what is unique and special about each child and celebrating him or her for it as they make good choices and show strong character. It has created a wonderfully positive environment as campers (not just staff) are on the lookout for good deeds and choices so they may celebrate their fellow campers at Dining Hall by awarding the Honor Plate. It’s an inspiration to the other campers. The Table Thyme Discussion cards are a great tool for our counselors during evening devotions at the end of the day. Whenever campers open up with one another and share, they create bonding relationships and a sense of “family”.”

Brad Rippetoe,
Resident Director
YMCA Camp Thunderbird

Michelle Weber, Creator
Family Enrichment Toolkit

• Connect with your family as you bring everyone together at the dinner table; not to just eat but to learn the joy of gathering, sharing, encouraging one another, communicating and growing closer as a family. Pick a Table Thyme card and enjoy an evening where each person has the opportunity to share their opinions, memories, thoughts, and perhaps even desires you were never even aware of creating engaging dialogue and consequently stronger relationships. The result? Everyone gets to know one another on a much deeper level which naturally creates stronger relationships. Your family will genuinely enjoy coming together at the dinner table and view it as a time to share and bond with one another. Table Thyme discussion cards help family establish open lines of communication now with fun, non threatening conversation so later when your children are teenagers and the issues in their lives become critical, they already know how easy it is to talk to mom and dad because they are already doing it.

Families today are busier than ever and although most parents desire to be more intentional in their parenting, by the end of the day they are too tired and realize they’ve missed numerous opportunities to promote personal growth in their children and families. There is no extra time required to incorporate these tools, they just help you be more thoughtful about what you are already doing. And they fit beautifully into your personal parenting style, making it very personal to you and your family.

You will enjoy this fun way to celebrate and teach your children the positive consequences and benefits of good choices and character which in turn will motivate them to continue making them as they get older.

Your family will learn the art and beauty of encouraging one another as well as the joy of a family who communicates.

Your children will learn to not only recognize their own good character and choices, but each other’s as well. They will also learn how great it feels to be the one who encourages others when they award the honor plate for the character they’ve seen.

Since our character is the foundation of how we make decisions the honor plate equips you to label your children’s positive behavior and choices with the character traits they’ve shown. When you label the specific behaviors with the actual character traits, those traits become real, tangible and easily recognized by your children when experienced in the future. They will begin to recognize their own good choices and character traits even when alone giving them a sense of empowerment and higher self confidence. In the future when your children are no longer under your wings of safety, you’ll know you’ve done all you can to help them make smart choices based on their values and character learned as a child.

Celebrating character over accomplishments. When we acknowledge and celebrate our children’s character, good behaviors and choices rather than just their successes, we create a world of equal opportunity between siblings. No matter what talents gifts or struggles your children have, they all have the ability to be successful in making good choices and showing strong character. Positively reinforce these character traits and behaviors now so when your children get older it’s their strong character and ability to make smart choices that define who they are.

Fruit of the Spirit. The Family Honor Plate lists the 9 Fruits of the Spirit Virtues; Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. When focusing on character, there is no better place to start than the very character traits and virtues of Christ. Model these virtues in your own life, parenting and home and see the wonderful changes that happen to your children as they learn from your examples.

The Family Enrichment Toolkit is the perfect gift for any family. No matter where a family is in age, faith or affluence, they will benefit from these fun and incredibly powerful tools.