A Simple Bedtime Routine Focused On Faith & Connection

Find our bedtime routine that is focused on faith and connection below! Before becoming a parent, I was not particularly invested in a bedtime routine. Once you have a little one, all advice about sleep centers around the bedtime routine. I am not here to tell you how to get your little one to sleep through the night. (If you have any tips or tricks, please send them my way - we're still waiting patiently for that night over here.)

My husband travels pretty frequently for work, so consistency at bedtime becomes necessary for me to run our home efficiently. We still leave room for flexibility in small parts of the routine because life with a toddler teaches you to adapt. We may take a bath, or we may not need one. We may wear pajamas, or we may not want pajamas that evening. Giving my son some power to change the small things encourages him to embrace bedtime instead of fighting it.

Our Routine:

1. Sing My Son's Song

My mom wrote each of us a song when we were little, and I've always remembered and loved that aspect of my childhood. Songwriter I am not, but I can put a few words to a tune and sing it for my son. The best part? He doesn't care if I hit the right notes or what the tempo is. He just loves to hear his name in his song. Here's his song. Insert a name where you see the blanks _______.

Goodnight __________

Goodnight __________

Goodnight __________

It's time to say goodnight

Mommy loves you

Daddy loves you

Jesus loves you

It's time to say goodnight

The best part about this song? You can make it as short or as long as you want! We add extra names all the time. Sometimes he wants to hear confirmation that the dog also loves him so we'll add her to the list. You can add in grandparents or aunts and uncles as a great way to speak their names more if you don't see them as often as you'd like to.

2. Sing Jesus Loves You

We have a little music player that sings songs and tells Bible stories, and my son's favorite song is Jesus Loves Me. We've adapted it to sing "Jesus Loves You" to him.

Author: Anna Bartlett Warner (1859)

Tune: JESUS LOVES ME (Bradbury)

Jesus loves you this I know,

for the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to him belong;

they are weak, but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves you! Yes, Jesus loves you!

Yes, Jesus loves you! The Bible tells me so.

He now sings it with us or sings it just for fun, and I can't explain how much joy it brings to hear your child sing that Jesus loves them. I haven't added the additional verses in, but I may as he gets older! Adding them in case you want to sing the full song. I hadn't heard the third verse before, but what a beautiful way to hide scripture in your child's heart!

Jesus loves me he who died

heaven's gate to open wide.

He will wash away my sin,

let his little child come in.

Jesus loves me, this I know,

as he loved so long ago,

taking children on his knee,

saying, "Let them come to me."

I hadn't heard these verses before, but what a beautiful way to hide scripture in your child's heart!

3. Prayer

Figuring out where to start with prayers can be intimidating. We've been given the Lord's Prayer as a guide, but I can fall into a routine without thinking through the heart behind it. I needed structure, but I also needed to keep the prayers genuine and fresh. Praying aloud in front of your child can be intimidating, but how else will they feel comfortable praying aloud?

I found the A.C.T.S. model for prayer and have enjoyed following it each night.

A: Adoration

I can praise God for being ... King of Kings, Lord of Lords, forgiving and merciful, my provider, creator, redeemer, slow to anger, Holy, etc.

Example: Dear Jesus, you are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God, you are worthy of our praise and prayers today and every day!

C: Confession

I can ask God to forgive me for ... complaining, being selfish, hitting my sibling, not using my time wisely, anger, being cross, etc.

Example: Lord, please forgive me for losing my patience with my children today. Help me to be more like you and slow to anger. Please forgive (child's name) for pushing his brother and please help him to practice self-control.

T: Thanksgiving

I can thank God for ... family, friends, food, the Bible, a warm house, forgiveness, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, our health, healing, etc.

Example: Thank you Jesus for Daddy and how hard he works for our family. Thank you for keeping him safe as he travels. Thank you Jesus for being able to spend the day with (child's name). Thank you that (child's name) was so helpful and gentle with his little brother today. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of my children.

S: Supplication

I can ask God for ... wisdom, patience, endurance, joy, safe travels, discernment, healing, peace, boldness to share the Gospel, the salvation of our friends and family, etc.

Example: Lord please bring our friends and family to you and help us be a light to them. God, please give me strength and endurance to take care of the boys alone while Daddy is out of town working. Please heal (child's name)'s ouchie and help them feel completely better. Please bless our family and help us to love you more each day.

Here is how the examples would all flow together:

Dear Jesus, you are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God, you are worthy of our praise and prayers today and every day! Lord, please forgive me for losing my patience with my children today. Help me to be more like you and slow to anger. Please forgive (child's name) for pushing his brother and please help him to practice self-control. Thank you, Jesus, for Daddy and how hard he works for our family. Thank you for keeping him safe as he travels. Thank you Jesus for being able to spend the day with (child's name). Thank you that (child's name) was so helpful and gentle with his little brother today. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of my children. Lord please bring our friends and family to you and help us be a light to them. God, please give me strength and endurance to take care of the boys alone while Daddy is out of town working. Please heal (child's name)'s ouchie and help them feel completely better. Please bless our family and help us to love you more each day. Lord, we love you and we praise you. In Jesus' name, we pray. All God's people say, amen.

As you can see, each prayer is unique to that day and the events the day brought. It is a time to reflect on our behavior and ask for forgiveness when we need it. It is also a great time to start practicing reflection for our children and get them in the habit of confession so they're quick to ask for forgiveness and repent. It takes transparency on your part to confess what you could have done better that day. Humbling, to say the least.

My son loves to add in what he is thankful for and add people to pray for when he knows they need healing or aren't feeling well. He will also add in events from the day where he knew he needed forgiveness such as pushing his brother. It is a shared prayer in every sense.

4. Sing Jesus Loves You

Truly, can you sing this song too many times? We think not.

5. Favorite and Least Favorite Moment of the Day

This is as simple as it sounds. Checking in about my son's favorite and least favorite parts of his day is a gentle way to say I care about you and your feelings and want to know how today went for you. Sometimes his answers are predictable, and sometimes his answers are surprising! He's only two, so sometimes his favorite or least favorite parts of the day occurred the day before, but we roll with it.

Me: What was your favorite part of the day? What did you like today?

Son: I liked playing with the water toys outside!

Me: What was your least favorite part of the day? What did you not like today?

Son: I didn't like going through the car wash.

It doesn't matter if you do their least favorite part of the day first and then their favorite part of the day. Whichever order suits your family the best! Sometimes it helps us to walk back through our day and recount our different activities.

6. Sing Jesus Loves You

Yes. Sing it again and again. If you sing this song 3 times at bedtime, they will hear that Jesus loves them 12 times a night. That adds up to 4,380 times per year! Jesus loves them so much more than we can convey. The least we can do is tell them over and over again.

7. Snuggles Until Sleep

My son falls asleep best after being comforted with snuggles. He loves snuggling so much that he will migrate to our bed in the middle of the night if he wakes up. I know there will be a day when he feels too big for snuggles, so I try to be thankful for the time at hand even if it means tiny toes digging into my knees at night.

I hope our bedtime routine helps you find or update yours! It may seem intimidating at first, but there is comfort in consistency. I've also found that many of the frustrations of bedtime melt away when we pray together. Involve your child in the bedtime routine and provide a space for them to share about their day free from distraction or siblings. I look forward to the one-on-one time with my son each evening, and it makes it even more special when my husband is home to join in. Please reach out with any questions!

Blessings,

Birdie