Hi, mama! Daily devotions are a vital habit in my life, but honestly, I had no idea how to begin introducing the idea of daily devotions with a toddler. Teaching another life skill on top of everything else (aka trying to make him eat his broccoli and brush his teeth every day) just felt overwhelming.
So I went on a little journey for both myself and my toddler and began doing little things here and there that would begin to incorporate the idea of daily devotions into his life. Start those habits early, mama! Today, we’ll explore 9 simple and delightful ways to infuse devotional practices into the rhythm of your day, creating meaningful moments that nurture both your toddler’s spirit and your own. I hope these simple ideas help you as much as they helped us!
Here’s what you’ll find in this post:
9 Simple Ways to Incorporate Daily Devotions With A Toddler
Morning Prayers
Begin your day with a positive note by incorporating a short morning blessing, fostering a routine of daily devotions with your toddler. Express gratitude for the new day and ask for guidance and protection. Not only will this help your toddler, it will also help you focus on thankfulness and gratitude, which are vital for the rest of your day.
Here’s an example of a short morning prayer:
“God, thank-you for this new day. Protect us. Give us joy and laughter. Teach us new things today. Amen.”
The key is to make the prayer as simple as possible so your toddler can quickly take part in the prayer and add to it or make their own.
Mealtime Gratitude
Turn mealtime into a sacred moment by expressing gratitude for the food you share. Introduce a short verse or prayer that your toddler can easily grasp. It’s a wonderful way to instill thankfulness and mindfulness during meals.
I recently began praying with my toddler before each meal, and I was astonished at how quickly he caught on. We would fold our hands and say a very simple prayer, thanking God for various things in the day and for the meal.
One evening, I forgot to pray. In the middle of the meal, my toddler suddenly said, “PRAY!” He folded his hands, ready to bless the meal. I couldn’t believe he remembered our mealtime prayer habit! They really are paying attention to every little thing we do. That was a humbling experience. We never forget to pray now before a meal!
Story-time With Scriptures
Make Bible stories a part of your daily story-time routine. Choose engaging children’s Bibles or storybooks that simplify biblical narratives. Use this time to discuss the lessons and messages behind each story, fostering early connections to faith.
If there are certain stories your toddler is interested in, repeat those stories. You’ll find that your toddler will begin requesting the stories they love! Currently, my toddler’s favorite story is Noah and the rainbow. When he’s looking through his books, he’ll say, “Rainbow!”
Nature Walk Devotions
Take your devotional time outdoors!
Combine the wonders of nature with spiritual moments by talking about God’s creation during your walks. Model what prayer can look like as you simply walk in nature. This can be something as simple as saying, “God, thank you for the beautiful trees. Thank you for the clean air and the blue sky. Thank you for the fluffy clouds.” Modeling is an effective way to teach your child without telling them you are teaching them something.
You can also ask your toddler simple questions such as:
“What do you see in the forest that God made?”
“Which part of God’s forest do you like most?”
“What animals do you hear singing to God?”
Jesus Dance Party
Infuse joy into your day through worship songs, making music a natural part of daily devotions with your toddler. Sing and dance together to music that carries positive and spiritual messages.
There are so many children’s Christian music resources! Here is one of our favorite songs to dance to:
Bedtime Blessings
Create a calming bedtime routine that includes a short prayer. Playing soft, instrumental music is a beautiful way to set the environment for both sleep and end of the day prayers.
Keep the prayer simple. We like to go through our family members and ask God to bless and protect those family members. We also thank God for the day and ask Him to give us good dreams while we sleep.
After a few days, you will likely find your toddler reminding you of people you’ve forgotten or adding their friends’ names to the list and adding their own flair to the prayers.
The most amazing thing about this habit is that you are teaching your toddler how to pray and converse with God. As they get older, they will be so familiar with prayer, they won’t feel intimidated by talking to God. It’s a great skill to have confidence in prayer and a skill that will benefit them for their entire life.
Interactive Bible Play
Bring Bible stories to life through play, engaging your toddler’s imagination. Use toys and props to act out simple biblical narratives, fostering a personal connection with the stories.
One of our favorite Bible stories to bring to life is the story of creation. We have so many stuffed animals and pretend items from nature. It’s easy to discuss the creation of the world in terms of God making the animals and creating things in nature.
Bring nature indoors! Leaves, rocks, grass, sticks, etc can all be incorporated in your pretend play.
Memory Verse Challenge
Choose a short and simple memory verse for the week, incorporating interactive elements to make daily devotions engaging for your toddler. Repetition becomes fun with gestures, songs, or visual aids.
When I introduce a verse to my toddler, I choose something short. I read it a few times before leaving out one of the key words so my son can fill in the word. A toddler’s mind is a sponge, and they will pick up short verses in record time. I guess you could start with the shortest verse: “Jesus wept”, and work you’re way up from there! 🙂
Family Prayer Time
Set aside a designated time each day for family prayer. This is a great way to involve your toddler in daily devotions and makes it something very normal for them. Encourage them to join in, expressing their own simple prayers. This shared experience fosters unity and spiritual connection within the family.
A Reminder
In the midst of the toddler whirlwind, building daily devotional habits need not be a daunting task. These simple and heartfelt practices can seamlessly weave faith into your daily routine, creating moments of connection and spiritual growth for both you and your little one. Embrace these opportunities for shared moments of love, learning, and devotion on this beautiful journey of parenthood. May your days be filled with grace and the joy of growing together in faith.
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