Radiant Hearts

 My little Monkey and I are in love with the Radiant Hearts program that just launched in March on the Enable Me to Grow website.  For some time now we have struggled to find a prayer routine that we both enjoy, and thanks to Radiant Hearts, we have!

It was easier to say prayers together when Monkey was a baby.  I simply sang prayers as I rocked him and let the words and melody do their magic on his young soul.  These were sweet, peaceful moments.

But now, as a toddler, my little Monkey has too much energy to sit still for prayer time.  There are trains to crash and hills to climb! 

Enter Radiant Hearts.  Created by two mothers of young children, it is a program for spiritual development designed for little ones, from babies to preschoolers.  Which means that it gives parents tools to explain spiritual concepts in terms that kids can understand.  What does friendliness mean, for example?  Sharing your toys, saying hello, smiling, helping someone.

Every 19 days (a Baha’i month) there is a new lesson, based around a virtue, such as friendliness or courage.  An overview is provided for parents, along with quotations for reflection and short prayers to teach the kiddos, often set to music.

The program also provides lots of fun virtues swag (aka printables) for your little monkeys, like beautiful, simple pictures to illustrate prayers and pages to make their very own virtues book.

What’s really great about the program is that it is so adaptable.  If you are particularly crafty, you can take their ideas and run with them, elaborating on them to your heart’s content.  But even if you are a crafting newbie like me, you can still make something truly special based on the program’s suggestions.  My little Monkey loves the prayer “books” I’ve created for him and especially the treasure chest we decorated to store them.  

The program can also be adapted for the age and temperament of your child.  For the littlest ones, you may simply read or sing the prayers and quotations to them, while older preschoolers will enjoy the creative activities that are offered (one for each day of the month).

At the end of each month, we make a new leaf for our family virtues tree, decorated with the virtue we have been studying. (For another example of a Virtues Tree, see this post from the wonderfully creative Mud Spice blog).  The Virtues Tree is a great visual reminder of what we have been doing, plus it gives my little Monkey a sense of accomplishment.  He loves this tree! 

Stay tuned to watch us add more leaves as the year progresses.

Thanks, Radiant Hearts!