Elementary school changes everything. Your child walks into a building full of other kids, or starts being involved in activities with other kids their age. All of the sudden there are bus rides, lunch lines, report cards, and a hundred new things competing for their attention. And yours! These are the golden years, full of curiosity, competition, big questions, and even bigger personalities. The seeds you planted in those early years are sprouting now, and this is the season to water them.

You can watch your child grow up just by listening to what they're really asking. In kindergarten and first grade, it's "Do I have your attention?" By second and third, it becomes "Do I have what it takes?" And by fourth and fifth, it's "Do I have friends?" Your job in each phase is to engage their interests: lean into what they love, cheer their efforts, and help them build healthy friendships, so they come to trust that God's character is good and that His family is a place they belong.

This is also where faith starts to become their own. Keep talking about God in the everyday, keep consistent patterns, and keep surrounding them with people who reinforce what you're teaching at home. Don't be in a hurry for your little kid to grow up. Enjoy cultivating the habits and trust that they'll lean on these years for the rest of their lives. Keep watering. What you tend now is preparing them for what comes next.

This stage is a season of cultivation.

Let us help you do it well!