Teaching your children daily spirituality begins with you practicing your own spirituality on a daily basis. As a parent, you are your children's first and foremost role model. They will emulate what you do. Consider these suggestions:

1. Communication

Teach your child to communicate with his higher power and source on a daily basis. This could be through formal or informal prayer, reciting mantras or holy passages, saying thanks and expressing gratitude, or just by listening to what messages this source has for him.

2. Stillness

Teach your child to be calm, quiet, peaceful, and still. This can occur during her Communication but is very useful in any situation. Especially ones that arouse stress. Have her learn several forms of meditation, with or without music or sound. Have him sit still just to reflect on his day, his experiences, or his emotions.

3. Standards

Teach your kids the standards of your spiritual system. Make sure to live up to whatever you teach your children. Let them know how you expect them to behave. Also, remind them that you will love and accept them for whom they are no matter what.

4. Acceptance

Teach your children how to accept whatever they encounter as it is. Teach them tolerance and non-judgment. Make sure you outline the difference between acceptance and agreement or support. You and your children can accept and tolerate something you feel is inappropriate, without being judgmental, condemning or condescending toward it, or someone who engages in it. Keep the focus on your relationship with your spiritual source; not changing or controlling others.

5. Learning and growing

• Study. Set aside study time for your kids, as a family and individuals. Have them read the works of your spiritual system, or attend related ceremonies. Make these study sessions as regular as possible, with room for intermittent gatherings.

• Share. Have your kids share what they've learned in and outside of the scheduled study sessions and ceremonies. Have them share their experiences that have challenged them or from which they have learned.

• Experience. Teach your kids to take every experience as it comes. See every experience as an opportunity to learn, grow and strengthen their faith.

• Evolve. Allow your children and their relationship with their spiritual source to evolve. As you and your relationship with this source will also evolve. Keep the conversation open and flowing. Make sure they know they can come to you about anything without fear of retribution or rejection.

Teaching your children daily spirituality is most effective when continual spiritual habits are combined with regular formal practices and customs, such as offsetting a weekly service with spontaneous conversations about recent experiences. You and your kids can engage in these practices individually, as a family, and as a community. The more you lead by example and teach through action the more likely your children will adopt these spiritual values as their own.