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Family by God's Design

Raising Families of Celebration Built on Honor & Grace

Family by God's Design

Tag / play
July 13, 2026
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Check Out This Play Research Completed by the Experts—Our Children

by John Salmon
Researchers from Aarhus University interviewed hundreds of play experts about the crucial elements of “good” play. Interestingly, the experts interviewed were the children themselves. Using the data from these interviews, they identified seven “critical factors” of play: Guess where the 7 elements of play arise most often. In an adult-supervised, structured sporting event? Maybe sometimes....
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Family Shepherds
     
February 14, 2026
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“You’re Such a 5-Year-Old”

by John Salmon
My daughter is fond of telling me, “You are such a 5-year-old,” when I do something silly to tease her. I know she’s playing; and really, I take it as a compliment. So, I just smile and do something else to confirm her accusation, even if it’s telling a “dad joke.” It’s a short example...
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Celebration    Family Shepherds
              
January 10, 2026
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Boost Your Children’s Mental Health

by John Salmon
The news is out. You can help boost your child’s mental health with this simple, nonpharmaceutical prescription. An analysis of over 375 trials involving more than 38,000 young people found that this simple intervention reduced anxiety and depression in teens. Even better, the biggest improvements in depressive symptoms occurred in fewer than 12 weeks. What...
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Celebration    Family Shepherds
                 
September 29, 2025
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A Must-Have for Your Marriage

by John Salmon
Many actions build a healthy, happy marriage: good communication, time spent together, conflict resolution, forgiveness, giving voice to our admiration and gratitude, continually learning about our spouse…all these and more play a crucial role in building and maintaining a healthy marriage. However, we often overlook one fun action that promotes a healthy marriage. This action...
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Celebration
        
February 10, 2025
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Let Them Play…And Learn

by John Salmon
Children seem to have less and less time for free, independent play in our society. Many preschools have even become more “academic” in their approach. But independent play, especially pretend play, offers amazing opportunities for children to learn and grow. For instance, pretend play utilizes imaginative scenarios and characters to practice executive functioning skills such...
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Family Shepherds
     
November 16, 2024
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Our Children: Curious or Confident?

by John Salmon
Curiosity compels us to explore, to find things out…often with no material reward. We just enjoy learning about those things that arouse our curiosity. Researchers at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute showed what the brain looks like when curiosity arises. Specifically, they showed people ambiguous visual images and used fMRI scans to witness how their brains responded....
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Family Shepherds
           
October 19, 2024
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“Boys Will Be Boys”

by John Salmon
If you have sons, you know they can be a handful. They’re constantly on the go and full of energy. In fact, boys are wired to learn through experiential play and activity, especially in their younger years. They learn by touching, moving, and interacting. Running around, picking up frogs, sticks, & rocks, building ramps for...
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Family Shepherds    Honor
           
September 30, 2024
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Family Weapons of Resistance in a World of Division

by John Salmon
At first glance our world appears divided and broken beyond repair. Various factions spew words of anger and hatred at one another, words armed with sarcastic ridicule and demeaning labels. Conspiracy theories abound to implicate “the other” of horrid motives and intents. These things are dangerous and each side of the aisle “feeds the beast”...
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Celebration    Honor
           
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