Family Devotional

We started regularly doing family devotional time around the time Kiera turned 5. We used a Veggie Tales devotional book as our first study guide. Actually we were reading out of that more then using our Bible. I remember reading about what to do and how to get started with this necessary family fellowship and teaching time. Pretty much everything I read said to stick with the bible and only use the stories as references. Though when you have a 5, 3 and 1 year old the stories were explained with a side story. I think that was a good starting point for us. I know children can comprehend quite a bit but we didn't want them to feel discouraged by not being able to understand what we were reading. So at least the devotional books gave the children a story to think on and they were not lost (you know that blank stare!). We moved on to other devotionals that didn't have side stories but simplified bible stories with a little more detail then the last.
Just last month we started reading Proverbs chapters 1-4. Each day we read one chapter and then we would start over. I was introduced to this idea from Sally Clarkson's book The Ministry of Motherhood. We worked on verse memorization. I like how Nathan would recite Proverbs 1:8, "hear my fathers instructions, and do sake your mamas teachings." So cute! :) Kiera got it the first day. "Hear, my son, your father's instructions, and do not forsake your mother's teachings."
I also had Kiera pick out a few verses that she would like to memorize. She chose, "Wisdom shouts in the streets, she lifts her voice in the square." Proverbs 1:20 I'm pretty sure she picked that because wisdom is personified as "she". I love that!
After starting over at chapter 1 the last time we have moved on past chapter 4. We're also reading the book of Joshua. If we are at Proverbs chapter 6 we are also at Joshua chapter 6. It makes it easier for mommy and daddy to remember. Though I'm sure the kids would remember.
Oh one more thing I wanted to mention about verse memorization is you can explain the "hard" words that you're asking them to say. So that also adds to their vocabulary and gives them a chance to understand what their saying. We use the NASB version. Forsake was one of those hard words that we explained. I love how I tell them "it simply means forget" and then I get that ooohhhhh look. This also challenges us parents in our own comprehension of the Word. When questions arise and we need to explain what words mean or what is going on it helps us to remember what we've read because we don't just read it but we discuss it too.

What do you do for family devotional time?