Last week, Dal and I snuck out for a quick date night while the younger kiddos were asleep. We went for a walk and stumbled across a little fort hidden in some trees! Since we were in the middle of reading Bridge to Terabithia, we couldn’t resist taking the kids back the next day. They had a blast exploring, and we even found a tiny creek nearby where they splashed and played and we even got lucky and came across a bridge!
Yesterday, I finished reading the last chapter of Bridge to Terabithia out loud, tears in my eyes. We had planned to wrap up the book so that on Friday we could watch the movie together for family movie night. Inspired by our family council discussion earlier this week at the library, Dal and I wanted to start teaching mini lessons to the kids often—so I put together a little lesson plan based on the book.
After my son made all the popcorn, (you HAVE to try it with Redmond’s Garlic Salt) we headed downstairs to our newly built kitchenette. I stood by our new movie curtains we just hung up last week and wrote down some of the key themes from the book and movie on our Ikea whiteboard:
- Friendship: Good friends help each other, make life fun, and help you feel brave.
- Imagination & Fun Places: Imaginary worlds can make us happy and help us try new things.
- Courage: Trying new things can feel scary, but it helps us grow.
- Safety & Communication: Always tell a parent or guardian where you are going and who you are with.
- Dealing with Bullies: Friends should treat each other kindly. If someone is mean, tell a trusted adult and remember you deserve to be safe and happy.
After this short five-minute lesson (we saved the fort-building activity for the next day since it was bedtime when the movie ended), we watched the movie together—with popcorn, of course. And yes… I cried.
📄 To see the full lesson plan and discussion questions, click button below for your free download.
Grief & Remembering Loved Ones
After the movie, we talked about grief and remembering loved ones. We focused on two themes:
- It’s okay to feel sad and miss someone you love
When someone we care about dies, our hearts can feel heavy. We might cry, feel confused, or even feel angry. All those feelings are normal, and it’s okay to talk about them with people we trust. - We can keep their memory alive in special ways
Even though someone isn’t with us anymore, we can remember them through stories, doing the things we enjoyed together, or creating something beautiful to honor them—just like Jess kept Terabithia alive in his heart.
📄 To see the full lesson plan and discussion questions, click button below for your free download.
Creating Life Recipes with Our Kids
Reading books and watching movies with our kids isn’t just about entertainment—it’s about creating life recipes. Just like in the kitchen, we mix together experiences, lessons, and moments of connection to help our children grow. Friendship, courage, imagination, and even learning to grieve are all ingredients in raising thoughtful, resilient kids.
Sharing these mini lessons, discussions, and activities is one way we add meaningful flavor to everyday family life—one story, one popcorn-filled movie night, and one fort adventure at a time.
