Playfully Faithful Parenting: Encouraging Christian Mamas to Disciple & Discipline with Play & Joy

On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, host Joy Wendling dives into the world of block play and how it intertwines with faith. Joy explores how block play evolves as children grow older and how it can be integrated with faith-based teachings and how understanding child development is also crucial in nurturing children's faith and creating appropriate expectations. Drawing inspiration...

On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, we explore the concept of loose parts play and its intersection with faith. Joy highlights how loose parts can help children learn to take risks in a safe and creative environment. We delve into the benefits of loose parts beyond just creativity, discussing how they can foster problem-solving skills and enhance concentration. The importance of combi...

The podcast episode is about the topic of risky play and faith, exploring how parents can support their children's development and relationship with God by allowing them to engage in risky play. We talk about what risky play is, why our kids need it, how to do it well, and how it will help you nurture your child’s faith. You’ve got the Holy Spirit! You can do it, mama! Links: (This may contain...

On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, host Joy Wendling explores the topic of pretend play and its impact on faith development in children. She discusses how setting up a conducive environment that sparks children's desire for pretend play can have positive effects on their cognitive abilities, language skills, understanding of different perspectives, social skills, problem-solving,...

On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, Joy encourages Christian mamas to try scaffolding to nurture their children’s faith formation. Joy teaches you what scaffolding is, how to scaffold, why you might scaffold, and sometimes when you might scaffold. This is a simple and practical tool to use to help your kids grow closer to Christ. You’ve got the Holy Spirit! You can do it, mama! Links:...

On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, Joy encourages families to make worship and engagement with activities an intergenerational thing that allows both parents and children to hear the Holy Spirit. Joy emphasizes three key points from reflecting on her time at the Intergenerate conference. The episode also talks about how families are like little churches, and it is essential for child...

On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, host Joy Wendling explores how parents can engage in creative play with their children through the lens of the Creation Story. Using a collection of Psalms and other Bible verses about God as Creator, Joy suggests ways to reflect and connect with God. Listeners can discover how to incorporate movement, storytelling, drawing, and other creative outle...

Could your kids answer WWBD, what would Bluey do? What about WWJD? On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, I share insights on storytelling and character development when teaching kids about Jesus. I discuss the importance of fully developing Jesus as a character and setting the scene properly to help kids imagine the story. I encourage parents to engage in playful storytelling with their...

Hey friends! Today's episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting is all about summer reading lists for moms and kids. I share some great recommendations that will help you experience joy in motherhood and grow closer to God in your parenting journey. Check out the show notes for links to all the books mentioned. And don't forget, clicking on these links supports my ministry and doesn't cos...

On this episode of Playfully Faithful Parenting, I dive into the story of the priest, prophet, and judge Samuel from 1 Samuel 1-3. First I start with prayer, then I emphasize the opportunity parents have to show their children what it looks like to walk with God in all situations and model it for them. I discuss the importance of giving space for the Holy Spirit to work in people's lives and t...

I fully believe that God wants you to enjoy being a mom. It is a gift and a blessing. When we do it with Him, instead of for Him, we are able to model God’s love for our children while experiencing joy in our motherhood. Then, our children will be able to know that Jesus didn’t just die for them to have eternal life in heaven, but abundant life here and now with Him. In this episode, we look at th...

Happy Mother’s Day week!  Knowing and leaning into your identity in Christ is pivotal for helping you enjoy motherhood and to mother your best. Let’s look at the Connected Families’ Framework and play with your identity a bit. You’ve got the Holy Spirit! You can do it, mama! Links: (This may contain some affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you mak...

Today we are looking at how play leads our kids to find strength in God and contentment. Let’s help our kids get hands-on with their faith and make it their own. In this series, The Potential of Play for Our Kids' Faith, we will dig into Scott Eberle’s 6 elements of play and how we might use it to grow closer to Christ. Anticipation Surprise Pleasure Understanding Strength Grace You’ve got the...

Today we are looking at how play leads our kids to joy and understanding in our kids’ faith. Life with Jesus isn’t supposed to be boring!  In this series, The Potential of Play for Our Kids' Faith, we are going to dig into Scott Eberle’s 6 elements of play and how we might use it to grow closer to Christ. Anticipation Surprise Pleasure Understanding Strength Grace You’ve got the Holy Spirit! Y...

Today we are looking at the power of wonder and surprise for our kids’ faith. Life with Jesus isn’t supposed to be boring!  In this series, The Potential of Play for Our Kids' Faith, we are going to dig into Scott Eberle’s 6 elements of play and how we might use it to grow closer to Christ. Anticipation Surprise Pleasure Understanding Strength Grace You’ve got the Holy Spirit! You can do it, m...

I asked, you answered, and now I am responding. You want to learn more about play and its potential for discipling our kids. There is so much potential for our children and us. In this series, The Potential of Play for Our Kids' Faith, we are going to dig into Scott Eberle’s 6 elements of play and how we might use it to grow closer to Christ. Anticipation Surprise Pleasure Understanding Streng...

As parents, we have the incredible responsibility of teaching our children about God. It's one of the most important things we can do for them. But it's not always easy. We may not know where to start or how to make it interesting for our kids. In this episode, we'll discuss the importance of teaching your kids who God is and what He has done. We'll look at the story of Judges 2 to...

We want God’s truth in our kids' hearts and minds, but when do we have time to help our families memorize Scripture together? In the car! With today’s playful tip and tool, you can memorize the Lord’s Prayer with faith and fun. Love: Lean on God for your daily bread. Teach: Line by line with playfulness and the overflow of your faith. Play: Say “amen!” with enthusiasm and silliness. You’ve got...

Do you have joy in motherhood? Many moms don’t. I don’t love every moment of motherhood, but I have joy and you can, too! Love: Look to God and nurture your faith. Teach: Model seeking God for direction. Play: Dance and celebrate God even when things are hard. You’ve got the Holy Spirit! You can do it, mama! Verses from this episode: 2 Samuel 6 Exodus 15 Links: (This may contain some affiliate lin...

“It's the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.” - Mr. Rogers It is normal to not want to play with our kids or for it not to be fun to play with our kids. I often get asked how to deal with that. So, today, I share three tips to help you play with your kids to make an impact for Jesus. Love: Jesus entered into our world, we can do the same...

“But when you yield to the life of the Spirit, you will no longer be living under the law, but soaring above it!” Galatians 5:18 TPT How often do you find yourself parenting out of fear? Fear of the law? Fear of messing up your child? Fear of your child straying away? Let’s parent with the Holy Spirit, living into the freedom gifted us by Jesus. Love: Embrace the freedom Christ offers. Teach: Mode...

It has been a while since I have done an interview on the podcast. This is a great one to break that streak. Quina Aragon has written a trio of beautiful picture books to help our kids learn about the Trinity and his love. Join the FB group for a giveaway in March of all three books. Quina’s Bio: Quina Aragon is an author, editor, and spoken word poet residing in Orlando, Florida, with her husband...

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lenten season. Lent is a somber season when we prepare our hearts for the death and resurrection of Jesus. But somber does not have to mean we can't be playful as we teach our kids the significance of the season. in this episode I invited my friend and fellow Connected Families Certified Parent Coach, Katie Wetzel, to share a playful yet deeply...

The most common struggle I hear from Christian moms is that they want to be more patient. Let’s wrap up our series on patience by talking about shame, grace, and patience with ourselves. Love: God doesn’t shame us into obedience. Teach: We can’t disciple while shaming. Play: Play to build up serotonin. You’ve got the Holy Spirit! You can do it, mama! Verses from this episode: Romans 2:4 John 14:!5...

The most common struggle I hear from Christian moms is that they want to be more patient. Let’s take a look at how God designed our brains and what that can tell us about growing in Christ-likeness. Love: Jesus offers abundant life for us in the midst of our impatience. Teach: Model self-control and living abundantly. Play: Play however you want to build up serotonin and grow your patience. You’ve...