1. Find a good children’s Bible, such as My First Bible, The Adventure Bible for Young Readers, or the ESV Children’s Bible. Children love to have a Bible that they can call their own.
2. Have a daily time for family worship. Develop a routine for your children. Consistency is good for learning. It will show your children that this is an important part of the day.
3. Limit distractions. Make sure all screens are off and other sources that might grab their attention are limited.
4. Balance your time between Scripture memorization, using the catechism questions, and prayer and song. This book will help you bring those different areas together in a holistic approach to family discipleship.
5. Remember to have fun with your children while learning the Bible. Memorizing and learning about the Bible doesn’t have to be boring. Make the time fun and special.
6. Keep the time brief to hold the children’s attention. Making the time too long is the surest way to make them lose interest in family worship.
7. Pray with your children every day at meals and before they go to bed at night. Let prayer become an important part of your home.
8. Share what you learn with other families. Encourage others to experience the blessings of doing faith together as a family.
9. Let your children ask questions and talk through what they are learning about God and the Bible. One of the primary ways we learn is through communication.
10. Ask questions. After reading a Bible passage or catechism question, ask questions like, “What does this say about God?” or “How does God want me to respond?” Let your children ask questions that they may be thinking about.
If you’re looking for more help in re-discovering a time of family worship, check out my new book, Grow at Home: A Beginner’s Guide to Family Discipleship.
Some Prayers for Family Worship
A Child’s Grace
God is great and God is good,
And we thank God for our food;
By God’s hand we must be fed,
Give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen.
A Child’s Prayer for Morning
Now, before I run to play,
Let me not forget to pray
To God who kept me through the night
And waked me with the morning light.
Help me, Lord, to love You more
Than I ever loved before.
In my work and in my play
Be with me through the day.
Amen.
God Hear My Prayer
God in heaven hear my prayer,
keep me in Your loving care.
Be my guide in all I do,
Bless all those who love me too.
Amen.
For Happy Hearts
We thank Thee, Lord, for happy hearts,
For rain and sunny weather.
We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food,
And that we are together.
Children’s Bedtime Prayer
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep:
May God guard me through the night
And wake me with the morning light.
Amen