Growing Faith in Your Family One Small Step at a Time
Bible Verse
14 Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong. Hebrews 5: 14
How do we start reading the Bible with our children or praying together as a family? This is a brand-new experience for some of us—we may not have grown up praying or reading the Bible at home. Some others might want to create new traditions different from what we experienced as kids.
So, how do we move from hoping our families will grow in faith to actually living it out daily? The good news is that you don’t have to do everything at once! Small, simple steps can lead to big spiritual growth over time.
Start small and build from there. In her book Little Habits, Big Faith, Christie Thomas shares five steps for introducing faith practices in your home.
- Choose a faith habit. Pick one thing to focus on.
- Make it little. Start small so it’s easy to do.
- Connect it to a current habit. Link it to something your family already does daily.
- Set yourself up for success. Make it easy to remember by placing visual reminders around the house.
- Celebrate in the moment. Encourage your family with high-fives, hugs, or smiles to make faith-building a joy!
Simple, Doable Faith Habits
Here are a few easy ways to build faith into everyday life:
Read the Bible
- Start small—read just one verse a day.
- Connect it to mealtime—read after dinner while everyone is still at the table.
- Keep the Bible near the dinner table as a reminder.
- Celebrate with group high-fives.
Other ideas:
- Read the same verse every day for a month to memorize it.
- Do devotions from an app or Kids Corner. Listen to devotions in the car or at bedtime.
- Put a verse on the bathroom mirror to read while brushing your teeth! Celebrate with a smile!
Give a Blessing
- Keep it simple by praying the same daily blessing from Numbers 6:24-26: "I pray that the Lord will bless and protect you and that he will show you mercy and kindness. May the Lord be good to you and give you peace.”
- Say this blessing at bedtime, before school, or write it in a lunchbox note.
- Use a sticky note on their bedpost to remind you to say it.
- Celebrate with a hug!
Pray together
- Keep it small—repeat the same short prayer every day.
- Pray after dinner and ask each family member: “How did God bless you today?”
- Write down prayer requests and pray for them together.
- Use cue cards with simple prayers to make it easier.
- Celebrate with a loud and joyful ‘Amen!’
Sing Together
- Create or download a family playlist of Christian songs.
- Play it while doing chores or driving in the car.
- Keep adding to the playlist over time.
- Celebrate by singing at the top of your lungs!
Just Start—Practice Makes Progress!
Every family is different, and what works for one may not work for another. The important thing is to start somewhere and keep going. Faith habits take time to grow, but with encouragement, practice, and prayer, they will become a natural part of your family’s daily life.
Need more ideas? Check out Kids Corner’s Faith Practices for Families eBook series for inspiration. You've got this! God is with you every step of the way.
Ron VandenBurg
Senior Producer of Children’s Ministry at ReFrame Ministries
Ron VandenBurg joined the ReFrame Ministries team in 2014. He plans and develops projects specifically for the spiritual formation of children. Before coming to ReFrame, Ron taught middle school for 27 years. Ron completed a M.Ed. degree in Teaching, Learning, and Development at Brock University. Ron and Rachel have four fantastic adult children and one grandchild and reside in Ontario.
