7 Ways to Help Your Child Develop a Strong Bible Reading and Prayer Routine
If you want to grow in your knowledge of God and your love for Him and His word, simply showing up to church on a Sunday will not be enough. The same goes for our children. As parents and caregivers, helping them develop a strong Bible reading and prayer routine is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.
‘Christianity ought to be as ordinary in your home as dirty laundry and cornflakes.’ – unknown
How to Help Your Child Develop a Strong Bible Reading and Prayer Routine
1. Remember They Can't Be What They Can't See
My number one tip is to make sure your kids see you carving out time to study the Bible. It’s unlikely they’ll want a quiet time if they never see you having one, and they’ll have no clue where to start if they’re not taught. Yes, you’ll be interrupted, and it won’t be the most in-depth or thorough period of Bible study, but it will reap dividends as you’ll be modelling this practice for your children. When they ask questions, you’ll also be better equipped to give an answer that’s theologically accurate.
The same applies to prayer. Making it an ordinary part of everyday life will give your children the confidence to pray independently in the future. In my household, we give thanks before every meal and at bedtime, and our children take it in turns to pray. Whenever we’ve been asked to pray from the front during a service, we intentionally include our children in this, helping them come up with things they want to pray for from the front of church.
2. Start Early and Keep it Age Appropriate
When they are of reading age, give your child their very own Bible. Before this, I recommend picture Bibles for you to read aloud and for them to open and flick through the pages themselves.
One of my favourite gifts to give a newborn is a board book called First Bible Basics—A Numbers Primer. This isn’t a Bible, but it contains foundational things like one God, two natures of Jesus, three persons of the trinity, four gospels, etc. My children LOVED these books, and we still sometimes recite our way through them, even now that they are aged five and up!
We also read from The Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones, which is beautifully written and illustrated. I particularly love that every story points to Jesus and that this is made very clear in each chapter.
There is also great value in reading the literal text to children. It’s important to choose a version of the Bible that your child can understand. For primary school children, I would recommend the International Children’s Bible. The turn of phrase is understandable, and the vocabulary level is much more accessible for children. Personally, we start off by reading it to the children during dinner and during a regular devotional we all do together. Our 6-year-old loves to read and can cope with this Bible version by himself, too.
The Action Bible is also a great option for younger readers. It’s a graphic novel version, which adds to the attraction. I’d recommend letting your child read this alongside reading them the actual text from the International Children's Bible.
3. Give Them the Tools They Need
Knowing the books of the Bible and how to find their way around empowers children to use their Bible effectively. My kids have learned a lot from listening to the Slugs and Bugs songs, ‘Old Testament’ and ‘New Testament’. Singing the books of the Bible in order has helped them feel confident finding the book or passage they’re looking for.
Like every other form of communication, children need to learn how to pray. Teaching children the different forms of prayer (thanks, confession and supplication) will give them confidence to pray for themselves. Hearing us pray often, as well as other adults during school assemblies and church services, will also help.
That said, God loves the prayers of children and delights in hearing them speak to him. There’s no need to jump to correct them in their prayers. God enjoys hearing them, just as you, their earthly parent, laugh when they say cute things!
4. Read Notes for their Age Group
Providing children with age-appropriate Bible reading notes is a great way to get them into a daily routine. There are free simple Bible reading plans online that include a tick box for each day completed. My children go through the XTB Bible Notes. These are wonderfully interactive, helping the Bible come alive for children and make sense.
5. Take an Interest and Ask Questions
Taking an interest in what they’ve read in the Bible each day will help your child develop this routine. Ask them questions and have conversations. Help them to own this practice and engage with them around it like you would any other part of their life.
6. Read the Bible Alongside Your Child
Something we’ve done for the last three years is make a summer Bible reading plan. We followed The Hope Filled Family’s Summer Family Devo. It was probably a little too simple for our kids, but it was great as a starting point, and it did provoke some good conversations. My younger two really enjoyed doing the activities each week and colouring in the verses. This was especially good for the child who can read – he read scripture as he coloured.
This summer, my daughter and I also challenged ourselves to read all the psalms. This is something your child can do individually but doing it with a parent is a great motivator and will help them engage.
Another idea is to read one chapter of the gospel of Luke each day from December 1st to Christmas Eve. Or one proverb each day of the month. Doing something structured individually but together is a great plan and creates the opportunity for conversation. Doing something systematically together is also a great way to feel connected rather than lost, which is likely to be the case if your child opens the Bible randomly and starts reading.
7. Help Your Child Choose a Good Time of Day for Bible Reading and Prayer
A lot of people have their quiet time in the morning, but in our house, this is the most chaotic period of the day, so it isn’t when I choose to have mine. Instead, I tend to reach for my Bible while the children have their snacks and do their homework after school. I can see this being a good time for my children as well, especially as my eldest two do their homework at desks in their own rooms, giving them space to read and write down notes in a notebook.
You’ve Got This!
Bible reading and prayer are habits that need to be taught. When your children are young, they need a lot of parental input, reminders, and help. It takes repeated attempts to form a habit. If you have a checklist for your child, add Bible reading and prayer to it. They should sit alongside things like getting dressed, making their bed, and brushing their teeth. With your help and support, your children will develop a strong Bible reading and prayer routine, standing them in good stead for the future.
