Teach godly character with grace, simplicity, and joy using these 12 character cards written by Carrie Smyth of 1000s of Roots.

One of my favorite sayings of all time is “The Gospel is better caught than taught.”

That’s what I think about when I think of Carrie Smyth.

I first discovered her YouTube Channel when I was trying to adjust to having a 4th baby. I was nursing constantly, “stuck” on the couch or on the bed. I found myself binge watching whatever I could find on Netflix whenever I nursed my baby or was working to get him to sleep.

I watched a LOT of tv!

Meanwhile, my soul was starving. Going to church seemed like an impossible task. I tend to be a bit of a hermit anyway, and getting all four kids into the car and out of the house somewhere was no small feat. I needed to do something for my spiritual well being – and fast.

So I began looking for podcasts and YouTube channels that I could watch and listen to while I was nursing my baby. I needed to redeem that time and feed my spirit as well. When I stumbled upon 1000s of Roots, a quiet peace washed its way into my life.

There’s something about the way Carrie talks – how she shares her life with her viewers that just makes you feel calm and at peace. I found that watching her and her family made me feel hopeful again. Their videos inspire me to slow down and enjoy my family – to not get caught up in the busyness of the days but to enjoy every moment.

I found myself more patient with my kids and enjoying life more simply by “hanging out” with Carrie. I was “catching” the Gospel of peace each time I watched their channel.

In one video Carrie shares what she uses to teach her children godly character.

Carrie shares 12 training cards that she made to teach character to her children. She uses one card each month of the year and uses them to discuss a different character trait.

The cards include kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, truthfulness, wisdom, humility, love, joy, peace, and long-suffering.

Here’s how Carrie describes them:

“We’ve had a lot of people ask us what we do for our character study in our homeschool. I really think that character study is the most important part of our homeschooling because it includes so much. We get into the Bible, we learn Scriptures. We just really feel that if our children grow up with good character qualities and they know some really vital Scriptures in their heart then we’ve taught them probably the best thing that we could teach them.” ~Carrie Smyth

What’s so wonderful about these cards is how Carrie uses them throughout the month in an organic and fluid way throughout their days. If you watch her discussing the cards in her video (below) you’ll see how she parents with these cards and really brings them to life in teaching her children.

I just loved Carrie’s approach to teaching character to her children. It’s so peaceful and gentle – and a stark contrast to my own personal struggles in parenting! As I looked through the comments at the time I found so many people with my same desire to have these cards for their own families.

That’s when I got excited, because, well, I LOVE making printables!

So when I reached out to Carrie it really blessed my heart that she gave me the opportunity to design these cards for her. On a personal note, it really felt like a true love offering to be able to use my talents to bless her family and so many others.

Below you can download her character cards that I designed for her. I made full page and half page prints, as well as tent cards that you can stand up on your kitchen table. As a little bonus I also designed a simple journal that can be used to write down notes and revelations that come while studying.

Tent cards can be placed on a table or shelf.

Write down revelations, verses and notes in the journal.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to the 1000’s of Roots YouTube channel – please click here to go over and do that now. You will be blessed!!

Also, so many people were begging to even pay for these cards and for now Carrie has chosen to give them free of charge. So if that’s you, please consider supporting them through Patreon. You can view their Patreon channel by clicking here. Or, you can click here for more ways to support the Smyths.

With love,

Christy