3 Ways to Help Your Kids Adjust to the New “Normal”

Mother and daughter using a tablet

Parents, don’t be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4

Mother and daughter laughing while using a tablet

If you’re like many parents we know, day by day, you’re trying to handle meals, figure out school, and manage your kids’ boredom—all while worrying about your job and your future. We want you to know: We’re here for you.

Regardless of your children’s ages, it’s likely they have a lot of questions about everything happening. Almost overnight, all the daily routines that they relied on for stability changed. One of the best things we can do for them right now is to establish a new “normal.”

Here are 3 things you can try at different times throughout the day to help your kids adjust:

  1. Ask your kids what they’re thinking about. Then listen.

Even if they say difficult or troubling things, try not to show alarm on your face. Your kids need a safe space to talk, and the opportunity to fully express their thoughts and feelings in their own words.

  1. Be the example you want to see in your house.

Take care of yourself spiritually during this time, so that you’ll be able to give your kids the emotional support they need. Here’s where you can find some peace and encouragement for you:

Resources

  1. Pray with your kids, on a schedule.

Praying is just having a conversation with God, telling Him what you’re thinking and feeling, asking for things you need, and thanking Him (even for small victories). You can pray anytime, but doing it together in the morning, at mealtimes, and at bedtimes is an easy way to build some routine into each day. Here’s a simple example:

Dear Jesus, thank You for our family. Help us to love each other, take care of each other, and be kind. Please show us how we can love our neighbors and our friends. Thank You. Amen.


Bonus! Clearly define your days.

If your kids have been used to a weekly schedule—with you at work and them at school or daycare—the days may start blurring together when everyone’s home. Giving each day of the week its own theme can help you build a rhythm, a sense of structure. Here are a few examples:

  • Taco Tuesday – Don’t have taco ingredients? Make sandwiches, taco style, folded in half.

  • Wacky Wednesday – Wear socks that don’t match. Type “recipe” into Google, with a list of whatever random ingredients you have, and make that together.

  • Funny Friday – Play together. Be silly. Make jokes. Watch a funny movie or TV show. Make Friday night Family Game Night.

  • Special Sunday – Worship God together. Find a church service online. (Many churches are putting their children’s programming online right now.) Watch a video on BibleAppForKids.com together and talk about it.

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4 Fun Activities to Try with Your Kids

Mother and son praying

Getting children excited about prayer can be challenging. Images of people praying typically show someone standing calmly with their head bowed and eyes closed. That’s hard for many people, let alone a kid who’s now stuck at home all day.

But prayer is simply talking with the God who says, “let the children come to me.” God loves to hear the honest cries of your children’s hearts.

Helping your kids talk openly with God now will also impact the way they view prayer in the years to come. So, here are 4 easy prayer activities to help your family pursue God through prayer.

Child praying

  1. Count Your Blessings

    At the end of each day, spend 5-10 minutes talking about a few things that blessed your family. After everyone’s shared, thank God for the good He’s done in your life that day.

    Modeling thankfulness for your kids now will help shape the way they remember hard seasons. (Plus, focusing on your blessings can help lower stress levels.)

  1. Pray Through the Week

    Each week, pick a theme with your kids. (It could be a country, a person, or something your children love.)

    Every day, have a child pray for that theme and allow whoever prays to choose a theme-related activity for you to do together. (Need activity ideas? You can find Bible-based coloring pages and Adventure Books here.)

  1. Go on a Nature Walk

    The next time you go outside, ask your children to point out anything that makes them smile. Take turns thanking God for creating the beauty around you. Try to enjoy the world through their eyes, together.

  1. Pray through Praise Songs

    Everything you do can be an act of worship. Pick one of your children’s favorite worship songs and sing it together. Make that song your prayer for the day.

    Or, if you or your children are musical, pick a Psalm or the Lord’s Prayer and put it to music.

[Worship Songs Made for Kids]

When prayer is a daily activity that your children look forward to, you help show them that they can talk to God anywhere, at any time, for any reason.

And, by letting go of any expectations for what their prayers should look like, you make space for your kids to creatively express themselves to God.

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How to Talk to Your Kids About Easter

Happy Sunday - Bible App for Kids coloring page

Sacrifice. Crucifixion. Redemption. Resurrection. Renewal. These can be difficult concepts to understand, even for us as adults. How do we introduce our children to these foundational aspects of our faith? The Bible App for Kids can help.

Father and son playing on tablet

The Bible App for Kids stories “A Goodbye Meal,” “It is Finished,” and “A Happy Sunday” help your kids experience the story of Easter in age-appropriate ways. Interactive animations engage them in the stories, and fun learning activities help them understand what Jesus’ sacrifice means for them.

Consider watching these stories together with your kids, and let them spark discussions about what it means to follow Jesus in your family.

Get Bible App for Kids

Now Your Children Can Experience the Bible App for Kids in Marathi!

Bible App for Kids

Today, together with our partner OneHope, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Bible App for Kids in Marathi. Now, more children than ever have the opportunity to enjoy a Bible experience all their own.

Switching between languages is easy, right in the app’s Settings:

  1. Make sure you’ve updated your app to the most current release.
  2. Open the app and tap the gear icon (Gear icon) to open Settings.
  3. Tap Language and select the one you want.

The audio will now play in that language, and any text will appear in that language, too!

Please help us celebrate this great news!

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Bible App for Kids Jesus

About the Bible App for Kids

Developed in partnership with OneHope, the Bible App for Kids is from YouVersion, makers of the Bible App. Designed to give children a delight-filled Bible experience all their own, the Bible App for Kids has already been installed on over 39 million Apple, Android, and Kindle devices, and it’s always completely free. Kids from all over the world are now enjoying the Bible App for Kids, in 54 languages — now including Marathi!

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play Available at Amazon

Need some peace? Start here.

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Fear, sadness, anxiety, anger. It’s hard to make sound decisions when our emotions are compromised. Take care of your emotional health by actively seeking out peace, encouragement, and truth.

For more than 10 years, we’ve been carefully crafting free experiences designed to help people draw closer to God. Whatever you’re facing right now, we have several ways for you to seek Him: