From the Jan. 28, 2022 Partnering with Parents Communication
In part 1 of this series, we talked about how to incorporate God naturally into your everyday family life. Remember – you are your child’s most significant spiritual guide! Do your best not to miss opportunities to teach about God.
Here are nine additional, simple ways to bring Jesus into your child’s daily routine:
- Pray with your kids before naps, in the car, at meals, and before bedtime.
- Listen to Bible story podcasts or CDs while driving in the car. Check out https://www.bibletelling.org/podcasts/
- Use conversation starters at mealtime that direct conversation toward spiritual things. Start simple by asking about highlights or lowlights of the day. Click here for 52 conversation starters.
- Write the names of people you are praying for on popsicle sticks and stick them in a jar by their bed. Pull one out before bedtime and pray with your child for that person. Put the popsicle stick back in the can. The next time that person’s name is drawn, if the prayer has already been answered, thank God with your child.
- When you need your children to clean up their mess, play a children’s Christian song and make it a game—try to finish cleaning up before the song ends!
- If you have older children, consider downloading the NAC USA mobile app (click here), and watch one of the sermon clips or For Your Journey episodes together. Ask them what from the clip stuck out to them. This incorporates technology, which they may already be familiar with depending on their age, and also helps emphasize that thinking about and discussing God and faith are not just restricted to a church building on a Sunday morning.
- Watch a movie with your child that has a spiritual theme; when it’s over, talk about it.
- Pick a verse a week to memorize as a family. Consider using the Bible verse from the most recent divine service, or the upcoming divine service.
- Use one of the NAC USA provided Family Worship Guides (click here) to create an intentional rhythm in your home.
Infusing God into everyday life involves purposeful parenting. You don’t have to change what you do day to day, but add God conversation, Scripture, and songs into your typical routine.
If you missed the video included with part 1, click below to view it...