abba12 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I've tried to implement bible time over and over with my kids, and it just never lasts more than a few weeks. It's not for lack of desire. But something always comes up, or we start school late and I feel like we need to get into math and English before the kids lose their prime time of the day (between 8 and 10) or.... it's always something. I've kinda had a revelation today that, part of the reason is most likely that I keep trying to do it before school. I am not a morning person. I get up early because I have to, but I just don't do well with motivation and focus in the morning. Bible time with the kids is hard for me for mental health reasons. I can manage organizing the kids to start their math and reading, but bible time is an extra step that seems too hard for me to do consistently first thing in the morning. And when I do manage it it feels time constricted because we have to move on to other subjects before the kids lose momentum. I've tried to have my personal time with God for years now and never been able to do it consistently for any decent period of time. About 3 months ago I realized it's because a. I was doing it in the morning, and b. I was trying to do it every day, and then feeling disheartened when I missed a day. These both came from very common advice given by christians, that you should start every single morning with time with God. It just wasn't working for me, so I opened myself up to do it during the day and only on days where there was opportunity, and for the past three months my time with God has been a couple of hours in the afternoon once or twice a week, an hour or so in the evening once or twice a week, and 5-10 mins before bed every night. It might not be daily, as all the Christians around me seem to say it should be, but added up it's about 5-6 hours a week, which is 5-6 hours more than it ever has been for this long before. But I still feel.... stuck. I still feel like I need to do bible time with the kids before school, though I have no logical reason for that specific time of day other than the fact everyone else is doing it. I'm thinking before lunch, or before quiet time, or the time inbetween the end of quiet time and the start of outside time would work best for us (I have heard of a few families who do it in the evening, but that's just not going to fly here, 5pm-7pm is HECTIC). Does anyone here do bible time later than early morning/before school? Why? Does it look any different? Does anyone have a good argument as to why it should be in the morning? Will a bolt of lightning strike me down if I read the bible to my kids at 3pm instead of 8am :lol: I am not one to fall for peer pressure and 'what everyone else is doing' generally, but this one seems to have gotten to me for some reason.... and it seems so silly when I look at it logically, I can't even come up with a good reason in defence of doing it in the morning. But it seems to engrained in me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 There's no reason you have to do it in the morning. When my kids were little, sometimes we did it in the morning and sometimes we did not. It just depended on what was going on. We do try to start the day with a prayer together. Some people do think that Bible study/quiet time must be done in the morning. But no one has ever given me a reason why. Jesus often prayed at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I almost always found it was more effective on the couch, relaxing after lunch. Taking through questions, some prayer, some reading the story bible. Now that my kids are older we do other stuff like How Then Shall We Live DVDs or other DVD theology series, but it still happens after school. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 We haven't been starting school at all till 9 or 10 because i'm struggling a bit with mornings. I sleep a bit late and then I like my quiet time with Luna. Jumping out of bed and right into my day just isn't working for us. When we did religious study, we definitely did it in the afternoon. It's a nice respite from the work of the day. We aren't doing it now, but when we start, it will likely not be the first thing. Do it whenever you feel the most relaxed. More than any other subject, it should be peaceful and soulful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I think it is perfectly reasonable to find another time during the day to do Bible time. For me it is part of school, it is the first subject we do in the morning, but it is not before school, it is what starts off school. For my family it helps set the tone for the day and also gets done. If I put it off for another time it will almost always get skipped. However, if you find that after lunch, before bedtime, or whatever is what works for you and your family then do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Do it when it works for your family. We did it during supper for a long time so that my husband can lead it. Before bed also works well for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I assume you mean of those who do Bible stuff? ;) I never did a Bible study in the morning when I was a Christian. 10 years of Christianity and then some, several mission trips, pilgrimage, and god almighty never turned me into a morning person. I used to read the Bible, and now do my meditation / music / personal growth stuff before bed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 No. We don't do bible time every morning. We don't do it everyday either. The only thing we do religiously is attend church every Sunday morning and I teach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 nm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 If I were in your shoes, I would roll out of bed, land in my cup of coffee, and start the kids on math or spelling with no guilt. Begin your teaching day with whatever is the easiest for you to start with, and work your way up the hill. Then, snuggle with your children and a children's Bible in the afternoon. God will not mind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I know that I am an early riser and wanted to make sure that I would have time to read while reading the bible in 90 days. I knew it wouldn't happen if I couldn't do it before dd gets up. We do ours first thing because it is something dd really enjoys and I have a little study book that is a lesson a day that really helps. I would have no qualms about doing it in the afternoon if I or my dd were better suited for it. Do what works for you and don't worry about everyone else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We start with a quick 2-3 minute devotional and then prayer. (This year I've started having 2 devotionals -- one for the teens; one for the youngers.) In the evening, the dc eat a snack while we read a Bible story to them. They each have their own Bible workbook that they work through at their own pace during their regular homeschool time. I am not a morning person either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea_lpz Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I think the logic is doing it first likens it to your families first priority. However, I don't think that's necessarily true. It's better to find a time that works for you then not get to it all. Try after lunch, or after 3 R's, or even before bed as a family devotion time. See what works to get you consistent. Personally, we often do it after quite time so we can all wake back up or before bed. We have an 18 month old who often doesn't let us do Bible first thing in the 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockhopper Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We do Morning Office (Bible readings and prayers from the Book of Common Prayer), and we call it that even if we don't get to it until the afternoon! :-) What's working really well for us right now is that we listen to it streaming on my laptop while we eat breakfast and I drink coffee. No one talks until it's done, except to do the responses or communal parts, or at least that's the goal. I do usually stop the recording after the Scripture readings to talk a bit about them, or before them if we're starting a new book, to give context. We usually keep another screen up with the Scripture readings or open up a print Bible to follow. And we add our own prayer time at the end. My oldest often falls asleep (or appears to), my middle zones out, and my youngest attempts chaos, but honestly that's not much different than when I read everything myself. This way, though, it's (relatively) peaceful for me and I can listen instead of reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Yeah, we just never could pull that off. There's nothing in Scripture that instructs or demands parents to teach their children in any certain order or time of day. We're supposed to teach them when we rise up and when we lie down and when we walk on the road. There's nothing more special or holy or anything about doing Bible time first thing. And honestly, how can you do character training first thing in the morning? You have to do character training all day long, every moment that your children are awake. :-) So if you can't do first thing in the morning, do it when you can. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We usually did bible to start our read-aloud time, which was after lunch and most individual subjects were done, if memory serves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We do read the Bible as a family immediately after breakfast. I'd actually rather eat breakfast on my own, but my husband is adamant we eat it as a family, so we do. We read a really short passage and then sing a Psalm. Recently, though, I wanted to add individual Bible reading. I printed up a one-year chart of readings for the kids (about 15 verses a day for my 8 and 10 year olds, and 5 verses a day for my 7 year old). When a child has a short gap after a subject, that child grabs his Bible with his chart, goes and reads it, and then comes and narrates it to me. They aren't all reading the same thing, but it seems to be working well for retention. My goal was beginning the habit of personal Bible reading. This usually happens between 10 and 12 in the morning. Emily 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternallytired Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We start our day with prayer together, but out Bible reading time is immediately after dinner. We often read our Bible story while the kids are still finishing eating; since we require everyone to stay at the table until everyone else is done eating (within reason), it works well. We also have a memory verse (Sunday School or one I pick) that we review as a family immediately after our Bible reading is done. The older two kids have daily Bible study activities to do via Community Bible Study; DH does those with them while I am getting the little guy tucked in for the night. It doesn't take long, and once they're done they brush teeth and get jammied and are ready for me to spend some pre-bed one-on-one with them. I'm not a morning person, either. DH and I sit down together almost every evening while the older kids are still awake reading in their rooms for some Bible study and prayer. It works well because we don't feel like we're free yet, since the kids aren't officially and finally tucked, but we have some mostly-quiet in-between time. Then once the kids are down, we introverts can go our separate ways. I'd say just find something that works into your family's schedule; the timing isn't important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMCme Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We do our catechism class (bible study, prayer, theology instruction) when we can all get together as a family, which for us is usually late evening before hot chocolate time. We chose that approach because it results in a more relaxed and open conversation, and everyone seems more ready to engage. We also like that because everyone is there, our boys know it's important. I think the advice to do it first thing in the morning comes from morning people (i.e., people who don't have any downside with it) who want to indicate it's priority by doing it first (give God the first fruits of your labor for the day kind of thing). The other advantage to doing it first thing is that you get connected to God before the business of the day. I find it more helpful to do something a very brief prayer in the morning and save formal instruction for when we're all awake. LMC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bree Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 You could kinda think of Bible time as food. Some people are starving in the morning and have a big breakfast,as well some wake up early and do Bible time them ;) Some people barely eat breakfast and eat more at lunch or dinner. The point is we all get our food in at some time. Same with the Bible. We need spiritual nourishment. I am not a morning person. I do spend a little time every morning reading the bible and my kids read a chapter in the morning on their own. I usually do Bible time together with the big kids when the little ones are down for naps in the afternoon. I would personally rather it be quality time than a hectic check off my list in the morning. If you feel you must do it in the morning, pick just 1 verse to talk about and maybe memorize together. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aelgraham Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I am so with you on all of this, both for doing morning Bible time myself and with my daughter. I have learned that when Christians start talking about 'first fruits' and 'morning quiet time' to mentally stick my fingers in my ears and not give it a second thought. God is gracious and good; He is not worried about these rules and knows that we are individuals and He made us this way. Now if there were NO other time we could do it other than morning, that might be a problem. Homeschooling gives us the gift of flexibility. I understand that there is nothing more important, so I make sure it happens, but it is not in the morning. I find I have much more joy, energy, and worship in my own time when I do it in the afternoon. Frankly, it is more of a sacrifice anyway because I could be using that time to do a chore or something for myself (like reading through the forums!). I also do try to briefly pray in the morning before I start the day. Hope that is helpful to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 It's always morning somewhere! Maybe during/after lunch will work better for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 It's always morning somewhere! Maybe during/after lunch will work better for you. :laugh: Good point whitehawk! OP, obviously the math and reading and such stress you out over getting done. Do that first so you can relax and spend time with your kids doing the other after the school stuff is off your plate, your brain has waked up and you are all moving at a better pace. If Bible study is important to you, and you are not a morning person, then absolutely just shift it to later in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizaG Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 As a Christian who's not from a tradition that uses this type of terminology, I have a couple of questions. 1) A PP mentioned the possibility of only reading and discussing a single Bible verse. How many verses would usually be studied in a morning "Bible time," and in what sort of way? 2) What does "character training" look like, in the sense that it's being discussed here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Avoid magic formula thinking. God's word equally valuable at all times, not just the morning. We've done different things over the years. Sometimes I read aloud the Bible or a really high quality Bible story book while they eat. Sometimes we take turns reading it aloud at the beginning of the school day. Sometimes we do it after lunch. Sometimes, we use the Bible for copywork and/or handwriting. Sometimes we sing songs that help us memorize verses. Sometimes we read aloud a chapter just before we give thanks at the start of a meal. Be careful that you don't delude yourself about "character training." I think a whole lot of homeschoolers decide that "character training" means reading aloud a lovely little book about Billie and Johnnie being nice and sharing, then they check the "character training" box off in their heads. Character is lived. It's all application. You can read the lovely book (we like the Bob Schultz books) but until your child is applying it in a real life situation, it isn't really character training yet. Sometimes character training is redoing a poorly done chore as second or third time. Sometimes it's thinking up a way to do something nice for your sibling. Sometimes it's dropping it instead of going on about a legitimate gripe. I do my personal Bible time late at night because that's what makes sense in my situation. Also, doing Bible with your children can be your Bible time too. I don't think it should always be then because we all have specific issues we need to address personally, but since when is reading the Bible to children somehow less valuable than reading it alone to yourself? Is it less God's word because the audience was younger people? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We do it at dinner - for a couple of reasons. 1. So DH can participate as well. 2. I read one time about a family that reads the Bible every time they eat. You are feeding your body and your soul at the same time. For us it works - the kids are a captive audience!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Me. Because I am lazy, the girls usually get up and start school before I get up, which means math, grammar, etc. Joy of homeschooling, right? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingHope Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I highly recommend the Word of Promise Bible audio (available as an app as well as CD's). My children and I listen to a chapter or two while we're eating breakfast. I am usually juggling baby and toddler so Bible still gets done with the audio. https://www.wordofpromiseapp.com/purchase.html http://www.christianbook.com/word-promise-nkjv-complete-bible-cd/9780718024130/pd/024130?event=ESRCG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 As a Christian who's not from a tradition that uses this type of terminology, I have a couple of questions. 1) A PP mentioned the possibility of only reading and discussing a single Bible verse. How many verses would usually be studied in a morning "Bible time," and in what sort of way? 2) What does "character training" look like, in the sense that it's being discussed here? 1. Bible time is as individual as the person. Some people use a devotional which has a short paragraph or page written by a pastor and references a passage, usually 5-10 verses long. Some people read theology books during their bible time and the verses that book references. Some people do the bible in 90 days challenge, or something else, and read multiple chapters in that time. Some people 'meditate' (think and focus on) a passage or chapter. I tend to either read a chapter a day, or spend a week reading and re-reading a passage. Bible time includes prayer, but some people pray before and after, others, like those who are 'meditating' on scripture pray throughout. Sometimes it will also include worship music, or theology books, or memorization, or some kind of journaling. What it IS is not generally prescribed, it's very individual. The point is simply that everyone do SOMETHING. 2. In the sense it's being discussed here, character training generally refers to intentionally, and pre-emptively, talking about behaviour/life traits with your children. Approaching a behavioural issue biblically, and discussing it outside of the confrontation of it having just occurred, can help with the child understanding the expectations on them and the reasons for them. Again this differs between families, some read a short story about kids who do something, like those little behaviour book sets. Others will focus on a specific trait, such as patience, for a week or two, doing projects to emphasise the trait and rewarding the trait when it's observed. Some will even read biographies of people, sometimes martyrs for older children. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Thank you all for your encouragement. We're going to go ahead and let go of mornings, and let go of the people saying morning is the only appropriate time. I'm really looking forward to actually keeping a regular bible time now! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We do devotion at night with whole family. Our basic thing never changes, but sometimes we add a read aloud or a study (currently studying Acts) We read a devotional booklet that has a scripture reading assigned and then pray. One person reads the scripture and another the devotional reading. In the past we have also read Corrie Ten Boom, Brother Andrew, Kisses from Katie, and even To Kill a Mockingbird. I would love to find another good inspirational read aloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We have family worship at breakfast, but Bible for my kids comes at various times in the schedule each year. For Dd, it does come first this year, but for Ds it is just after lunch. 30 minutes for Dd, random for Ds We are not consistent year to year. Sometimes we do lots and others just a little. We work on catechism memory on Sunday afternoons and Bible memory during the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea_lpz Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 That's what happened at our house, too. My kids' brains seemed wired to sit quietly, without talking, and do school first thing, whereas Bible study with discussion was much better later in the day. Trying to get a bunch of kids to 'discuss' right after they rolled out of bed was near impossible - especially as they got up into their teens. But by afternoon, they were jabbering nonstop. ;) I feel you! My kids seem to be more alert and focused in the am so it makes more sense to hit math and Lang and then start working our way through other subjects. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 We did it different times different years. Some years I read during breakfast or lunch (young hands and mouths occupied!) Some years it was our first subject. Some years it was evening (you could do "family devotions" with your husband, for example--and he'd be there to help.) In high school, we typically did it late morning. My oldest wanted to read a subject or two to "wake up" before engaging people in discussion. Jesus prayed in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night time--you can find examples of all of these in the Bible. So...there is no one "perfect" time to meet with God as a family--all the times are great! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 We do character/values stuff woven into the rest of the stuff we do. I've never found a way to do it on its own as a stand alone that didn't seem rather contrived. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondchen Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Yes, never mind the people saying morning is the only time! The Bible doesn't say that, so do what works best for your family. We have our morning scripture/catechism/prayer time at the breakfast table, when everyone is finished or almost finished eating. We do scripture memory, a few catechism questions, a short entry from a Psalms for children book, and then pray. It's a great start to our day, and I like that, personally. As inconsistent as I am about a lot of other things (like getting up early, getting school started at a reasonable time - ugh), this gets done primarily because it's anchored to breakfast, which everyone needs every day and which we make it a point to do as a family (regardless of what time breakfast actually happens, which is variable). And because we do it at breakfast, and breakfast happens every day, it's not considered a part of "school". It's part of our daily life. For us, it's not so much doing it in the morning that makes it work, but having it anchored to a daily, fixed-time, non-negotiable activity. Breakfast is pretty much the only thing in our life that fits that description! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 For us, it's not so much doing it in the morning that makes it work, but having it anchored to a daily, fixed-time, non-negotiable activity. Breakfast is pretty much the only thing in our life that fits that description! You make a really good point. In our house, breakfast is more variable. We never eat breakfast together because I can't eat in the mornings. Sometimes the kids even eat before I wake up! I need to feed the baby so I don't have a free hand. DH makes breakfast on the weekends so even that varies a lot. Sometimes breakfast is no more than a museli bar if the kids are running about, like when the hot air balloons land in the back paddock or if it's been raining overnight and they want to play in the puddles, etc. Lunch is probably a more stable meal, when we're home, than breakfast! Looking at it that way, yeah, you're right. Anchoring it before or after lunch sounds like a good idea, it would be skipped on days we go out, but likely still happen 5 times a week. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 The primary reason we do it in the morning is that it has always been inconvenient to try to gather everyone later in the day - we would either be interrupting someone's work, or sitting and waiting on someone to get to a good stopping point. It was just inefficient. One negative of doing it first thing and tying it to the school day is that it doesn't happen when we're on breaks from school, thus establishing the habit that it is a "school" activity rather than a "life" activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pehp Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 I don't do it first thing b/c I need my son to focus on MATH when he's freshest! My solution has been to do Bible reading at bedtime. My son and I read through a Bible last year during bedtime (it didn't take long--we also zoomed through several Little House books) and it was great for fostering discussion and thinking. I sometimes pick up a Bible and read to them at other times of the day (we use illustrated children's Bibles). I really prefer just weaving this into my normal life because it IS normal life. Last week I had a day when I was trying to pray for a friend every 30 mins. I set a timer. The kids saw it. I didn't do it to teach them. But I could tell it made an impression (she was going through a crisis. I haven't done that before!). We have a jar of popsicle sticks with individual prayers on each one. We don't pray them daily and sometimes we miss a week or two or more. But they are there for us. I don't read the Bible with my children every day. We do pray each day. And we talk about stuff. This feels more natural to me, during this season of life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 We don't. It's generally after lunch and right before I do the read aloud. It is a relaxed time of day and we are in a good frame of mind then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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