Listening to God is a skill we all need to practice. And listening to family members helps them know that they belong, that they are loved, and that they are important. Following are some ideas and resources to sharpen your family's listening skills. The free downloadable resource 5 Ways to Practice Listening with Your Family is a great place to start!
Listening to God
- Take a family tech sabbath regularly (for an hour a day, a day each week, or even a whole week). Use your tech-free time to connect with each other and to listen to God together. For more, check out suggestions in The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch and My Tech-Wise Life by father/daughter team Amy Crouch and Andy Crouch.
- Teach kids how to practice listening prayer rather than reciting a list of wants and needs. Here’s how one mom prayed listening prayers with her kids.
- Read Psalm 19:1-4 together in the NIrV version. Then take a walk in a park or woods, looking closely at nature around you. Talk about how wonderfully our world is made and how creation tells about the glory of God.
Listening to Each Other
- At bedtime, ask “What was the best part and the worst part of your day?” Listen without trying to “fix” each other’s problems. Then pray about those things together.
- Read the picture book The Rabbit Listened by Cory Doerrfeld together. This is a book you’ll want to have on your shelf, but you can also watch this video reading from Shon’s Stories. Talk about what made Rabbit such a good listener.
- Parents, check out the helpful tips in the article 5 Easy Ways to Be a Better Listener to Your Child by Catherine Newman on Parents.com. For a more in-depth exploration of active listening, check out The Skill of Listening from the Center for Parenting Education.
- Learn about five important times to listen deeply to your child in a helpful article by Kate Carrero.