Praying with and over your child is an excellent tradition to start now. Pray over them while they sleep, or even as they fall asleep. Let that be a habit they become accustomed to even though they don’t understand what prayer is yet.

Start the tradition of reading the Bible with your child at a young age. Use a picture Bible and/or read aloud the Bible stories to help them engage with God’s Word even now.

There are so many traditions that help young kids understand faith. One of those is the habit of praying before you eat. Everyone in the family can participate in mealtime prayers. At two years of age it will most likely be a repeat-after-me prayer, but as time progresses they’ll be able to pray more and more by themselves.

Christmas traditions are abundant, but make sure Christmas is about Christ’s birth and more than just gifts.

• Read the Christmas story as a family before opening gifts.

• Allow them to play with a manger scene.

• Have a birthday party for Jesus.

• Participate in Operation Christmas Child.

Take advantage of everyday experiences to teach your child about prayer. When you see an ambulance or hear sirens, take a moment to pray for those affected. Demonstrate this habit of prayer yourself. It will make a big difference to your kids.

There are many spiritual traditions surrounding the Easter season. Things like Resurrection Eggs are a fun way to teach the Easter story. You can also make Resurrection Rolls or cookies. Make sure you the focus you put on Easter is Christ, His resurrection and celebrating Jesus!

Make a habit of regularly asking your kids about God Sightings. These are ways they’ve seen God at work. It will take some time and modeling on your part before kids start to get it. For example, “Did you notice how that missing toy showed up when we stopped to pray?”

Daily Bible reading and the use of guided devotions are so important to all of us. Teaching your children this habit early will develop life-long patterns that will keep them rooted in God’s Word. Get your child an age-appropriate devotional book they can use.

At Thanksgiving, there are many traditions that teach the biblical value of thankfulness. James 1:17 is a wonderful verse to memorize. Consider different ways to create a culture of gratitude in your home.

Serving is an important aspect of our relationship with God. There are many ways you can serve as a family at FBC Justin or other organizations.

Make mealtime a tradition in your family. Turn it into a spiritual tradition by making sure to read Scripture or having a short family devotion at least a few times a week.

Continue to invest in spiritual traditions and habits that will last throughout your child’s life. This would be a good year to evaluate their Bible and see if they need a more age-appropriate one.

Your 12 year old will begin preparing to transition into our Student Ministry at Promotion Sunday. They will get to spend their summer after completing 6th Grade with the Student Ministry, attending youth events like Student Camp at Falls Creek!