I was a youth leader for many years at my church. During my time as a youth leader, I was always amazed at the number of parents who would say things like, thank you for helping instill faith in my child. Or I’m so glad you’re here to show my child faith, or with all the bad influences in the world I’m glad that you can teach them about God.
I know these parents were well meaning, but I’d often find it sad that so many parents left spiritual training up to one hour a week at a church youth group.
I decided that when I became a parent I was going to at least expose God to my children at a young age and show them how great it is to be a child of God. Obviously, my children are their own people and when they’re older they will have to decide for themselves if they will live for God, but I want to expose them to God now and in everyday ways. I don’t want to leave learning about God to an hour a week at a children’s church class.
So here are a few ways I’ve taught my children about Jesus.
Prayer
We pray for each meal and before bed, we pray when we fall down and get hurt, we pray if it thunders and they’re scared. Also, we pray when we see an ambulance go by for those that might be hurt.
Praying in lots of different situations and times helps kids realize that they can talk to God in any place and any situation. It also shows them that there’s nothing too big or too little to go to God with.
Worship
We set aside times each day to worship God, and we always make sure to keep it fun and different. Some days we worship using instruments and dance around the house. Other days we watch YouTube worship videos and sing. It really doesn’t matter how you do it, but worshipping Jesus won’t be real to your kids unless you set time aside each day to do it.
Bible Reading
Each day we read a Bible story. I buy Bibles that are age and developmentally appropriate for my children and we read a story or devotion together. We get new Bibles and make sure that we bring scripture into our lives on a daily basis.
I’ve also started the last few weeks doing a memory verse. I was shocked to realize that within a few days my son had memorized John 3:16 with me simply reading it to him daily. He’s now memorized several verses, which I think is amazing for a three-year-old.
Mommy, what’s our Bible story today? – 3 Year Old
Talk About God
I talk about God a lot to my kids and they talk to me about Him too. We talk about how God created the leaves and sticks and dirt that are fun to play in, we discuss how blessed we are to have so many great toys. Simply put, we talk about God a lot.
My kids ask awesome questions about God too. They’ve asked me, Is God a boy or a girl? Will there be Mac and cheese in heaven? And I take those questions seriously. I want my kids to always be able to openly discuss their questions and concerns about faith without my judgment.
Church
We make going to church a priority. And my kids love it! They love their friends and community they have at church. They know that Sunday is the day they go to church. Several Sundays ago we were camping and didn’t go to church and my toddler asked, are we going to church today? I love that my kids know that Sundays are for church. I believe that instilling these values in them while they are young will help them make decisions to live for Christ when they’re older.
repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. – Deut 6:7 (NLT)
These are just some simple ways I’ve found to teach my children about Jesus. None of these take up lots of time, are expensive or require a lot of effort. But they are effective. My three year old told me the other day he loves Jesus.
Mommy, puppy and I love Jesus – Three Year Old
What are some ways you’ve found helpful in bringing Jesus into your everyday life?
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1 Comment
Thanks so much for this Amber! All of these ideas are basic yet so important and easy to forget to do or put on the back burner when laundry and dishes are piling up. And I LOVE the idea of memorizing scripture with your 3-year-old! I definitely need to start doing this with my 2 and 4 year olds.