Advent Devotions for Families With Kids

A family devotion does not need to be long. For children, short and regular works better than long and rare. Here is a pattern many families can use during Advent.

Use four parts

Try this order: read, talk, pray, do. Read a short passage. Talk about it with two or three questions. Say a short prayer. Then do one small thing together, such as making a paper star or writing a note to a friend.

Choose a short reading

Pick a few verses, not a whole chapter. Luke 1:37 is short and easy to remember in the King James Version: "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke 2:14 says: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Ask questions with no wrong answer

Good questions begin with what or how. What do you think the shepherds felt? How do we make room for others? Who could use a little hope this week? Give children time to think before you fill the silence.

Match the length to the age

Toddlers do well with a song and a candle. Early elementary children can answer a question and draw a picture. Older children can read the verse aloud or write a prayer. Let each child choose a part.

Let kids lead

Ask a child to light the candle, pick the card or say the prayer. Children are more engaged when they have a job.

Keep it flexible

Some nights will be loud, tired or short. That is fine. A sentence of prayer and one question still counts.

Make it a tradition

Keep the cards in a jar or a basket near the table. Draw one each evening. At the end of Advent, talk about your favorites and save a few for next year.

Start with cards already made

If you would like a set ready to print, the Advent Family Devotion Cards include 24 cards, each with a reading, three questions, a prayer and one thing to do.