Devotions You Can Do with Your Preschooler

by | Sep 9, 2016 | Devotion, Resources | 0 comments

Family with young children.

We all find ourselves in the same place. We want to make family devotions an important part of the family faith ritual but somehow we don’t know where to begin or what to do. So we let the urge pass and promise to “do better” next time. Yet “next time” has just become “this time” and the pattern continues. What can you do about it?

I have found that there are three things that interfere with our good intentions.

 

WE DON’T MAKE A REGULAR TIME FOR THE ACTIVITY

When do you brush your teeth? When do you shower? When do you pay your monthly bills? The only way to do anything with regularity is by setting a schedule and sticking to it. Family devotions need a discipline, a schedule. Find a time when you know you will all be together and make this time your family devotion opportunity. It does not need to be long. A family with preschool children probably only have a five minute window. So be regular and be consistent.

MANY TIMES WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO IT

The good thing about family devotions is that there is no right answer. As long as you focus on God’s grace through Jesus Christ then you are hitting a home run. Try using the worship folder from Sunday’s service for a wealth of quality material. In your church’s service folder are prayers, Bible readings, psalms, even songs to sing. Use the printed service folder as your family’s “prayer book” for the week. For older children you can let them read sections and even ask them to reflect upon the Pastor’s sermon from Sunday. Together you can enjoy a family discussion around God’s word led by the teaching of your Pastor.

WE DON’T FEEL WORTHY OR COMPETENT TO LEAD OUR FAMILY IN DEVOTIONS

Remember that Jesus has washed you with forgiveness either in baptism or by hearing His word. You have received the Holy Spirit. God’s promise is that the Holy Spirit will give you the words when you need them. When is a time more important for God’s words than when a family of believers gathers to pray and sing praise and reflect upon the grace of God and the centrality of Christ? You are right. There isn’t one. You are prepared because he promises that you can do it.

Ideas to Engage Your Preschooler

Next, remember that your goal is to engage your family in a process of learning about God and His grace through Christ. I encourage families to read, teach, tell, and act out Bible stories. The indwelling Holy Spirit will make the theological connections when He believes the time is right. As parents all we do is put the stories before the children and engage them in learning to know it. Here are some of my favorite activities.

DRAW THE STORY ON A PIECE OF PAPER

Children love to color and create. Read them the story. Tell them the story. And then ask them to tell you the story. If they have questions let them ask and do your best to answer them. Then, give them (and yourself) a blank piece of paper and some crayons and ask them to draw the story on the paper.

GET OUT THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR AND HELP THEM ACT OUT THE STORY AS A MINI DRAMA

Many of the Bible stories lend themselves to retelling as a skit. Children have fun when asked to sit in a ball and be a rock. When engaged in the skit, they are actually are more focused on your telling the story than when they are the audience.

CHILDREN ARE IMITATORS, LET THEM IMITATE YOU

Tell the story dramatically and then ask them to retell it like you did. You will need to be demonstrative with your actions so they can easily copy you. Break the story into parts so they can remember what you just did and then move on to the next part. Adjust your length to their success in remembering your actions. Repetition is an important part of learning. This exercise allows for reinforcement as you and they tell the story.

The bottom line is simply make it a priority and make it fun. The benefit is for a life time, even longer.

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