“I Am Special” Scrapbook Suggestions for Your Child Sometimes it’s hard to be a kid. The world seems frightening, and much too big. During those times, a window of opportunity is yours to teach your child about God’s love. He has not forgotten them. He will walk right beside them through the good times, and the bad. God sees, and more importantly He cares. Reinforcing these truths will go a long way toward helping them to feel safe. Getting started: You will need a scrapbook, art supplies (pencils, glue, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, etc), old magazines, and a place and time to help your child with this project. Copy one heading, and scripture (underlined) on to each page in your scrapbook. In the remaining space, create! God loves me so much, He knows how many hairs I have on my head. ". . . He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail--even numbering the hairs on your head!" Luke 12:7 The Message suggestion: draw a picture of yourself, and (with mommy or daddy’s help) paste some of your hair on the picture. You might want to find a picture of you when you were a baby, and one of you now, to put in your book. Was it easier for God to count the hairs on your head then, or would He have more to count now? God knows my name. “I have called your name. You are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 The Message suggestion: write your name using your favorite colors. When God talks about you, He uses your name. He likes to talk about you, because He loves you so much. If you weren't already named __________________, what would you like your name to be? God likes to think about me. "That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you." Isaiah 43:4 The Message suggestion: what kind of thoughts do you think God has about you? Can you list some of them here? If I counted all the time God thinks about me, it would be more than all the sand in the ocean. “How precious also are Thy thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.” Psalm 139:17 KJV suggestion: tape a baggie with sand in it to this page. How many pieces of sand do you think are in your bag? Have you ever been to the ocean? How many pieces of sand do you think there are on the beach? God thinks of you a lot! God made me- and He thinks I am wonderful! "I will praise thee; for I am ... wonderfully made. . ." Psalm 139:14 KJV suggestion: God loves you just like you are! Draw a picture of yourself. You are a very special person! Your daddy and mommy think you are special, too. What are five things they especially like about you? (You'll have to ask them!)God knew me, when He made me in my mommy’s womb "Oh, yes, You shaped me first inside, then out; You formed me in my mother's womb.  You are inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something."  Psalm 139:13-15 The Message suggestion: ask mommy or daddy for pictures of you when your mommy was pregnant with you, or when you were a baby, and paste them here. If they don't have pictures of mommy, draw a picture of how you think she looked when she was pregnant with you. God sure did a good job making you, didn’t He? God knows when I sit and when I stand. “You know when I sit down and when I stand up; Even from a distance You know what I am thinking." Psalm 139:2 NIV suggestion: draw a picture of you sitting, and then one of you standing. Or, have mommy or daddy take pictures of you sitting and standing to put on this page. God watches over you so carefully that He sees you no matter what you are doing. Can you draw pictures of other things God sees you doing? God watches over me when I sleep. “He won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won't fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel's Guardian will never doze or sleep.” Psalm 121:3-4 The Message suggestion: draw a picture of you sleeping in your bed. With mommy or daddy’s help, cut a piece of cloth and paste it to your picture for a blanket on your bed. God can see in the dark! It’s light to Him. That means He can see ME just FINE! Psalm 139:12 “Even the darkness is not dark to thee, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee.” KJV suggestion: are you afraid of the dark? Aren’t you glad to know that God can see everything, nothing is hidden from Him. Draw a picture of you somewhere at night. Now draw that same picture, only make it daytime. That’s how God sees ALL the time. When I am afraid, I can trust in God. “When I am afraid, I will trust in God.” Psalm 56:3 KJV suggestion: what are you afraid of? Can you cut pictures out of a magazine that show things you are afraid of? You can talk to God about what you are afraid of. What would you like to say to Him? God has angels who watch over me! “He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go.” Psalm 91:11 The Message suggestion: what do you think an angel looks like? Draw a picture of you, with an angel beside you. God Loves Me so much! “For God so loved your name so much, that He gave His only begotten son, that if your name would believe in Him, you would not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV suggestion: write a letter to God thanking Him for the gift of His son, Jesus. Tell Him whatever else you would like to tell Him. You don’t have to worry about sending it…. God will read it, while you’re writing! Sometimes things happen that I don't understand "If your heart is broken, you will find God right there." Psalm 34:19 The Message suggestion: What has happened in your life that you don't understand? Draw a picture of how that makes you feel. Circle the words that describe how you feel when things happen that you don't understand: sad, angry, lonely, like I want to cry, afraid. What other emotions do you sometimes feel? When things happen that you don't understand it helps to talk about it with someone you love and trust. Who could you talk to? What would you like to say to them? God knows that sometimes things happen that we don't understand. When those things happen we feel frightened, sad, or angry. God understands, and He is never angry with you for feeling the way you do. He is big enough, and strong enough to care for you. Are you angry at God? Do you wonder why bad things sometimes happen to good people? Write a letter to God, and tell Him exactly how you are feeling. Mommy, I Don’t Feel So Good “The eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you.” Deuteronomy 33:27 The New Living Bible suggestion: Is your heart hurting? Why? It feels good to get a hug when you are sad, doesn't it? What do you like best about your daddy or mommy's hugs? Draw a picture of them hugging you. Did you know that when you are sad, God is hugging you, too? It won't always hurt like it does right now suggestion: When things happen that make us sad, we grieve. It feels like we will always feel this way, but we won't. One day we will discover that we feel happy once more. When someone we love dies, we are sometimes afraid that we will forget them. Talk to daddy and mommy about what you can do to remember them. Perhaps, you could: What are some of your favorite memories of ______________? Make a scrapbook with pictures and stories about the one who has died. Plant a tree or a special flower garden. Each time you look at it you will remember the good things about the one you loved. With daddy or mommy's help you can place a special stone in your garden or yard- perhaps near the tree or flowers you have planted. Ask mommy or daddy to buy you a soft blanket that you can snuggle in. You can hold it when you feel like crying, or sleep with it when you are afraid. Or, maybe you can wrap it around you while you are coloring or watching a favorite movie. You can call it your "love blanket." It will remind you that there are those who love you, and care about you very, very much. Copyright © 2005rjknuth  Permission granted for personal or group use.  Not for sale God's Love For You