Can’t Get Your Kids to Settle Down at Bedtime and Sleep?
Ever wished you could just flip a switch and turn your kids off at bed time? Does putting your kids to bed exhaust you?
My mother used to stand at the door and say, “Alex, time to turn your brain off?”
I’m sure she wished she had a switch to turn my brain off and to switch my active body functions into “sleep state”, but she didn’t. So what did she do?
Solution: Try Bedtime prayers.
But how are you supposed to pray?
Very simply!
God the Father is a loving and completely understanding Father so He would have that you prayed poorly and simply rather than not pray at all! Don’t measure your prayers or your children’s by eloquence (i.e. the old man who prays with Thee’s and Thoust’s as if Jesus only speaks the King’s Old English),
I believe prayer is very natural to little children. As they get older, prayer gets made into something too formal. The best prayers are simple, from the heart and full of faith.
Remember this…
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray The Lord, my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray The Lord, my soul to take,
God bless…Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister….
1. Get a Children’s Bible and read them the Bible stories at bedtime. Most children’s Bibles have very simple life application principles included in them or they are very easy to draw out. Briefly discuss the story with your kids and then get on your knees beside their bed and pray about what you just read.
2. Alternate between you and your kids praying. You don’t have to do the same thing every night, but pray every night. I suggest leading until they are ready to lead. When our children were very young, I always led in prayer. Don’t be afraid to let your kids hear you pour your heart out to God, especially on their behalf. One of the most touching times of prayer of my entire life, was when my then three-year old son and I prayed for his wife (brought me to tears!).
3. Dad needs to be involved. Sadly, many dad’s check out at bed time, although in recent years, I certainly hear of more dads getting involved at bed time.
4. Pray with lots of thankfulness. I mean teach them to be thankful for everyone and everything, you will get tired of them thanking God for the grass, the trees, the stray dog down the street, the sun, etc. Don’t cut them off unless they get lost repeating the same thing over and over again. It is important for the child to be cognizant of what they are praying about.
5. Talk to Jesus like he’s your best and most powerful friend. Teach them that you trust in God’s ability to answer prayers. Teach them that you truly believe (have faith) that Christ will answer your prayers. Teach them that praying is simply talking to Jesus.
6. Use standard prayers as starters or finishers. I will often pray “Now I Lay Me” or “The Lord’s Prayer” with my kids to start our bedtime prayers. I try not to use them as the only prayer. Children, quickly adhere to the discipline of prayer.
7. Pray for other people. Ask your child, “who should we pray for tonight?” or “do you have any prayer requests?” It will amaze you the things they have picked up on during the day.
The simple of act of bedtime prayer serves to instill the discipline of prayer, bring you and your child before the Throne of God, and invoke a powerful evening blessing of peace upon their impending hours of sleep. Many children suffer a fear of the dark and bedtime evokes a growing fearfulness. I find that Bedtime Prayers but a period on one day and turn the page to start the next day a new and a fresh!
What works for your kids at bedtime?