Jared Dees's Blog: The Latest from Jared Dees, page 4

Taylor Swift’s Audition: A Story for Kids

Before Taylor Swift became the megastar that she is today, she was just a young girl with a dream. This is the story of Taylor Swift’s first audition, what she learned from it, and how she found her first breakthrough as an artist. I hope it will give young people hope and motivation to work hard and find the unique gift they can offer to the world.

Taylor Swift’s Audition: A Story for Kids

“Hi, I’m Taylor. I’m 11 and I want a record deal.”

Taylor Swift showed up to an audition in...

Stone Soup Story, Summary, and Questions for Kids

“Stone Soup” is one of the best known folktales among parents, teachers, and children. It contains some important lessons about generosity and teamwork that are important for young people to learn. 

I wrote version of the story for you to share with kids along with some questions to discuss after reading the story. 

Stone Soup: A Story for Kids

A group of travelers arrived at a village carrying an empty cooking pot.

They went door to door asking for food, but no one was willing t...

Stone Soup: A Story for Kids

“Stone Soup” is one of the best known folktales among parents, teachers, and children. It contains some important lessons about generosity and teamwork that are important for young people to learn. 

I wrote version of the story for you to share with kids along with some questions to discuss after reading the story. 

Stone Soup: A Story for Kids

A group of travelers arrived at a village carrying an empty cooking pot.

They went door to door asking for food, but no one was willing t...

Two Boats and Helicopter Story (Parable of the Drowning Man)

This religious parable goes my many names. It has been called the Parable of the Drowning Man, the Parable of the Flood, or simply “Two Boats and a Helicopter.” I first heard it in an episode in the first season of The West Wing. 

Share this story with your kids when they are struggling to get an answer from God. It will hopefully teach them to look for signs of his presence in everyday life and to appreciate the help from people around them.

Two Boats and Helicopter Story

A storm...

The Parable of the Cracked Pot for Kids

Here is another non-Biblical parable to share with your kids. This story has been told often in Christian settings. It is a story about brokenness and embracing our weakness to allow God to work through us. 

The Parable of the Cracked Pot

Every morning a water bearer walked to a stream to fetch water. The water bearer carried the water in two pots on a wooden pole. One pot was perfectly formed, but the other pot had a crack in its side.

Every day the water bearer traveled to the str...

The Littlest Pumpkin Book Summary & Questions

The Littlest Pumpkin is a Halloween book by R. A Herman that teaches a lesson about hope.

The book is no longer available in print, but you can still purchase the Audiobook from Audible.

Read the book to your kids or show this video reading of the book on YouTube:

The Littlest Pumpkin Summary 

It’s Halloween and the Littlest Pumpkin dreamed about becoming a jack-o-lantern for a group of kids at a Halloween party. As the day went on, however, the kids picked every pumpkin ...

Footprints in the Sand: Story Summary and Questions for Kids

The “Footprints in the Sand” (or just “Footprints”) poem is one of the most famous allegorical Christian stories of the last century. While the original authorship and influences of the poem are disputed, its popularity is unrivaled. It has been mentioned by everyone from Ronald Reagan to Kanye West to Ann Landers.

To help you read and reflect on this story with kids, I have included a summary and some discussion questions you can use to share with them.

Footprints in the Sand

One night...

Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien: Summary, Meaning, and Discussion Questions

J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for his epic fantasy books The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tolkien labored over these works for many years never satisfied with their imperfections. During the decade long hiatus between The Hobbit and the publication of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien wrote a short, semi-autobiographical story about a painter, purgatory, and everlasting life titled Leaf by Niggle.

Leaf by Niggle Summary 

Leaf by Niggle is one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s few short stories. Th...

Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien: Summary and Discussion Questions

J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for his epic fantasy books The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tolkien labored over these works for many years never satisfied with their imperfections. During the decade long hiatus between The Hobbit and the publication of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien wrote a short, semi-autobiographical story about a painter, purgatory, and everlasting life titled Leaf by Niggle.

Leaf by Niggle Summary 

Leaf by Niggle is one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s few short stories. Th...

George Washington’s Childhood Copywork: 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior

Source: MountVerton.org and George Washington’s Rules of Civility, ca. 1742-1747, Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

George Washington was the first President of the United States and one of the most respected men in the world. As Henry Lee said during a eulogy for the President:

“First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

Among the many things that influenced George Washington’s formation as a child is a practice called copywork.

Washington’s sch...