5 Ways to Integrate Faith into Your Child’s School Routine

Back to school has always felt like a fresh start to me. It is also the perfect time to start some simple habits that integrate faith into your child’s school routine.

With my youngest starting her transition to kindergarten this fall, all my girls will be in school. Even with my kids in public school, I know my husband and I are still the biggest influences in their lives, especially in terms of faith.

In Isaiah38:19 (NIV), we read,

“The living, the living—they praise you,

as I am doing today;

parents tell their children

about your faithfulness.”

Here are five ways we can maximize the moments and nurture our children’s faith throughout the school days.

1.  Pray Along the Way

No matter how your kids get to school, the wait at the bus stop or the drive to school is a perfect time for a short prayer with your kids. You can lead popcorn prayers, take turns or use Scripture to guide the time.

The two Scripture-based prayers we most often pray are the Lord’s Prayer and the fruit of the Spirit.

Lord’s Prayer

You can find the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV):

“This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in Heaven,

hallowed be Your name,

Your kingdom come,

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven’.”

Just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray, we can use those same words to teach our children to pray. However, we want to make sure that we aren’t just teaching our children to memorize but to understand the words, too.

Recite the Lord’s Prayer on the way to school. If they don’t know it yet, go back and forth, repeating one line at a time.

After you say “amen,” pick one phrase or word to talk about and wonder about together. For example, what does holy/hallowed mean? Where is God’s kingdom? What is God’s will?

This takes time, and you can return to the same line repeatedly, allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal new things.

Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV).

Another simple yet impactful Scripture to pray on the way to school is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are not just a list of character traits that we try to attain on our own. They are evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

We enjoy singing Uncle Charlie’s “Fruit of the Spirit” song first. Then, we each pick a fruit that we would like the Holy Spirit to help us practice that day. We talk about what that might look like at school and then pray for God’s help.

2.  Give Your Blessing

Our children desperately long for our blessings. Look at Esau in Genesis 27:38 (NIV), “Esau said to his father, ‘Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!’ Then Esau wept aloud.”

Each day, as you hug your child goodbye, give them a short blessing. You can use a significant verse, a prayer or a word of affirmation. Whatever will be meaningful to your child.

I have adapted a blessing for my children using “Blessing Balm” from Lacy Finn Borgo’s book, Spiritual Conversations with Children: Listening to God Together. I mark a cross on their forehead or hand with a fruity lip balm and ask God to bless them and help them to be fruity, like the fruit of the Spirit.

3.  Lunch Box Love Notes

While we can’t be with our children every day for lunch if they are in school, we can pack their lunch boxes with intention. Along with packing healthy foods to nourish their bodies and a favorite treat to nourish their heart, you can pack a little love note to nourish their soul.

It can be as simple as a verse written on their napkin or as fancy as a hand-made card. There are even little cards you can buy for your child’s lunch.

This is a great way to remind your child that they are loved, and that God is with them in the middle of the day. It might just be the pick-me-up they need.

4.  School Pick-Up Examen

Are you stuck in the afterschool “How was your day?” “Good.” cycle? I’ve been there. But you don’t have to stay stuck there.

Afterschool conversations are a great time to bring God into the conversation. Instead of “How was your day?” you might ask, “Where did you see God today?” Or, back to the fruit of the Spirit, “Did you see anyone being kind or joyful today?” “Did you practice self-control?”

You could also ask:

• What feelings did you have today?
• What was good?
• What was hard?
• What are you grateful for?

Help your child to offer their day’s experience to God with gratitude and recognition of his presence.

5.  Role Playing

As we send our kids to school, they do not go alone. God is with them. We can help prepare them for turning to God, especially when we aren’t there, by role-playing.

This is a fun and practical way of helping your kids work through their real struggles at school or through things that might come up. You can role-play with each other or with toys.

Take turns making up a situation, and then act it out. How can your child invite God into the situation?

You can be your child, or they can play themselves. Switch it up, too. Sometimes, acting out what not to do can be fun and more helpful than trying to get it right.

How Will You Integrate Faith into Your Child’s School Routine?

There are many ways to incorporate God into your routine. These five ideas work for our family, but they might not all work for you. That’s okay!

The important thing is that you model weaving God into your everyday life and seek to help your child find what works for them.

“Our children will also serve Him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord” (Psalm 22:30, NLT).