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4 Christian Tips for Making Family Time a Priority This New Year

4 Christian Tips for Making Family Time a Priority This New Year

Family traditions are often the foundation of having family time together. Christmas typically has family traditions that tend to interrupt the routines of life, though those interruptions are often fun things like parties with friends and family, checking out light shows, decorating, shopping, baking, and more. 

Once the holidays end and things slow down, there’s often something of a short lull before the full routine of work, school, and extracurricular activities gets going again. This pause can be a good time to reflect on how family time can become more of a priority in the new year and explore what new non-holiday traditions family members might like to explore. 

Nearly three-quarters of American adults (73 percent) would say that spending time with family is one of the most important things in life, according to Pew Research. Here are 4 tips on how to make family time a priority in 2025.

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  • a family sitting on a couch, Conservative parents are the most successful in passing down their faith

    1. Have a Planned Discussion

    Getting everyone’s input is a great place to start. Consider planning a special dinner for which parents and all kids are present. Someone can be a designated note-taker, and the family can brainstorm ways in which family time can be a priority. Kids might like their parents to be more available to play together, have one-on-one time, and attend special events such as sports games and school concerts. Maybe parents would like more family meals together without electronic devices so that conversations can happen, a willingness and positive attitude from the kids to be present during a brief family Bible study one or two nights per week, and a special family outing once per week. The brainstorming could go on for five minutes or so. Once the brainstorming comes to an end, a discussion can take place about which ideas appeal the most. Maybe two or three could be chosen as the favorites for making family time more of a priority. 

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  • 2. Keep a Family Calendar

    2. Keep a Family Calendar

    There will likely need to be some discussion about what day and time is going to work best for everyone in general. Actually scheduling an event or activity on a calendar where everyone can see it (such as on each person’s phone calendar) will help to keep that event at the forefront of everyone’s mind. There may be rare occasions when an activity or event needs to be rescheduled (or canceled) due to unforeseen circumstances, but that calendar also serves as a way to remind everyone that family time is a priority, according to ManhoodJourney.

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  • A group of happy people putting hands in the middle

    3. Be Open to Including a Friend

    If it’s family Bible study night and someone’s friend from school or the neighborhood expresses a curious interest, be open to including that person. Studying together strengthens the family bond, and including that friend can open the door to his or her salvation or deepen the friendship if they already know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. It can also make family Bible study time more meaningful to the child who was allowed to invite their friend. 

    The Lord specifically states that it is the responsibility of parents to teach their children about Jesus and the Bible, as well as how their children should apply the Bible to their lives (Deut. 6:6-7). If the church a family attends also happens to have children’s church, that’s only a supplement to what parents should be teaching their kids at home. If a kid from school or the neighborhood gets included in the Bible study, then parents are also responding to the great commission (Mark 16:15-16, Matt. 28:19-20). Of course, if an adult from the neighborhood or work wanted to sit in on the Bible study, they could be included, too. For details on what having a family Bible study could look like, click here. 

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  • a smiling family, most Americans support the Florida parental rights law

    4. Learning about Love Languages

    Another thing that parents can do to help strengthen their relationship with their children and deepen their children’s sense of feeling loved is to learn their primary love language and make a point of expressing love in that way. When children feel loved, they’re going to be more open to participating in family time. The concept of love languages was created and made popular by PhD and family counselor Gary Chapman in his book The Five Love Languages. He also has a book about The Five Love Languages of Children. Oftentimes, it’s the little things that make both children and adults feel loved and respected.  

    In a nutshell, there are five primary love languages: 

    • Spending quality time together
    • Words of affirmation 
    • Physical touch
    • Acts of service
    • Receiving gifts, and they don’t have to be expensive. 

    For a brief summary of the book and for details on the above primary love languages, click here.

    Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, an internal medicine doctor, told CNBC that the top regret she encountered from those who were in the process of dying was not spending enough time with the people they loved. Right behind that was working too hard and missing out on life. 

    When asked how she believed people could avoid or at least minimize those regrets, her response was that people need to regularly ask themselves how they want to spend their time, and what matters the most to them in their life.

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    Elizabeth Delaney Author HeadshotElizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.