Bedtime Routine: Singing with Our Children

One night after my husband and I finished singing songs of praise to God with our children, I had a sense of peace as I tucked the last one in to bed. It had been such a blessing to sing praises to our great God and King with our children.

Singing with our children before bed used to be something we did without fail...a couple kids ago, that is. :) As more children came, bedtime got just a little bit busier and with that, sadly, the singing went by the way side.  

However, a couple months ago I walked into my oldest son's room before bedtime and everyone was in there already doing whatever (reading, playing with Legos, etc. ) and it struck me that we used to spend time in his room singing with him and sometimes Carlee before bed most nights.

Sadly, when baby #3 came along it was something that got pushed to the side because it seemed like it was too hard to sit there with three young children trying to sing and not have them messing around and giggling. Oh, and to get them in bed on time.

But the memories that were forged and the truth that was taught during those times was so precious that I suggested to my husband that we start doing it again . And boy, am I glad we have!

We're still not consistently doing it every night, but the more often we can do it, the better.

What praises fill the bedroom in those 5-10 minutes before bed! It blesses me so much to hear my children sing (even our sweet little two year old chimes in. He truly loves to sing!) I love that he knows we're singing to God because even though we don't come right out and say it, he says "God!" when we start singing.

Plus, I think singing praise to the Unchanging One passes on a sense of security and peace to our children at a time when they might need it most. Bedtime.

As I mentioned, when our oldest was around two, we started singing as a family (just the three of us back then!) before bed. I can still remember his favorite song, Mercies Anew. It was really quite precious to hear a two year old sing it! It remains a family favorite to this day.

"Mercies Anew"

My husband and I are blessed because we serve on the Senior High Youth Staff at our church. Because of that, in addition to church, our children are exposed to great praise songs on a monthly basis when the teens get together in someone's home for a time of singing, food and fellowship. As a result, our children have committed to memory some really great songs over the years.

A great thing about singing hymns and songs of praise with your children is that it is one more venue to get the gospel deep within their hearts. There are so many truths and promises from God's Word that are within those great songs. Music can minister to our souls in a way that sometimes mere words cannot.

It is SUCH a great feeling to be sitting there snuggling with our kids and loving on them as we praise Jesus with the voices of our little family. Wow...it really is indescribable.

If you're looking for a great song book to sing with your children, check out this one.

We really like it! It has many songs that are arranged in a way that is easy to use for those of us who are just average singers. :)

Here are a few of our favorite songs from it. Obviously, we sing them in a much simpler manner, but it is still beautiful praise, nonetheless.

"Be Still"

 

"The Power of the Cross"

God is worthy of all our praise and the praise of babies and children is something that stirs my soul more than just about anything else in the world. I do long for the day when we can sing face to face to Him at the throne, but until then, we'll keep practicing as a family.

What bedtime blessings do you share with your children? Leave a comment and let us know!