Giving Your Children a Great Feast!

As we know, a child’s view of the Feast can be different from an adult’s. Here are some ideas on how to make this a truly wonderful Feast for your children!

As adults, our anticipation of the Feast of Tabernacles usually includes looking forward to good sermons, fellowship after services and eating at nice restaurants that we ordinarily wouldn’t be able to afford.

But if you’re a parent, it’s probably not news to you that those aren’t necessarily the things that your children are looking forward to!

Giving to our children at Feast time can come pretty natural for us parents. We like to give to our children! But how can we make sure that what we give our children during the fall holy days will truly enhance their Feast memories and connect them more tightly to God, His Word, His plan and His Church?

Here are some things to keep in mind as you make plans for a family Feast.

Give good gifts

Feast gifts are what most of us think of when we think of making our children’s Feasts special. And indeed they can! But not all gifts help connect our children to God, His Word, His plan and His Church. In evaluating a possible gift to be used during meetings, don’t just consider whether your children will enjoy it. Consider whether it will make church services more pleasant for them. And will it still allow your children to listen to the minister speaking?

I still vividly remember the special gift my parents gave me at our first Feast when I was 6 years old. It was a “Crissy” doll with hair that could grow or get short with a turn of a knob on her back, and she came with a wonderful array of clothes that my mother had sewed in advance of the Feast. I explored all of her wardrobe combinations and styled her shiny hair during many a service. (There were two services each day back then!)

A few years later my parents involved me in selecting my special gift—a Bible! I was ready to begin looking up scriptures that were referred to in the sermon. Having a Bible of my own made this an exciting privilege.

Other good gifts might include sticker books, crayons and other art supplies. Stuffed animals can allow your children to think of the pets they’d like to have in God’s Kingdom (Isaiah 11:6).

There are other things that your child might love to receive as gifts, but might not be the best fit as a Feast gift to be used during services. If it makes sounds or music, nix it. Even if it’s used without sound, a game on a computer screen can be distracting to others sitting nearby.

Do fun things

This, too, comes pretty naturally to us as parents. We love to see our children have fun and enjoy life. For the Feast, make sure you plan activities that can include the entire family. Look for things that help you picture what the Millennium will be like. A hike on a nature trail, for instance, can allow you to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. A visit to a zoo can provide a natural lead-in to how animals will live peacefully together in God’s Kingdom (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Select restaurants that are kid-friendly and interesting. And if your children are young, pick ones that don’t involve a lot of waiting! (If you and your spouse want to have a special evening at a restaurant, consider trading babysitting services with another family.)

Build friendships

Even the best gifts grow old. And even wonderful activities can become boring. But sharing a toy or enjoying an activity with a friend can add an extra sparkle. So give your children opportunities to build friendships at the Feast. Encourage your children to participate in the children’s choir and any organized preteen activities. Consider hosting a children’s party and inviting other families. Friendships formed at the Feast can last a lifetime!

Think about others

It’s one of life’s paradoxes that we’re often happiest when we’re doing something for others. Teach your children this important and godly principle by helping them give to others. When you hear of elderly or sick members in your congregation who won’t be able to travel to the Feast, let your children know of it and involve them in making or writing Feast cards or selecting a small gift to send these members. At the Feast site, let your children select postcards to send back to these members.

Depending on their school situation, your children might also like to share a flavor of their Feast experience by sending a postcard to their teachers and classmates back home. If your budget permits, you might help your children select gifts for their teachers and the class. For instance, if your Feast site is on the beach, a book about fish or whales might be a nice addition to their classroom library.

Talk about it

Here’s the most important way to give your children a wonderful Feast that will connect them to God, His Word, His plan and His Church: Teach them. Have conversations with your children about the meaning of the fall holy days. God’s holy day plan builds on itself, with each day adding to the previous.

You might make a paper chain with a link for each day until you leave for the Feast. Use a different color of paper for the links representing Sabbaths, the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. Then every day at dinner time, bed time or whatever special time you’ve chosen, let your children remove a link. Use the time to build anticipation for the Feast and rehearse the meaning of God’s fall holy days.

If your children have Sabbath school lessons on the holy days, talk to them about what they learned. Read to them from the Bible some of your favorite scriptures about these holy days. Make use of Church resources for teaching about the holy days in a simple, easy-to-understand way.

The fall festivals begin with the Feast of Trumpets, picturing Jesus Christ’s return to this earth. The Day of Atonement shows how God will remove Satan and his influence. The Feast of Tabernacles allows us to picture the Millennium, the wonderful time when God’s Kingdom will rule on this earth so that there can be peace, happiness and abundance. And the Last Great Day teaches us to look forward to when those who have died without knowing God’s truth will be resurrected and given the opportunity to choose His way of life.

This is part of what God instructs parents to do in Deuteronomy 11:19: “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

This point, when combined with the points mentioned above, will help you give your children their best Feast yet!

Becky Bennett attends the Dallas, Texas, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, with her husband.