1. Keep it simple.
The number one way to kill family devotions is overthinking it.
I have seen this play out in countless families, including my own. Many parents think that family devotions aren’t worth doing unless they’re done perfectly. We try to add unnecessary extra elements on top of reading, praying, and singing that make family worship too long, too difficult to plan, or too cumbersome to regularly practice.
During family worship, no one has to preach a sermon or lead a devotional. No one has to plan a craft or interactive activity. No one has to lead incredibly piercing application questions.
Crafts and sermons and devotionals and application questions are all great, but they don’t need to be a part of every family devotional time in your household.
All that you need is God’s Word.
Overthinking it and adding additional requirements to your family worship time will keep your family from having family devotions every day.
2. Make it a habit.
Don’t just make a vague commitment now to “do family devotions.” We need to pick a specific time and place to do family worship. Pick a time and place and STICK with it. This will help make sure it happens every day. Your kids will expect it.
It doesn’t matter what time you do family worship, but make it a routine — do it at the same time and in roughly the same format every day.
Use a time that works well for your whole family, a time when usually everyone (including both parents) is present and that other activities won’t typically threaten.
After dinner is usually the best time, because most families have dinner together, it happens every night at roughly the same time, and the whole family is already gathered in one place, so you don’t have to herd the cats twice.
BONUS RESOURCE: Download this printable habit tracker to keep track of your daily family devotions.
3. Prioritize it.
Make the commitment that you WILL have family devotions, no matter the cost.
It’s better to keep your kids up 10 extra minutes than to skip family devotions.
Let me say it again, for the toddler parents in the back: It’s better to keep your kids up 10 extra minutes than to skip family devotions.
4. Get a guide.
No one is better equipped to teach your kids the Bible than you are, but you don’t need to plan your family devotions from scratch every day.
This is why I created God Centered Family — to help remove every barrier and help you read the Bible with your kids EVERY DAY. Click here to learn more and see a preview of our family devotions.