When 9:00 am rolls around, the Houle kids know what time it is; it’s Bible time. A time we’ve set aside each day to teach them about God. Our teaching is not limited to one small block of time, life is filled with lessons, but it’s a way we have instilled in our kids that making time with God is a priority. My kids are 5, 4, 2 1/2, and 31 wks gestation :) My kids love devotional time. I commonly hear the phrase, “Yay, devo time!” as I announce it’s time for the morning devotional.

If you haven’t started a daily devotional with your kids yet, don’t get discouraged. There is no better time than the present. I remember when I started thinking about setting aside a Bible time with the kids, I wondered how it was possible to hold their attention span in order to focus on a Bible story.

Over time I’ve developed a routine that has really worked for our family, and maybe it will give you the motivation to start setting aside time in your day as well.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Routine

Set up a consistent time daily. This helps you block out that time to focus on God, and prepares the kids to know what to expect and look forward to. Many times our biggest deterrent from adding something valuable to our routine is busyness, but if we prepare in our heart our priorities before the day begins, we are more likely able to achieve the most important things to us.

Snack

At each devotional, there is a snack that accompanies it. For us, this works good. Snack is still a drawing point for me at adult Bible study! Obviously, food is not the main priority, but it just offers a little bit of pampering and a reminder to the kids that this is a special time.

Children’s Bible

My kids are still young, so I chose to purchase Children’s Bibles that would help them be able to grasp the Bible stories easier.

We are currently reading “The Beginners Bible”.

Another Children’s Bible I highly recommend is “My First Message.”

Scripture Memory

We just started memorizing scripture verses. This is something I did when I was young. One of the first memory verses I memorized was Psalm 23 and I still bring that verse to memory. I think It is so valuable to store the Word of God in our heart. Our game plan is to put a scripture verse up on the wall for a week, and every day we repeat the scripture verse.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:11

Art Project/game

We wrap up with an art project or game, something to help reinforce the Bible story. I find most of my crafts on Pinterest and try to engage them throughout the lesson by asking questions pertaining to the story.

It’s exciting to watch them learn and grow in the fundamental truths of who God is. We have a huge responsibility as parents to train up our kids in the way they should go. What better way to start showing them that God is a priority in your life and should be in theirs, than having a devotional time with them.