ups: Place your ankles over the swing as you come into straight arm plank position. Keep your core engaged. Bend your elbows as you lower your chest towards the ground. Extend your arms and push yourself back up to plank position.

Bench

Alternating step-ups: Step up onto the bench with one foot and draw the opposite knee in towards the chest to balance. Step back down and repeat on the opposite leg.

Bench Dip: Take a seat on the bench. Scoot your hips off the bench and bend or extend your legs fully. Bend your elbows to a 90 degree angle and  lower hips towards the ground. Push back up and straighten your arms.

Monkey Bars

Scapular Retractions: Grip the bar shoulder distance apart. Keep your arms straight as you retract your scapula (move shoulders away from your ears) and lift your breast bone up. Release and repeat.

Active Hang: Maintain the retracted position and firm up your entire body (except your face). Engage your core. Squeeze your legs together. Aim to hold for at least one minute.

Open Grassy Area or Field

Skipping: Draw one knee into toward your chest as you simultaneously drive the opposite arm forward with your elbow bent at 90 degrees and rise onto the ball of the foot of the opposite leg and forcefully push the ground away. As soon as the front foot lands on the ground, quickly repeat the motion on the other side. Aim to get as much height and distance as possible.

Lateral Shuffle: Stand sideways with your legs wider than hip-distance apart. Bend your knees and sit your hips back. Keep your chest lifted and abs drawn in as you step to the side, then bring the other leg in toward the leading leg, laterally shuffling.

Dance Party: Bring a mini speaker and play her favorite song. The only rule is constant movement for the duration of the song.

Tag Your It: There’s nothing like a good old game of tag. Get your heart rate up and burn some energy as you try to keep up with your girl.

While movement and play are essential for our physical and mental wellbeing, remember that our true purpose calls us to flex our faith muscles first: to be like Christ and exude His qualities.

The ability we have to move and use our bodies in healthy ways is a blessing, but that our spiritual fitness is even that much more important.

“Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both for the present and for the future.”

1 Timothy 4:8

When the exercise is done, spend some time with your girl in prayer. Encourage her to thank God for the ability to move, play, and take care of her wonderful and exquisitely-made body.

Have an awesome day!

If you’re looking for ways to help your daughter be the best version of herself and grow in confidence, character, and faith be sure to check out our free video series, 3 Keys To Unlocking Your Daughter’s True Potential. Click here to watch.

Mama, you did it!

For those of you that signed on to be part of our summer reading challenge, you spent the last few weeks pouring into your daughter with intention and PURPOSE.

You committed to five weeks of faith, fun, and connection to five women who played an important part in God’s story. Great job!

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of what we we did over the last few weeks to spend some quality time with our girls.

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Throughout our lives, there will ups and downs. But no matter what we may be experiencing, God is there with us through it all. He’s always ready and willing to listen and guide us along our journey when we open our hearts to Him.

Draw near to God and He will Draw near to you

James 4:8

In the first week of our Summer Reading Challenge we share with our girls the first of their five superpowers: Prayer.

Pray Like Hannah

God wants to be close to your girl, and He’s waiting for her to come and talk to Him. It’s easy to turn away from God during those moments when all God is asking is for her to call upon Him.

When Hannah was treated harshly by Peninnah it would have been very easy for her to shut down, get angry, or try to handle the problem herself. Instead, she brought her feelings to God in prayer and told Him the truth from inside her own heart. And just as God heard Hannah’s prayer, He hears your girl’s prayers, too.

Every single one.

Maybe she never thought that much about it before. Think about it right now. She has the ability to talk to God, and He can hear everything she says. God, the Creator of the entire universe, listens when she talks to Him.

Open the Window: T-A-P

Remember, she can think of prayer like she’s opening a window. When it’s open, God is there on the other side, waiting to hear from her. Talk to your girl. Encourage her to remember to tap the window (T-A-P) and tell Him what’s on her mind.

T: THANK

The “T” in TAP stands for thank. God has given us many gifts, wonderful people, and special blessings. He has given us a beautiful world to live in and He takes care of our every need. Be sure to tell Him how happy and grateful you are for His love, protection, and grace. Thank Him for everything you can think of!

A: ASK

The “A” in TAP stands for ask. God has the answer to every single question you have. No matter if you are feeling sad, lonely, confused, or angry, you can ask Him anything. He is always listening, and He wants you to ask Him your questions.

P: PRAISE

The “P” in TAP stands for praise. God made this entire world and everything in it (Psalm 89:11): everything we can see, touch, hear, smell, and taste. He is awesome and mighty and powerful, so celebrate and tell Him so! You can be happy and excited that God is who He is. He is loving, faithful, and worthy of our praise.

Here’s an Activity to Try with Your Daughter

Make your very own prayer window! Create one from scratch by decorating a cardboard cutout, or use one made of real wood that’s been repurposed. Paint it, decoupage it, bedazzle it… be creative!

Add pictures and words to remind you of reasons you want to say “thank you” to God.

Patient Like Esther

Have you ever done something before really thinking it through?

Sometimes we make quick decisions based on fear. A lot of the time, people don’t pause or prepare their hearts before making a choice. They jump in before taking enough time to pray, think, or ask God for help.

In week 2 of our Summer Reading Challenge we share with our girls the super power of patience.

Having patience means taking time alone with God to allow Him to share something with us, instead of rushing in to make a decision too quickly. God says to be still. When we’re still, sitting quietly and without anything there to distract us, it gives us a chance to hear what God wants to tell us.

Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. 

The Bible says that when we choose to wait on the Lord, taking time to properly prepare before making choices, He gives us the power and strength we need so that we can make the best choice at the right time.

Sometimes our timing is not same as God’s timing, but God’s timing is always perfect. God knows and has planned every detail of our lives. We can trust His plan!

Activity: Make your very own patience clock! Create one from scratch by decorating a cardboard cutout, or build one out of materials you have at home (Moms, there are some awesome examples on Pinterest). Paint it, decorate it, dress it up…be creative! Add pictures and words that will help you to remember to “wait on the Lord,”and that His timing is perfect.

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Have you ever been so scared or nervous that it was hard to do something?

Did it feel like you were frozen, or like time was standing still? Have you ever felt like you knew the right thing to do, but you couldn’t do it because something was holding you back?

In the third week of our Summer Reading Challenge we learn about the superpower of Bravery from our Belle, Abigail. (Read 1 Samuel 25)

Abigail was faced with a difficult and dangerous choice. It would have been very easy for her to ignore the problem or be too scared to do anything about it. Instead, Abigail remembered that God was with her. She thought about how to protect her family and show David respect and kindness at the same time.

Brave Like Abigail

Bravery is a feeling of confidence and strength, even when you are faced with trouble or danger. During those times, it’s easy to forget that God is bigger than our problems.

Psalm 27:1-3 The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. 

The Lord Is My Strength And My SHIELD

When we find ourselves in scary or uncomfortable situations, or when we feel like we’re alone in the dark, we need to remember that God is with us. He is our light. Bravery isn’t about overcoming our fears alone. It’s about remembering how strong and powerful God is. When we remember that, we realize that there is absolutely nothing to fear.

S- Shoulders back

H- Head high

I- Imagine God right next to you

E- Eyes forward

L- Listen with an open heart

D- Decide how best to show love and kindness.

Here’s an Activity to Try with Your Daughter

Draw and color a shield as a reminder that God is always right beside you, protecting you from harm. (There’s a printable coloring sheet on Day 4 in the Devotional).

Loyal Like Ruth

In the fourth week of our Summer Reading Challenge we share with our girls the superpower of loyalty.

Loyalty is showing love and genuine kindness towards others, despite how you may be feeling. It means loving others faithfully, without waiting or wanting something in return. This isn’t always easy to do, especially when we are feeling hurt or betrayed, but the story of Ruth (Read Ruth 1) teaches us how to be a loyal friend and show up fully for the people in our lives.

Dear children, let’s not say that we love each other. Let us show our love with our actions.

1 John 3:18

Think back to the last time someone hurt your feelings. Maybe it was during an argument or misunderstanding. How did you feel?

In these moments it’s easier to lash out and react to our emotions rather than remaining calm, collected, and rooted in kindness, love, and loyalty.

When you find yourself in a situation where it feels hard to love someone, remember that God is love. He is the best place to go when you need help loving the people around you.

Here’s an Activity to Try with Your Daughter

On a piece of paper, make two columns. Have her think about the people she knows (family, friends, classmates, teammates etc.). In the first column, make a list of people she thinks are easy to love. In other words, it wouldn’t be difficult to be kind to these people. It would take a little bit of effort and a little heart. In the second column, make a list of people in her life who are a little harder to love. Once she has some names written down, encourage her to spend some time thinking and praying out loud with you. Ask God together to change her heart for these people. Ask Him to make her heart bigger for the people in the second column.

We are in our final week of the Summer Reading Challenge. Over the last four weeks we have been encouraging our girls to ignite their superpowers: Prayer, Patience, Bravery, and Loyalty.

This week we explore our fifth and final superpower: Leadership.

Lead Like Deborah

The story of Deborah (Read Judges 4) is an example of how God wants us to use our superpowers to serve Him and others as a leader. As a judge, Deborah solved disagreements, gave people good advice, and encouraged them to love God and discover their authentic voice and unique purpose in the world. Because of her faith, strength, and character, God placed Deborah in a position to lead His people into battle and win a great victory!

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others. 

Philippians 2:3-4

Just like Deborah, God has chosen each and every one of us to be a leader as well.

What is a Leader?

Leadership is more than being in charge or telling people what to do. It doesn’t only mean doing the work God wants you to do. Being a good leader also means encouraging the people around you to do the same. The word leader literally means, “to put courage in” others.

Action Step

Recall a time you were struggling and someone encouraged you.

Discuss the following with your girl:

• What were you facing?
• What did the person say?
• What did the person do?
• How did it make you feel?

Pray together and ask God to grow your desire and skill to encourage others in both words and actions.

Let Her Noise Be H.E.A.R.D

This marks the finale of our Summer Reading Challenge! Your little Belle has earned all five bells: The bell of prayer, patience, bravery, loyalty, and leadership.

As a reminder of her superpowers help your girl make her very own HEARD bracelet with yarn, string, cord, craft foam, or whatever other fun material you prefer. Be creative! Use beads, jewels, charms, letters, and more!Be sure to add the initials of each Bible Belle (“H” for Hannah, “E” for Esther, “A” for Abigail, “R” for Ruth, and “D” for Deborah). Wear your HEARD bracelet as a reminder that, like the Bible Belles, God gave her a powerful voice. He wants that voice to be heard out in the world!

Trust your own voice.

I stared at those words as they sat on a page of loose-leaf paper next to my computer. I remember scribbling them furiously as my editor was explaining how to approach my newest writing project.

The author in me received her advice and encouragement.

The mom in me pulled back a bit.

A few hours later, I was staring at my little girl. This was a few years back, so her sweet, 3-year-old self was trying desperately to read the book she had open on the floor of her bedroom.

She tried to remember out loud which sounds went with what letters. The words stumbled as they left her lips. I watched and listened.

She’s older now, and that little voice is still music to my ears.

She’s 5 now. Whenever I catch myself listening to her speak, or sing, I’m reminded that she’s developing a voice that goes beyond simple sound production.

She’s young. She is impressionable. And every day presents real opportunities for her to grow and build the voice she’ll use to make her unique impression on the world.

Will that sweet voice speak the truth?

Will it become strong and powerful?

Will it ring, filled with love and compassion?

Or will it echo the noise of a culture that tells her to care more about herself than others?

The world has a lot to tell our girls about what they should do and who they should be.

The world is wrong, and at times it sure is loud.

Will she use her life and her voice to make a different kind of noise?

Virtues training.

Values education.

Whatever we want to call it, developing a girl’s character is no easy undertaking in today’s world. And no matter what stage or season she’s in, at times the responsibility of guiding her can feel like both a great honor and a heavy burden.

If you want your girl to grow, I mean REALLY grow, surround her with women who have the character you want to instill in her.

Challenge: Give your girl the opportunity to interact with women whose character you would be proud to have her emulate. Use the next few weeks to create opportunities for her to learn from these women and grow in character and confidence.

Action Step: Swap screen time for five weeks of intentional character training. Join us for a 5 week reading challenge that’s both fun and faith-building!

The only thing you need is our digital devotional bundle and to set aside a little time each day to connect with your girl and do the daily reading/activity. We’ll take care of the rest!

It’s going to be a fun and simple way to encourage your girl to read and lead!

Remember, Mama, it is in your home, on your lap, and at your kitchen table that you will fight the battle for her character.

Take 5 weeks to show her that leadership isn’t just about learning to trust the voice inside.

It’s about building in her a voice that is worthy of trust.

Order your copy of the devotional here.

Do yourself a favor. Don’t put it off.

Fill out the form and join us!

When I became mother to my girl, I began to recognize the sphere of influence God assigned me to and how absolutely everything — my personality, experiences, the resources I have and the investments God has made in my own life — all of those things have uniquely equipped me to be her mom.

I can say with confidence that there is absolutely no one more qualified on this planet to raise my daughter than I am.

I don’t mean that in a prideful way. I say it to acknowledge that, regardless of how good I feel or how much I trust or don’t trust my abilities on any given day, God did not make a mistake when He gave that little girl to me.

And he didn’t make a mistake with you either.

God’s way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30

Mom, you can own your assignment because you can trust the One who assigned it.

Have an awesome day!

If you’re looking to connect with your girl and develop her skills in life and leadership,  integrity, character, and confidence in your girl, be sure to check out my free video series, 3 Keys To Unlocking Her True Potential. Click here to watch. These topics changed my life and how I lead my daughter forever…

 

When I found out I was going to be a mom, I was shocked. When I was told I was having a girl, though, I’ll admit I shook my head.

I thought, maybe, there had been a mistake.

I have never been what anyone would call “girly”. I grew up sliding into mud puddles (or the bases around the softball field).

I didn’t try on my mom’s nail polish or dance around wearing her high heels.

I don’t even think I owned a doll.

I hadn’t spent years imagining what it would be like to have a daughter: to dress my little girl in cute, frilly outfits or how I might style her hair.

The truth is that even a simple braid confounds my fingers most days.

But when I held my baby girl for the first time, I began to realize that ours is a bond unlike any other. She and I are joined forever by love and by a lifetime of my own experience understanding how the world tries to define a woman’s worth.

Challenge: As moms, we want to raise our daughters to know they are truly loved and that culture doesn’t determine their value. Their Creator does.

You want to show your girl how to navigate the world and achieve anything she sets her mind to.

Action Step: Teaching her, in truth, will allow you to guide, grow, and mentor your daughter to become exactly who she was created to be.

 

 

Here’s to using truth to guide, grow, and mentor our daughters’ worth…together.

Have an awesome day!

If you’re looking to get on the path to instilling integrity, character, and confidence in your girl, be sure to check out my brand new 6 part online study you can do with your daughter, Nurturing Her Unique Voice. I walk you through each step of the way. Enrollment will be closing soon!