As a new school year starts it’s a great time to add family devotions to the routine. Sharing faith daily is part of setting godly examples for your children.

Spend a few minutes sharing a Bible story and discussing it as a basic time around God’s word. Add hands on activities and more if you want or use a devotional book. Check and see if you can look inside and sample one first.

Family devotions became part of the fabric of our lives that passed on faith and a biblical world view to our children. It’s easy to do devotions. Set the time and place where all will be comfortable. Limit them to 10, 20, or 30 minutes depending on ages of children. Be enthusiastic and have fun. It’s not a time to be preachy, but a time to read, share, and draw closer to Gd and one another.

Remember that we have different personalities and learning styles, so consider that as you prepare to do devotions. For example, let kinesthetic children have something to handle like a journal and colored pencils. Give visual children  something to look at. Know that quieter children may take more time to reflect before making comments while the outgoing child will want to talk or re-enact the story. Be aware of what works best for each child and add those elements into the devotions.

We always waited and ate our dessert after we finished devotions. So they enjoy the sweetness of God’s word and continue the chat as they enjoy a sweet treat.

Your children will be more Bible literate if you start at a young age to read God’s word. These days many adults lack basic knowledge of what’s really in the Bible. When you read a verse of passage be sure to explain how it fits the timeline of the Bible. Is it during the time Jesus walked on earth, the early times like Noah and the ark or after Jesus ascended to heaven? That helps them start to have a larger picture of the Bible.

Enjoy the benefits of devotions. They help your family bond, develop faith, and also develop cognitive skills of reading comprehension and critical thinking. The extra benefits surprised me as I watched our children gain poise around adults, converse easier, and build their trust in God.

Be sure to capture the memories by snapping photos and recording some of the thoughts you share as a family.

Blessings,
Karen