I had a fun time one evening recently asking kids ages 7-12 about their thoughts on this topic—worshipping God in everyday life. I’m going to share some of their answers with you. As believers, our worship should be a recognition of God and His Glory—who He is, what He has done, and faith in what He will do. Gratitude is a very practical indicator of worship because you have to recognize what He has done in order to be grateful. 

How do you teach kids about worship? Start by asking what they think worship is, to give you insight into their understanding and get the conversation going. Common misconceptions to be ready for include the idea that it’s only about singing, or that it only happens in church.  

We figured out how you can brush your teeth for God’s glory.

Then start with a simple definition like, “Worshiping God is showing by your words, thoughts, and actions how great God is.” I shared two verses with Christian kids and asked them what they thought. One is 1 Corinthians 10:31 ‘whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And the other is Romans 12:1 about how offering our bodies as a living sacrifice is an act of worship. Most of the kids were stumped. They had no idea how you could give God glory when you eat or do other things, and most had no idea how you could give your body as an act of worship. The best answers actually came from 7-year old Autumn. 

She quickly expressed in her own words that it has to do with our attitude, being grateful for food and having good table manners. She had just been swimming so I asked how she could glorify God with swimming. She recognized that God made the wonderful water and was grateful her parent let her swim. Another child identified that good manners with the other children and not doing harmful things (like pretending you’re drowning) was swimming in a way that glorified God. 

Then Autumn talked about how she doesn’t like brushing her teeth and we figured out how you can brush your teeth as a way to offer your body for His glory. 

Another verse you can share with kids is Matthew 5:16 “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.” 

Here’s an idea. Pick a Saturday and say, “Today, each time we do something, let’s talk about how we can worship God while doing it. We can be miserable and say I wish I were doing something else” or we can turn everything we do into worship. You could make a list of God’s attributes to help with the worship. Here’s some examples of worshipping around the home:  

• You can listen to worship music and sing along during many activities. Rather than the music being background noise or entertainment, intentionally praise God with it. 

• When putting laundry away, say, “Thank you God, for these clothes. You are Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.” 
• When washing the dishes, “Thank you for the food we ate on these dishes, and holy God, you see the dirtiness of my thoughts, words, and actions. I submit my life to you—show me what to confess and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.” Then have quiet time to listen. 
• Before playing a game with your family, you could say, “Thank you God for fun and laughter. Help us to honor You and each other as we play this game together and celebrate the joy of your creation of family.” 
• When driving around with your kids, play a game of 20 questions but with a thanksgiving twist. You could say, “I’m thinking of something I’m thankful to God for. Can you guess what it is in 20 questions?” The first question could be “is it an attribute of God or a thing or a circumstance?” Continue the game each time you get in the car until everyone has had a turn.  

These are just a few examples of ways you can build a heart of everyday worship in your children.