How to Have a Successful Family Time
Family Time.
Two words that are a non-negotiable in our house.
When daddy says, “Family Time!” everyone is required to attend and participate.
For me? I love it!
As a little girl I remember going to a friend’s house and participating in their version of family time.
Her father would sit in a chair and read the Bible, while the kids would sit around his feet and listen.
I honestly don’t even know if I understood what He was saying, but I truly believe that God was taking those words and placing them deep into my heart.
Even now, I can picture what that scene from many years ago looked like.
It made an imprint on my mind and heart.
To be able to share this similar experience with my children is beyond special to me.
However, with 5 kids this bonding moment could easily go from peaceful to chaotic if we didn’t have a system in place.
In order to make this time more effective and orderly, we have instilled a 3 step process to follow.
How to Have a Successful Family Time
Share from the Bible
In our family, we rotate turns for reading a scripture or a story from the Bible.
Everyone who is capable of reading takes a turn being the leader.
They can pick a scripture or story, or if they prefer we will pick one for them.
Last night was my turn.
My reading from my devotional time happened to be the story of Sampson.
Although I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to share with the kids through this story, I trusted that God would somehow show up.
Of course, He did.
This time of sharing not only brings us closer as a family, but it enriches our time in the Word.
When I read the story during my personal Bible time, I didn’t get anything out of it that wasn’t already familiar to me.
However, last night God showed me things I had never seen before!
I was able to share it with my kids and husband and we were all blessed by the message.
Apply the Lesson
The Bible calls us to not just be hearers of the Word, but also doers of the Word (James 1:22).
After listening to the message, we talk about the main point of the passage or story.
Once we have the central theme, we ask each child how it applies to them.
As an example, let’s use the scripture above.
We would talk about what it means to not just be a hearer, but a doer of the Word.
Once everyone understands, we would ask the question, “How can you be a doer of the Word?”
It’s truly amazing to hear some of their responses, especially from the younger ones.
Sometimes we tend to discount their abilities and assume they are too young or don’t really have anything to say.
Last night, the most profound answers came from my 8 year old!
Pray & Believe
Once everyone has had a turn speaking and answering the questions, we come together in prayer.
Sometimes we take turns praying by having everyone pray for the person next to them.
On other occasions one person will pray.
Sometimes we ask for prayer requests.
Other times, when we’ve had a good discussion, we will pray for the things that have been drawn out through the message.
Regardless of how it’s done, the key is gathering together in prayer.
When we pray together after studying the Bible as a family, it’s as if we are sealing the Word that has been spoken over each person.
We are believing that it will take root on fertile soil and the enemy will not be able to steal it.
What does family time look like for you?
Do you have a process that you use? I would love for you to share it in the comments!
Family time can be peaceful and planned, or spontaneous and lively, depending on the members involved.
However it’s done, spending time together in the Word is what really counts.
[clickToTweet tweet=”As we bind our hearts together in the Word, we are drawing closer to God and to each other.” quote=”As we bind our hearts together in the Word, we are drawing closer to God and to each other.”]
Let’s Pray!
Thank you, Lord for family time! To be able to gather around and talk about Your Word, is both a privilege and a blessing. Thank you that we live in a country where we are free to share Your Word with our children and with others. We acknowledge what a blessing that is. Enhance our times together as a family. We invite you into those moments, Lord. Draw us closer together and closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
What a beautiful message of family and gathering. This is wonderful. Thank you for giving us insight on how we too can help organize the time together. Have a blessed week. 🙂 xoxo
Thanks, Carolina! Have a great week!
I love that you not only read through the scriptures but also apply it! I grew up in a family that did nightly devotional times with Bible readings, singing a hymn, and praying together, but we missed out on the application piece of it that I think is so important because it keeps the Bible passages from just being a stories or a to-do list that can lead to legalism. Seeing overarching themes in the Bible and how they apply to each person individually helps the Bible come alive, and that is such a blessing to have within a family. Awesome post!!
Thanks Elena! I agree. You hit the nail on the head when you said it keeps the passages from just being Bible stories. I want my kids to not just know the people and stories, but to learn from them! Thanks for reading today!
Family time is so important. When my sons were younger we made sure we had dinner together but we didn’t gather to read, discuss and learn from God’s word. We were in a different place with our faith journey at that time. I love reading how you make this a priority and have developed a system for making the most of your time together. Thank you for sharing. Blessed to be your neighbor at Messy Marriage today.
Mary, we didn’t do it with our boys when they were younger. As you said, we were in a different place with our faith as well. I’m just believing that even though they didn’t get what the girls are getting, that God will supernatural make up for what we lacked in giving them! Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great week!
Just this last week, I shared with The Salesman what an impression seeing my aunt and uncle kneel at their bedside each night to pray made upon my young heart. Like you, the impact still lingers in my adult heart as I picture them in the position of prayer.
Your three step process is a great plan for family night! I especially like the application part – where the rubber meets the road!
Bless you!
Lora, it really is amazing what sticks in the hearts and minds of young children. What incredible role models your aunt & uncle were and they probably didn’t even realize it! Thank you for your kind words today! Have a blessed week!
Family time is SO important! It’s hard to get us altogether (we are a family of 10!), but we are always glad when we do. My eldest son just turned 18 and is leaving home next month. They’re gone so quickly! Our family time will never be quite the same again.
Elizabeth, wow! I thought we were a big family with 7! How wonderfully full your house will be with grandkids! My oldest will be 18 in just a few weeks! How does it go by so fast? I’ve thought about how the dynamics will change. Not entirely ready for that yet! Thanks for stopping by today. Praying for you and your family as you come into a new season!
Alisa, thanks for the insider view into your family and how you do family time. Our kids love to have time together as a family, although we don’t do it as much as I would like. Reading your post has encouraged me to make this a priority for our family and be more consistent with it. Do you do this on a weekly basis? And do you have a specific night of the week?
We tend to alternate “Devotional Time” (bible reading, application and prayer) with a “Family Night” which might include games or a movie together. For us, these are great ways to bond and build lasting memories.
Hey Marva! My kids love it too! It’s very hard to find something the whole family wants to do because my kids are so far apart in ages. However, we do take walks on the lakefront, go to dinner and make desserts together! Realistically we like to do it 3 x a week, but usually it ends up 2x a week due to sports schedules for all the kids. I love the movie idea! Any suggestions for movies for a family with 18 down to 6 yr olds is greatly appreciated! Thanks for visiting today! Have a great weekend
You’re my hero, Alisa! I have a hard time getting in one family time a week, I can’t imagine 2-3! I wish I had movie recommendations — trying to get a 10 year old boy to agree with an 8 year old girl poses it’s own set of challenges. If my daughter had her way, we’d watch princess shows every time. Let’s keep making an effort and we’ll get there!
Enjoy your weekend!
I don’t have kids, but this is a good outline for how to spend time in the Word with my husband, too. Thanks for sharing what’s worked for your family and the reminder about how very important it is!
That’s a great idea, Emily! Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great week!
This is such an important thing no matter how it is structured. The key is that it is a priority and it seems every year it can get harder for so many reasons. It gets harder as the kids get older with activities and homework. It also get harder with sports, church commitments and activities, etc., but as a grandmother of six and a retired clinical counselor and marriage and family therapist I can say “Amen” to what you have shared on this topic many times over. Happy to be visiting at the linkup at Soul Survival.
LOVE this, Alisa! We can’t place enough value on the family unit spending time together and sharing God’s Word. Our time looks a little different. Because our little boy struggles to actually sit and eat while we are at the table (he wants to be up and active instead), we put together a set of scripture cards and we work on memorizing a verse together during dinner. Then, before bedtime we share our three P’s – praise, prayer, pillow. (Pillow just means we go to bed now.) 🙂 This makes our Bible and Prayer time a little broken up, but for now it seems to be working best for our little guy. Thank you for sharing your family’s process. I love hearing how others do family time, as well. Blessings to you, dear friend!
Excited to have this one linked up this week to Open Mic Monday for the soul at Cisneros Cafe. I loved it when I read it and am hoping it helps other families as well. Have a blessed week, Alisa! 😀
Thanks Carolina! Loving connecting with you each week!
I love the structure of your family time. I insist on us having something similar, but not quite as structured. Ours revolves around family dinners. We share stories from the day and we try to draw out a spiritual lesson from the things that happen every day. I’m a firm believer that God is (as Ephesians says ) “over all, through all and in all” We can find Him in everything if we look hard enough! Thanks for sharing!
Yes!! So true Karen! I love that y’all do it around dinners! We actually do that sometimes as well. But with all of our kids, if we don’t scheduled structured time, there’s a chance it won’t happen! Thanks for reading today! Have a blessed week!
Some great ideas here! We have a 2.5 year old and another arriving in 7 weeks, and we’re trying to figure out what this looks like for us. Mainly we have just been trying to pray together in the mornings or at night and share communion together as a family.
Last year I interviewed 3 families that I’ve worked with in the past about how they teach their kids about God. It was very interesting, I hope you don’t mind me sharing the link. https://lizzyainsworthbooks.com/3-mums-share-kids-and-quiet-times/
Great tips for families with children! Thanks for sharing!
This is an awesome way to have family time! Dinner time and family time are so important in my house as well. I love that you take turns reading from the Bible because you can get very different things from listening and from reading the Word. I will definitely have to share this idea with my husband.
It’s the same for us too, Ayanna! We have to be intentional with all these kids! It’s so nice to have is all sit down together to visit and share time in the Word! Blessed my soul!!