A few days ago, I was browsing through my Facebook feed when I saw something that actually took my breath away. There on the screen were beautiful and fantastic photographs of real snowflakes. As I clicked through the collection of about twelve different snowflake images I realized two things:
1. Every tiny intricate snowflake was truly beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that I had to do some research to make sure I wasn’t being fooled by computer editing or animation. (I wasn’t! They were real.)
2. No two snowflakes were alike. Each one was unique in a variety of ways.
I got thinking about how we, as people, are kind of like snowflakes. From a distance we all generally look the same. But, when we look closely, we can see that we are all special and each of us has something unique to offer. Sometimes the media makes us feel like there is one kind of beautiful. But, really there are thousands, no, millions of different kinds of beauty. This Family Night Lesson is to help your family members realize their own personal beauty and worth in this world. We are like the snowflakes; we are all unique. There is nobody in the world just like you. Embrace it! And, let your beauty shine.
Start the lesson by showing the images of real snowflakes. You can see a great selection here. Point out the differences between the images in the article. Notice that some snowflakes have certain similar characteristics, but that none of them are completely alike.
Photo Found On Pinterest With No Credit Attached To Image.
Then, talk about how we are like the snowflakes in a way. We are all unique. Tell your family about how God created us.
Read the scripture: Moses 2:27 “I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.”
God is perfect. He doesn’t make any mistakes. Because of this, we know that we are exactly as He intended for us to be! We are all beautiful. He made us that way! There are so many kinds of beauty. Just like in the images of the snowflakes.
Activity
Craft your own paper snowflakes together. You can use a snowflake pattern, or, be creative and make your own designs. Here are the basic instructions on how to fold a paper snowflake.
After everyone has made one or two paper snowflakes, then sit in a circle or around the table. Let each person talk about something that makes them feel special or unique. Make sure to add your own thoughts about each person. What do you notice about them that is beautiful?
For example: My daughter is really good at art. She takes time with her handwriting and her homework pages are always neat and easy to read. She is also an excellent dancer. But, the best part about her dancing is that she had to work really hard to gain her flexibility. It wasn’t easy, but she did it! She is also really good at being happy when other people succeed. And, she gets so excited during movies that it is almost more fun watching her than watching the movie on the television screen.
I love making my kids say nice things about themselves. Some people are shy about saying good things out loud about themselves, so it is good to practice! When you are done talking about what makes your family members unique and beautiful, hang the snowflakes up somewhere in your home as a reminder of what you talked about. You can string them together to make a garland, or hang them on a window.
Game
One of my favorite inside Winter games is to have an indoor snowball fight! Instead of using snow, we use marshmallows. They are light and fluffy and so fun to toss around. Give everyone a handful of marshmallows and then at the count of three, go wild throwing them at each other. It doesn’t hurt, and it is quite funny! Make sure to get all of the marshmallows cleaned up after the game is over. They can get a little bit messy.
Treat
My kids seem to look forward to a Family Night Treat more than anything else. One of my favorite treats is to make homemade snow cones. They are really easy to do if you have a nice blender. Throw two cups of ice into the blender on low and chop until it is chipped into tiny pieces. Stop the blender occasionally and stir it around if you need to get any big ice pieces incorporated. You can buy snow cone syrup to squeeze on top, or make your own with this simple recipe.
You will need:
2 C Sugar
1 C Water
1 Package of (Any flavor) Kool-aid
Combine the water and sugar in saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let the contents boil for a few minutes and then remove from heat. Add the Kool-aid packet and stir until it is completely incorporated. Transfer the syrup into a container with a spout. Let it cool before using.
There are a lot of other fun treats you could make to go along with this lesson. Use marshmallows to make rice crispy treats. Or, make hot chocolate and drop some of your “snowballs” into the cups to make it festive.
Conclusion
We are all made by God. He is a perfect creator. We are unique and beautiful in our own special way.
Fore more Family Night ideas, try these posts:
Hi Adelle and Mariel,
I always like family lessions like this for our kids. Fortunately our kids love playing with us every night, they almost forget sleeping time!
That’s wonderful!!