What Everyone Should Know About Daily Family Habits

Last Updated on November 22, 2024 by Andrea

Every Morning…

I do the same thing every morning. My morning routine starts with a big glass of water and Bible study. Then I shift to my coffee and a muffin. After Bible study I walk the dogs for a mile or two, come home and feed them. After that I exercise, grab a shower, and get to work. Years ago, my morning routine included making breakfast and lunches for the kids, then driving them to school.

Family members thrive when they know what needs to be done and when to do it. Family routine is key to stable household functioning. When my kids were little, they had a list of what needed to be done every morning so they could get it all done. My oldest (in college now) has a routine he does every morning that includes making coffee and having quiet time.

As a new season occurs in our lives, we need a new routine. Routines aren’t a once-for-all event. They change with our lives. Sometimes our morning routine changes and sometimes our bedtime routine changes. When my kids were young, we read Bible stories and prayed before bed. The whole family got involved in bedtime routines. Now they get themselves ready for bed with their own routines.

Older children can obviously work through their routines (becoming habits) without parental assistance. Young children need some guidance, though, so they can be successful with implementing routines. Particularly if you are starting a new daily routine, they need to have some reminders to be successful.

Routines vs Habits

Routines and habits are closely related because they both involve repeated actions, but they are slightly different. A routine is a set of actions we do regularly, often on purpose, like brushing our teeth every morning or eating dinner with the family. Habits, on the other hand, are actions we do automatically, sometimes without even thinking, because they’ve been repeated so often. For example, reaching for your phone first thing in the morning might be a habit. Routines can turn into habits over time if we do them consistently. Understanding this relationship is important because creating good routines can help build positive habits, while bad routines can lead to negative ones.

Everyday Habits Are Important

When we build everyday habits we are setting ourselves up for a lifetime of healthy living. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports a study showing that family habits are crucial for children’s development. Further, Northwestern Medicine says that daily habits can help us:

• Reduce stress levels
• Reduce anxiety
• Improve mental health
• Increase time to relax
• Experience better sleep
• Enjoy better health
• Set a good example for your family

I would LOVE these outcomes in my life. Who couldn’t use less stress and better sleep? If you would love to learn some easy habits that will help you achieve all of this AND improve your family, read on!

Habits form only after repeated efforts. Studies differ on how long it takes for a behavior to actually become a habit, but we know it takes time. Like most learning activities, repetition is the key to success. Family life is more successful, and happier, when everyone is participating good habits.

However, habits can be good or bad. Bad habits in families, like constant arguing, ignoring each other, or not communicating well, can cause problems over time. These habits can create tension, hurt feelings, and make it hard for family members to feel close. It’s important to understand bad habits because they often happen without people realizing it, and they can be passed down from one generation to the next. By recognizing these patterns, families can work together to break them and replace them with positive behaviors, like showing kindness, listening, and solving problems calmly. Understanding and addressing bad habits can make family life more peaceful and supportive.

What habits should you do every day?

Last week I was scrolling Instagram and saw post of 75 things to do every day. As soon as I saw it, it made me want to go back to bed. Seriously. 75??

My list of “need to” and “want to” is already very long. How in the world would I fit in 75 DAILY activities? Is it even possible to make 75 items habits? Unless that list includes things like going to the bathroom and having a cup of coffee, that’s too much for me. If you can do it, rock on!

If that’s too much for you, and the thought of 75 daily actions makes you want to go back to bed too, I have a much more simplified suggestion!

My list of daily habits is based on Scripture. As a Jesus follower, I want to live the way the Bible teaches. And if you’re still reading, you probably want the same thing.

Here’s my healthy lifestyle faith and family list of practices to do every day:
1. Read your Bible (Joshua 1:8). New to the Bible or don’t know how to read it (it’s not like a “regular” book), try finding a plan you like here.
2. Pray…all day, and start early…for forgiveness of sins, for family, nation, and world (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Mark 1:35)
3. Kiss your spouse like you mean it (Song of Solomon 1:2)
4. Tell you kids that you love them and they’re great (1 Peter 4:8)
5. Take time to do something for you – read a book, bake a cake, sleep…not social media. (3 John 1:2; Mark 6:31)

Why these habits?

I gave Scriptures above to help you see the Biblical reasons for each habit. But I know it can be tough to include new habits without really buying into the why.

To that end, let’s look at why you should consider including these 5 daily habits – and see how they will help your family.

1. When we read our Bible we draw closer to God, we see how He wants us to live, and we learn to “cast our cares upon Him” (1 Peter 5:7). When we read the Bible, we see all the ways God has taken care of His people through time. By understanding how He helps His people, we are much more likely to cast our cares on Him. When we learn to give our concerns, fears, and anxieties to God, we learn that we can have a calm spirit. We don’t need to be anxious, depressed, or stressed. This is great news, right?! Spending this quality time with God is crucial for a peaceful home life in our house. Our spouse and kids will LOVE a mom who is calm and not stressed. This reason alone is enough for me!
2. Daily prayer goes hand in hand with reading the Bible. When we learn to pray, we are learning to give our concerns to God. We are learning to hand over our problems. Yes, sometimes we grab them back a few minutes later. But as soon as we realize we are worrying or stressing again, we pray it back to God. I engage in this back-and-forth about problems with God all day! I’m hoping you see that this process alone can take most of the day. We should also pray for people as we think of them. You think about your son at college? Pray for Him – ask God to protect his heart and mind and keep him safe. Your daughter’s test comes to mind? Pray that God would give her peace during the test and that she would do well. It’s okay to pray for success (Proverb 16:3). Likewise, it’s important to understand that sometimes we still fail. Those times are good teachers, too! When we pray for others in our family, we are orienting our heart toward theirs – that habit alone will help your family.
3. Kissing our spouse like we mean it is so important to our marriage – and an easy practice to begin! I’m talking about more than a peck here. I mean like a 5-second, hold him tight, close your eyes, soak in the moment KISS! You can totally do this in front of the kids. It doesn’t have to be R-rated. Just a good, sound kiss. One of the most important things is letting our kids see their parents being loving with each other. Especially these days, with inappropriate physical connection available everywhere we look, kids need to see healthy models of physical intimacy.
4. Some of us think our kids just know we love them. However, parents spend a great deal of time correcting, telling, leading, and disciplining. Our kids need to know we love them, too! Happy families share love openly and honestly. Our love should outweigh our correction. There are lots of ways to show love. Getting to know your kids and teens love language is one way to start. Playing a game is a great way to show love, especially if it’s a game your kid likes. Another great way to show love is to acknowledge when our kids do something nice by thanking them. Keep in mind that showing love doesn’t have to take much tine, just some intentionality. Get creative and have a little fun with it!
5. Finally, take some time for you. Do something YOU enjoy doing. It’s okay if it’s just reading a book for a few minutes or sitting outside with a cup of coffee. I don’t recommend social media, though. There are lots of benefits to social media, but when you’re taking time for yourself, it’s easy to begin comparing (not relaxing at all) and to lose track of time, blowing all sense of time management. When we take time to do something for ourselves, we are resting our souls a bit. When we are more relaxed, we have more to give our families. Not used to taking time for yourself? Begin with a Sabbath rest, then build a few of those strategies through the rest of the week.

Where will you begin?

Maybe you already do some of these five habits. If so great! Whatever habits you decide to implement, make them a family affair! Look at your daily schedule and see what you can do to establish a good routine that can become a healthy habit for the entire family. Keep individual habit sin mind, too, as everyone has different schedules and needs. Set time to discuss the routines and habits so everyone knows what you are doing and why. Young children, especially, need some guidance about why they will need to do these behaviors every single day.

If you don’t already do these habits, where will you begin? Let us know in the comments. I really want to know.

Some people begin making changes all at once while others choose to integrate changes one at a time. Decide how you’ll begin making these five behaviors a habit and get going! Make them a daily practice. Your family will thank you; I promise.

🌸 Andrea

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