Quiet Time, Part 2
- At July 27, 2011
- By gracefullmom
- In Family
0
So you know you want to teach your family to appreciate both a rest time and time in the Word. Do you find yourself wondering where do I start?
We’ve tried many things over the years and my perennial favorite is letting the children listen to the Dramatized Bible during nap time.
<– This is the NIV Bible dramatized(by Zondervan). Dramatized means they read exactly what is written (and only what is written) adding different voices for different speakers, music and a few sound effects.
We also have The Bible in Living Sound and some Your Story Hour Bible-based radio dramas that the children love, but I like the children to listen to the Word (unaltered) at quiet time. We save all our other audio dramas (including Jonathan Park, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre and Lamplighter Books) for car rides, fun time or bedtime.
How long is quiet time? I’ve let the CD become a timer for those who no longer take naps. So they lay quietly (or draw or play w/a quiet toy) during nap time until their CD is over.
What do they listen to? All of the Bible! We don’t always go sequentially… sometimes I pull a CD related to a recent conversation or Sunday School lesson or favorite story. Other times, I work through in order.
What about the scary stuff? I used to worry about the “scary parts”. You know, the battles, weeping and gnashing of teeth… not to mention Sodom & Gomorrah or Lot’s daughters’ reprehensible behavior… Mom advised me to pray and trust God and also be available for questions. So I don’t really edit what they hear day in & day out. There are a few CDs I don’t put in often- you can listen with your kiddos and use discernment.
How young do we start? I didn’t realize how much my little ones are retaining until I overheard a conversation in Sunday School about Samson, the 300 Philistines, the donkey’s jawbone and his power coming not just from long hair but from the holy spirit. That was Andrew (4).
We usually start when a CD playing offers something for the children to focus on and relax… Georgia is just starting to benefit from them, so I suppose around the 3rd Bday is when I usually add a “devotion CD” to their naptimes. Ben (12) is managing his own quiet time now, but I still like Lauren to listen- I think the ages depend on where the children are developmentally, their learning styles, etc. What doesn’t change is the importance of spending time in the word- written or audio!
Don’t stop there. This shouldn’t replace family devotions, it’s a way to help your child grow up having his own quiet time. Trust God to speak to him. Ask God to be real & personal to your child!
See if it works for you!! I hope and pray that God’s Word, hidden in their hearts, will serve my children well over the years. It’ll lead them where they should go (Ps 119:105), keep them from sin (Ps 119:11) and help them to love the Lord. Learning to quiet their little hearts is a gift I try to give them every day!
