The Challenge: Finding Time to Cultivate Faith

Cultivating faith inside the home is something Christian parents want to do, but actually doing it can be hard. We’ve all been there: we wake up with the best intentions to prioritize what matters most, and sometimes the things at the top of our to-do lists are quickly demoted to the bottom. Do you ever find the things that matter most to you are the most challenging to prioritize? I’ve been there, too.

As a Christian mom, I want to build a faith-filled home with Jesus as our foundation. I’m passionate about cultivating faith and helping my kids grow in character and be the hands and feet of Jesus. But despite my background as a kids’ ministry content developer, I can still find it challenging to be intentional with my own family. This was especially true during the early years of parenting when my kids were three and younger! Phew!

And there’s a reason for this. If you’re the parent of small children, you already know that your time is not your own. There are dishes to be done, work projects to finish, diapers to change, sibling arguments to mediate, bedtime routines to implement (yes, you can have another last sip of water), and the list goes on. And although these trials can also bring great joy, the challenge of finding the time to devote to faith is real. How do we cultivate faith inside the home with all of these other chores begging for our attention?

Amidst these struggles and joys of parenting young kids, it’s difficult to keep faith as a top priority. How can we ensure that our home cultivates a life where our children want to follow Jesus when all of these household and parenting chores are competing for our attention? Lack of direction, time, and energy are always going to be significant hurdles. But here’s some good news: I’ve got a some ways for you to easily cultivate faith in your home!

Because I, too, am in the throes of parenting, I wanted to find a way for parents to make their homes filled with faith and point to Jesus - yes, even among all of the mess (and memories!) that comes with parenting little kiddos. These tips for how to cultivate faith inside the home will help you build faith routines that are easy, that save you time, and that help you raise little disciples!

The List: 10 Ways to Cultivate Faith at Home

Try bringing some Bible time to breakfast. Let’s be honest…morning time can be a crazy time when your house is full of little humans. But this is usually a time where you’re all together, and what a great opportunity to bring in Jesus!
Simply grab a children’s Bible or short devotional and read a story your littles can enjoy and understand. Even if the story or devotional is a quick three minutes, that’s okay! Every single minute we can introduce them to the love of Jesus is time well spent.
Consistency is key—not the amount of time you spend. Short and sweet is the name of the game here…because we all know that yogurt is going to fling across the table and beg our attention any second!
Grab my FREE Made to Be Kids Devotional Set HERE! If we’re going to talk about fun ways to spend faith-filled time with our kids, then I hope this will quickly move to the top of your list! My Made to Be Kids Devotional is a FREE seven-week series that focuses on different aspects of how God made us. They concentrate on the fact that God made children a special way and for a purpose. These devotions are accompanied by sweet animal illustrations that will quickly become loved by your little ones.
What can you expect from these devotionals? Well, there’s no need for elaborate crafts and step-by-step instructions. These devotions keep it simple and equip your family with the tools that you need to help you discuss emotions, friendship, faith, and more with your child. Included are fun facts, discussion questions, Bible verses, easy activities, and more—all tailored for 3-7-year-olds. I designed these resources to be easy for parents to use all the while being engaging and fun for kids. These devotionals will help your kids build a foundation of faith as they learn more about who God is and who He created them to be!
And if you like these devotionals, you can get access to more free resources through my email newsletter that will make it easy for you to implement faith into your home! True character is built over time as we are transformed to become more and more like Jesus. While only God can change hearts, these resources can be a great way to nurture seeds of faith. I want to raise kids who are kind, courageous, patient, and are daily becoming more like their loving Creator. If you share this desire, consider checking out our resources by subscribing to my email list HERE.
Say bedtime prayers. Parents, this is one of the easiest ways to cultivate more faith into your home because it only takes a minute. What’s more, right before bed is a time where children tend to go into ‘tell all’ mode—their feelings and thoughts of the day come tumbling out and the floodgates of their heart are opened. Praying over these emotions and over their day is a great time to bring all of their cares and worries to Jesus.
A prayer that focuses on these emotions (and the character traits from Made to Be Kids!) is a wonderful way to show your child that we can bring all of our worries to Him.
Make car time holy. As parents, the next trip to the grocery store or school drop-off is never too far off! The time you spend in the car can be so meaningful. Instead of seeing it as a means to get from one place to another, look at car time as a chance to connect with your child and deepen their faith.
You can do this by listening to Bible stories or podcasts in the car (they have so many great ones for children!) Listening to these stories not only gets them familiar with God’s word, but also deepens their faith and opens the door that allows your children to ask questions about people and stories of the Bible. These discussions allow them to make connections and show them that Jesus should be an integral part of their everyday conversations.
Listening to Bible songs and even making up and singing your own prayers in the car on the way to school is a meaningful way to send them off on their day. This enriching time takes up no time on your end, yet it can be deeply meaningful and build lasting memories. Car time is a great way to implement more faith into your family life!
Put church on your calendar. Studies show that one of the biggest ways to cultivate faith in your home and to encourage a lifelong faith is by regularly attending church. And I hear you—taking small kids (no matter how many) to church is no small feat.
What matters most is that you’re getting there—no matter how you show up. If you make it halfway through the service only to find yourself packing up your backpack before communion, we call that a win! Our church community knows our crew is not the most timely bunch, but they love us anyway. 😉
Going to church opens you up to being a part of a community of believers who can love and support you and your family in Christ’s love—no matter if you attend for ten minutes or two hours! This also provides children with the opportunity to be shepherded by other adults and mentors, which cultivates their faith that will spill over into your home.
Make Jesus a part of everyday conversations. Whether you’re in the midst of raising the littlest of littles or have school-aged children, making Jesus a part of your everyday conversations or playtime is an easy way to bring Him into your home. If you’re the parent of young children, talking about Jesus while you play is a great way to whisper His name.
Maybe this looks each time you toss a ball, you say a character trait of God. This could also look like intervening when siblings aren’t sharing. “What does God say about sharing with and caring about others?”
If you’re a parent of older children, talking about God while they share their emotions and the hardships of their day with you is key to understanding who they are made to be and Whose they are. This could look like chatting about a difficult situation and how Jesus would respond to it. Perhaps they come to you with a whirlwind of emotions and you pray together over their concerns. Incorporating His name into your daily play and conversations sends the message that God is a part of our everyday and He is with us in all joys and hardships.
Faith-based decor. Got an empty space on a wall that you’d like to fill? Consider hanging a sign that has a family-favorite Bible verse written on it, or a daily prayer that your family says before a meal. These visual reminders can also be a great way for children to memorize Bible verses!
Having a sign, cross, or faith decor is a visual reminder for our children about God’s love. These reminders say it all without saying a word. And the best part about these faith-inspired accents is that they don’t have to be fancy or expensive.
In fact, you can have your kids make their own! Consider a sign or prayer wall of Bible verses they can write down or draw a picture of. Want to change up the prayer or Bible verse? Hang up a whiteboard or chalkboard and change it out each day or week!
Family Bible time. Although I love the idea of family reading time, this feels like an idea that is better off for the future when kids are older. In an ideal world, I imagine all of my children happily reading their Bibles on the couch in front of a cozy fire while Mom and Dad read theirs as well. Everyone is quiet and reading with ease. Sounds picturesque, right?
If you’re the parent of young kids, this probably seems like a far-fetched idea. But no need for the kids to read on their own or to have the most perfect, peaceful setting. Grab a Bible and read as a family together. Choose one story and sit down on the couch and swap out story time with Bible story time a few times a week. This fun routine can help you squeeze in your Bible reading, too!
Looking for an awesome full-text Bible for kids ages 7-12? We love the Go Bible over here! It’s also very near and dear to my heart because I had the honor of serving as the general editor, which meant I got to work with an incredible team and some super talented writers to help create over 600 engaging features. Check it out HERE!
Quiet time with God for YOU. As a mother of young kids, this one can feel particularly difficult to set aside time for. But you can do it, friends! This might look like waking up 20 minutes before the kids so that you can have some time in the quiet to start your day with prayer. It may look like staying up 20 minutes past your bedtime so you can finish that book of the Bible you meant to finish last week.
Don’t have that kind of time either? Turn on a Bible-reading app in the car so you can sneak it in that way. Or another favorite idea…turn on an extra episode of Daniel Tiger for your littles while you wrap up your Bible study session! This time for parents is so important because we need to equip ourselves and “fill up our own cups” to help us build a faith-filled home for our entire family. It might seem selfish at first, but you’re actually serving your family in a big way when you do this! While it might be cliche, the truth stands: you can’t pour from an empty cup.
Furthermore, this time isn’t just for your children, but for you. Our days can feel long and difficult, and we need the words of Jesus to help us through these demanding days. The more we are equipped with the truth of scripture, time with God, and learning about the grace of Jesus, the better we can help serve our kids in this way, too.
Serve together as a family. Consider swapping out a family lunch for a serving opportunity in your community. As parents of young kids, it’s sometimes hard to find one that’s age-appropriate. But no act of service is too small. Jesus can take our seemingly small or insignificant acts of service, and multiply the good that comes from it!
Maybe this looks like buying someone’s groceries behind you and showing your children that opportunity. Maybe it looks like your kiddos making cards for the local nursing home, stocking up the community food pantry, or making cookies for the neighbors.
Either way you spin it, this shows your kids that as Christians, we aim to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Serving is a great way to cultivate faith within your home by helping those outside of your home!

Foundations of a Faith-Filled Home

Amidst all of the chaos of parenting young kids (not to mention the modern day expectations of parents), it feels difficult to incorporate one more routine into your home. But the truth is, friends, faith is the most important routine you can build into your home. Yes, more important than the bedtime or before school routine. More important than the after-dinner routine or the bath time routine. If you’re building a home where faith is the foundation, all of the other routines, schedules, and in’s-and-out’s of the home will likely fall into place.
The consistency is what makes a routine effective, not the amount of time you spend doing it. Some weeks will be easier than others, but give yourself grace. The more grace we give ourselves, the more likely we will come back and try again and again to implement these faith-based routines.

Building a home on a foundation of faith has lasting effects on our family and our children’s futures—and there is no better way to spend your time!