Many kids may have questions and worries now: what is going on? when will things go back to normal? will I get sick? Amidst all of that and more, grounding practices are especially important. Amidst possible loneliness from canceled activities, family conversations are particularly valuable. Amidst changed routines, stability and predictability are important too. One practice I’d like to recommend is “FAITH5”: a simple ritual that families can do together over dinner, before bed, in the car, or at any other time. While this is designed for families with children, I think it also works in other settings. Maybe you’d like to call a friend from church and do this together on the phone?  

The five steps are:

STEP 1: SHARE your highs and lows (these are the positive/happy/fun and negative/scary/sad/frustrating parts of your day).

STEP 2: READ a Bible verse or story (at this time you might want to focus on something familiar like the stories in a children’s Bible or some comforting psalms like Psalm 5, 18, 23, or 43)

STEP 3: TALK about how the Bible reading might relate to your highs and lows

STEP 4: PRAY for one another’s highs and lows

STEP 5: BLESS one another (this could be something as simple as “may God be with you all through the night”)