I remember being so overwhelmed at times toward the beginning of my journey as a young mom. Knowing I needed to incorporate spiritual disciplines into my own life and the lives of my children but not knowing how to do it left me spinning my wheels in a rut. However, God in His mercy, saw fit to send more seasoned moms to come along side me and encourage me. Books were also a huge resource for me- particularly those that outlined practical daily tips and schedules. Though I never fully incorporated one person’s ways, the gleaning of these tidbits enabled me to map out my own plan for my family. I am sharing our family routine with you, though it is not perfect and though it does not occur every day of our lives, with the hopes that this gesture will seem like a helping hand from a friend rather than unwanted advice from a know-it-all mom. The following routine that I am sharing did not happen in one week, nor did it happen in one year. Just as God slowly shapes us in our spiritual lives, so this was a slow shaping over many years. At times the Lord seems to nudge me forward a little more and then a little more, and I can now look back in utter thankfulness at how He has worked.
A typical day at our house looks something like this:
- Mom rises to do half of her Bible study for the day. (Baby is almost always awake. On the days he is extra needy Mom will have to do the first half of Bible study during his naptime or complete it all before bed.)
- Other kids rise and complete their daily chores (15-30 minutes).
- Kids eat breakfast while Mom reads the Bible aloud to them. (We are currently reading through the Bible with Mom skipping over the parts too rough for the younger kids. We also read a Psalm or Proverb a day.) Following our Bible passage and any discussion we may have Mom reads a book more tailored to the younger children. Right now it is Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science by Louie Giglio. (30-45 minutes)
- Kids break away individually (usually outside) to have quiet prayer time. (10 minutes)
- Mom and kids meet back to determine the scripture to be memorized that day. (This took forever to implement, but is now happening consistently. See below for tips.) (15-20 minutes)
- Rest of the day’s activities
- Lunch for kids while Mom reads a book aloud. (When we get to choose the book on those special weeks we aren’t reading history, the family almost always agrees on a missionary story or a Lamplighter book.) (30-45 minutes)
- Rest of the day’s activities
- Dinner, pick up time, and teeth brushing
- Right before bedtime the whole family gathers to share prayer requests (for themselves and others). The kids divy up the requests and take turns praying aloud. Dad wraps it all up by praying over the family.
- Bedtime- The kids who can read keep a Bible and flashlight in their beds to do their daily Bible reading/ study. Sometimes they’ll read it together. (I tell my kids which books of the Bible from which they should stay away until they reach a certain age. I don’t worry that they don’t understand everything they are reading. The point is to develop a habit. And I fully believe God is capable of making them understand whatever He wishes. We tell them to pray for understanding before they open their Bibles. Also, Bibles geared toward a third grade reading level are available.)
Tips on memorizing scripture:
- Rewards! For each verse learned one point is received. Mom keeps track of points each day after the kids recite aloud their learned verses. They exchange these points for prizes, choosing from either the five, ten, fifteen, or twenty point prize bin (The high point bins include stationery, canvas, scripture coloring cards, journals, etc.) The four- year- old has his own prize bin from which he can choose each time a verse is learned. (This bin includes cheap items like stickers and party favors, with an occasional special item added in for fun.)
- The older kids take turns each day helping the younger kids memorize a scripture. (I realize this isn’t a possibility for those with only younger children. Writing the verse on a white board or posting on a wall helped me remember to review it throughout the day when mine were all small. We also went at a slower pace.)
- The younger kids memorize best when they get to accompany the verse with hand motions.
- Another fun idea that has made memorizing fun is voice changing microphones. We have laughed so hard from this!
- The older kids have found that using Bible highlighters (the special markers that won’t bleed through the paper) have helped when memorizing chapters. In my opinion, the hardest part of learning a chapter is remembering which verse comes next. By highlighting each verse a different color, we are more likely to remember what color comes next and this which verse is that particular color.
- There is a scripture memory app called “Bible Memory.” The logo is a red open Bible with a white cross in the middle. You can upload any verse in the translation of your choice. This app allows you to type the first letter of each word in round one. Round two takes away every other word, and round three eventually takes away all the words, making you type each letter of the first word from memory.
- Review learned verses once a week. It is difficult to remember every verse learned. I trust that God will recall phrases to mind when speaking to my kids in the future. This is WHY we learn scripture! It is His Word to us, directing our every step!
I hope these ideas help in some way. I would love to hear any ideas that you have incorporated into your home. Email me with any suggestions!