But how? How are you, as a parent, with your busy schedule, kids’ homework, and after school activities, supposed to accomplish this? How are you, as a parent, who has never attempted anything like this before, going to know what to do? I understand the questions and reservations, and hope that I can give you some advice in getting started.
1) Be intentional. This is the place to start. You have to commit all the way. You have to carve time out to do this and then guard that time with jealousy. This is the majority of the battle right here. How often should you have a family worship time? It depends. I would recommend anywhere from once a day to once a week. If you have younger kids, once a day is easier to manage. Simply reading a children’s bible story before bed time, asking a few questions, and praying, does wonders. However, if you have older children, especially middle school or high school, the amount of time required may be more, simply because of the depth of the questions that may come up. Maybe therefore you ought to start off with just once a week. You also have to determine what time will work best for you: morning or evenings? Whatever you find works best, stick with it.
2) Be simple. You don’t have to prepare a lesson! You might move to more in depth preparation as you get the hang of it, but to start off, keep it simple. If you have kids ages 3 and younger, I would recommend The Beginner’s Bible for Toddlers. The stories are short and the pictures are age appropriate. If you have kids from ages 4-9, I would recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible. This bible brings the major stories of the Old Testament back to Jesus, and presents a very gospel centered approach to the bible itself. This is good for starting to teach your kids basic theology and helping them see how the entire Bible connects. If you have older kids (preteen, middle school, high school) pick one of the Gospels and start to read through it together.
3) Ask questions. Don’t just read the story and close the book. Think about where your children are emotionally and developmentally. Think about the things that they face during the day that may be a “big deal” to them. Help them see how biblical truth relates to their daily life. If you have preschoolers or toddlers, simply ask questions that relate to how much of the story they comprehend.
4) Pray. Lead them in prayer. You may also want to give your kids the opportunity to pray. Suggest things for them to pray about, like a friend, an issue at school, etc.
5) Involve everyone. This is important, especially if you have kids in various age rangers. For example, how are you going to make a family worship time relevant to both a seven year old and a thirteen year old? I personally haven’t dealt with this issue before, but it is coming. Our oldest is seven, and our twins are five months old. But what happens when Emma Kate is thirteen and the twins are six? Here is some advice that I have heard from others in this situation: One suggestion is to let the older siblings help in leading the family worship time. Give them something to do, like read the story, pray, or if musically talented, play or sing a song. If at night time, put the younger kids to bed and then talk with the older ones more in depth. Or, you could set some time aside specifically for your older children, where you meet with them separately and cover different topics. Then, their role in the family worship time becomes one of leadership. That is a good discipleship opportunity!
In the weeks to come, I will be addressing more issues and giving more pointers when it comes to having a family worship time. Just remember, in getting started, be committed and keep it simple. May God bless the fruit of your labor!