Unique Family Activities That Bring You Closer to God
Did you know you can grow together as a family and with God through play? Family discipleship doesn’t need to happen sitting around the Bible or at church. One of the best ways to disciple your children is through family activities that bring you closer to God.
Grow Closer as A Family
The family is the perfect environment for nurturing faith. Throughout scripture, parents are reminded to love God and teach their children to do the same.
“We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.”
But that doesn’t mean we need to be fancy and formal in our teaching. Kids learn best through play, and play is an amazing activity for bonding. Bringing joy and playfulness to your family’s faith life helps everyone want to practice discipleship again and again. Here are ten activities you can do with your family to bring you all closer to God.
Playful Prayers
We all know that we should be praying as Christian families, but adding a bit of play to your prayers will spice up your prayer life, help your family connect more and engage God. Your kids will love to pray, and you and God will hear what is on their hearts.
So next time you want to pray, add some bubbles, playdough, rhyming, or blocks, and enjoy talking together with God.
Confession
Confession sounds scary, especially to kids. However, with consistent modeling and a safe and grace-filled response, confession can bring joy, restoration and connection to families.
God wants us to share with him the things separating us from a deeper connection with him and others. By practicing regular confession with our kids, we can help normalize this important practice and focus on the joy of restoring relationships.
Celebration
Celebrating is a common thing that we do as families. But suppose we are more intentional about inviting God into our celebrations and about what we are celebrating. In that case, those celebrations can become a spiritual discipline that connects our families and God.
When engaging with God, we can celebrate forgiveness, the fruit of the Spirit, spiritual milestones, and even wise choices.
Birthday Blessings
Most children love to celebrate their birthdays. This makes it a perfect time to add in some faith!
As a family, you can bless the birthday boy or girl and affirm all the great things God has done in creating them. The more thoughtful and intentional the blessings and affirmations, the more impact this activity will have on your family’s faith.
School Prayer Walks
Take some time as a family to go and walk around your children’s schools while you pray. Or you can go to the school’s playground and pray while you play.
Pray for the students, the staff, the teachers and the administration. Remember that God is there, even if it is a public school. Call on Him to make His presence known.
Invite your children to pray or make prayer requests and see what’s on their hearts for their school and friends.
Service Projects
Serving together as a family is an excellent way to connect with God. Josh Denhart of KidminScience.com writes, “Children who serve with their families in a faith-based ministry seemed more likely to stay connected to Christ and the church.”
This doesn’t have to mean going on mission trips. Serving others, your church or your community will help your family grow closer together.
Check out this Family Christian article for ideas on family service projects.
Family Meetings
Does your family have regular family meetings? Family meetings are a great opportunity to help your children feel safe and heard while growing your family’s faith.
Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly family meetings are an opportunity for everyone to share questions, concerns and ideas for the family, align your family vision, and play and worship together. You can also model Spirit-led decision-making, problem-solving, and family values in action.
Learn more about family meetings from Connected Families.
Baking Bread
In John 6:35, Jesus calls himself the “Bread of Life.” This passage is so deep and sensory-rich that it is perfect for repeated discussion.
I invite you to bake bread together as a family as you explore the many places in scripture about bread. Together you might wonder why bread, about Communion, what if your favorite foods fell from the sky instead of manna, and more.
Creation Stations
God is the Creator. One of the most fun and often meaningful ways we can engage with Him and each other is through creating.
Creation can happen in various ways, depending on your family’s interests and ages. You might create songs, stories, poems, art or plays. Try gathering recyclables or bits of nature to inspire your creations.
Together For a Purpose
With our busy schedules, it is important to be intentional with the time we have together with our families. When we invite God and our faith into our family fun, our children will experience the abundant life of Christ (John 10:10, NIV) and be drawn to want more.
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6, NIV).
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