Faith-at-home ideas, coloring pages and book news from Welcome Him. 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://welcomehim.com/ Welcome Him 2026-10-14T00:00:00Z https://welcomehim.com/blog/why-we-started-welcome-him/

We started Welcome Him to bring Christ back into the home and give kids a fun way to do it, with coloring books that tell Bible stories faithfully and show faith lived at home.

<h2>Where does faith start?</h2> <p>For most of us, faith started at home: a grace said before supper, a prayer at bedtime, a parent or grandparent who told the stories. Scripture puts it plainly:</p> <blockquote> <p>&quot;These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.&quot; (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)</p> </blockquote> <h2>Why coloring books?</h2> <p>Because they're fun, and kids choose them on their own. A coloring book doesn't feel like a lesson, but a child who spends an afternoon coloring the shepherds and the angels has spent an afternoon with the Christmas story. The finished page goes on the fridge, and the conversation keeps going.</p> <h2>What will we make?</h2> <p>Our first book is a Christmas coloring book for ages 5 to 8. After that comes a set of six everyday books: Bible Heroes, Stories Jesus Told, Faith at Home, God Made Everything, Jesus' Life and Miracles, and Loving God and Others, with books for ages 9 to 15 to follow.</p> <h2>Why the name?</h2> <p>When Jesus told Zacchaeus he was coming to his house, Zacchaeus &quot;hurried, came down, and received him joyfully&quot; (Luke 19:6). We'd like every family to do the same: welcome him home.</p> 2026-10-15T00:00:00Z https://welcomehim.com/blog/advent-at-home-with-young-kids/

Advent is the four weeks before Christmas when Christians get ready to celebrate Jesus' birth. With young kids, keep it small and daily: light a candle, read one verse, do one kind thing.

<h2>What is Advent?</h2> <p>Advent is the season of waiting and getting ready for Christmas. It starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. The word means &quot;coming&quot;: Christians remember the long wait for Jesus' birth and look forward to his coming again.</p> <h2>1. Light an Advent wreath</h2> <p>An Advent wreath is a ring of greenery with four candles, one lit each Sunday, and often a fifth in the middle for Christmas Day. Let your child help light (or point to) the candle each week. Coloring an Advent wreath page first helps them understand what each candle is for.</p> <h2>2. Read one verse at supper</h2> <p>Pick one short verse a night from Isaiah, Luke or Matthew, and let a child read it or repeat it after you. One verse is enough.</p> <h2>3. Start a kindness jar</h2> <p>Every time someone in the family does something kind, add a slip of paper or a cotton ball to a jar. On Christmas Eve, read them out loud. It turns &quot;love one another&quot; into something kids can see fill up.</p> <h2>4. Sing one carol a week</h2> <p>Choose one carol for the week, such as &quot;O Come, O Come, Emmanuel&quot;, &quot;Silent Night&quot; or &quot;Joy to the World&quot;, and sing it at bedtime until everyone knows the first verse.</p> <h2>5. Throw a birthday party for Jesus</h2> <p>On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, bake a simple cake and sing &quot;Happy Birthday&quot; to Jesus. Kids immediately understand whose birthday Christmas is.</p> <h2>How do we keep it from becoming one more chore?</h2> <p>Do less, every day. Five minutes of the same small habit beats an ambitious plan you drop by the second week.</p> 2026-10-16T00:00:00Z https://welcomehim.com/blog/tell-the-christmas-story-with-coloring-pages/

Read a short passage, let your child color that scene while you talk, and ask one open question. Five nights, five scenes, and the whole Christmas story is told.

<p>Young children remember what they do with their hands. A coloring page gives a five-year-old twenty quiet minutes with one picture, and that is long enough for a Bible story to sink in.</p> <h2>What do you need?</h2> <p>A Bible (a children's Bible is fine), crayons or colored pencils, and one coloring page per night. Our <a href="https://welcomehim.com/free-coloring-pages/">free coloring page</a> is a good place to start.</p> <h2>A five-night plan</h2> <p>Each night: read the passage aloud, hand over the page, and talk while they color.</p> <ol> <li> <p><strong>The angel visits Mary (Luke 1:26-38).</strong> Ask: how do you think Mary felt?</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>The journey to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7).</strong> Ask: what would you pack for a long trip?</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Jesus is born (Luke 2:6-7).</strong> Ask: why do you think God's Son was born in a stable?</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>The shepherds (Luke 2:8-20).</strong> Read the angel's words slowly:</p> <blockquote> <p>&quot;Don't be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you today, in David's city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.&quot; (Luke 2:10-11)</p> </blockquote> <p>Ask: who would you tell good news to first?</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>The wise men (Matthew 2:1-12).</strong> Ask: what gift could you give Jesus this Christmas?</p> </li> </ol> <h2>How long should it take?</h2> <p>About fifteen to twenty-five minutes a night: two or three minutes of reading and the rest coloring and talking. Stop while they still want more.</p> <h2>What if my child just wants to color?</h2> <p>That's fine. Let them color and keep reading or talking quietly. They're listening more than it looks. One question is plenty; you don't need to quiz them.</p> <h2>What do we do with the finished pages?</h2> <p>Put them on the fridge in order. By the fifth night your child can walk a grandparent through the whole story, pointing at their own pictures. That retelling is where it really sticks.</p>