The Daily Devotional

Patterns and Paradigms

One of the earliest practices we adopted in our homeschool—and by far the longest running—is our daily devotional. This picture was taken during one of our morning devotionals and shows how fun and effective they can be!

“I riding my horse, Mommy!”

Okay, a daily devotional does not always include a lot of noisy silliness. In all seriousness, it is frequently the most important part of our day!

A daily devotional is usually the first thing we do as a group as we begin our morning schoolwork. The purpose of our daily devotional is to focus on unifying our family around the day’s demands of school, activities, goals, values, needs, and more. It helps to strengthen our family spiritually and emotionally before the pressures of the day begin. As an integral part of our homeschool, it is also the best time to teach our children the subjects and values that go beyond the usual “school” curriculum. For example, some of the topics we might discuss include what it means to be resilient or emotionally flexible, why hard work is so important, how to make wise choices in friendships and dating, or to how to address gaps in our knowledge of scripture or doctrine.

A few of the things we include in our current daily devotional are: saying a prayer, reciting poetry and scripture, reviewing our schedules and daily priorities, presenting a topic from the week’s Come Follow Me lesson, and reading a chapter from a favorite piece of literature. We finish with reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag. Each person in the family participates in the agenda. There are many other activities and wonderful possibilities for an effective devotional. And we can decide as a family exactly what we want it to be!

Our devotionals usually last between 20-40 minutes, but they can be adjusted when the schedule requires it.

Divine Principles

In the October 2024 General Conference, President Henry B. Eyring addressed the topic of teaching our children the simple doctrine of Jesus Christ, and making sure that we take advantage of every opportunity to do so. He stated,

Teaching simply allows us to share the saving doctrine early on, while children remain untouched by the deceiver’s temptations that will later confront them, long before the truths they need to learn are drowned out by the noise of social media, peers, and their own personal struggles. We should seize every opportunity to share the teachings of Jesus Christ with children. These teaching moments are precious and far fewer compared to the relentless efforts of opposing forces. For every hour spent instilling doctrine into a child’s life, there are countless hours of opposition filled with messages and images that challenge or ignore those saving truths.

Some of you may wonder whether it might be better to draw your children closer to you through having fun, or you may ask whether the child may start to feel overwhelmed by your teachings. Instead, we should consider, “With so little time and so few opportunities, what words of doctrine can I share that will strengthen them against the inevitable challenges to their faith?” The words you share today could be the ones they carry with them, and today will soon pass.

President Eyring’s words reminded me in a profound way how important it is to make the time to plant the seeds of faith in our children from the time they are young. He warns that opposing voices in the world are loud and ubiquitous, and we must guard against them by spending time sharing the words of Christ and our own testimonies with our children.

The daily devotional is an incredible tool for ensuring that we have those opportunities frequently. I have found it to be the best time to gather my children around me and share my love for Jesus Christ and for all of the good and beautiful things He has given us, including the opportunity to repent and progress eternally. A daily devotional is an ideal format for regularly bearing testimony with each other and inviting the Spirit into daily life. And that is why I consider our devotional the most important part of our day!

Personal Application

As you implement home education, consider how you can include a daily devotional in your schedule. A devotional does not have to be done in the morning. Some families might find it easier to end the day with an evening devotional. It can also be done during anytime in between morning and evening, as long as it is a time that you can gather your family around you to focus on a shared experience of learning together. The most important things to include in a devotional are whatever subjects are valuable to your family. This is your curriculum, focusing on topics or skills that might not otherwise be discussed at any other time. A daily devotional is a meaningful family experience that can unify your family around its eternal purposes.

And, as always, remember to lead your devotional with love, patience, and a smile on your face! If you are happy, positive, and excited about what you share with them, your children will be, too!

Counsel and Record

Share with your spouse (or a parent or a friend) what you have learned about daily devotionals. Discuss how you can implement it in your daily schedule and what activities or discussions you would like to include. Use this time as an opportunity to share words of testimony about the true doctrine of Jesus Christ. Write down your thoughts, impressions, and conclusions.