Today’s blog is an important topic for those Christian mamas with little ones. If you are wondering how to teach your children to love the Lord, you are not alone. From the day I became a new mom, I knew I wanted my kids to develop a personal relationship with God. It is more than reading them stories at bedtime or asking them to say a prayer at night. It is a way of life, a relationship more profound than any other. It is about sowing seeds in their heart that will grow their personalities, behaviors, and actions. It is about paving the way for them to stand up for what is true, good, and right.
When I became a new mom, I bought a book to help me pray for my baby. I have since, bought more books on praying for my children than parenting books because praying for our children is the best thing we can do for them. But when it comes to teaching them about God, we already have the tools we need to teach them. I want to share a few ways you can start to sow the seed in your kid’s life by one, teaching them to pray, two, reading Bible stories, and three, praying for their faith.
As early as my kids could speak, I introduced praying at bedtime. I taught them to say thank you prayers – a great way to introduce gratefulness. We start by thanking God for our family, followed by our basic needs, and then anything else. When your child has enough vocabulary to speak, it is an excellent time to introduce it. Kids will surprise you with the things they thank God for. My 3.5-year old has said things such as bless Mickey Mouse to help mama’s headache all on his own. My older kid used to pray for her friends in school by name when she was 3. These are mighty prayers for people who don’t know God is watching over them because a little kid said a prayer for them. My 2-year-old yesterday prayed for a booboo he had, and that’s how they add on to a simple prayer you taught.
Another great way is to teach them Bible stories. They are full of action, adventure, and life lessons. I have bought way too many Bibles to write about in this blog, but I have separate ones I use by age at home, from my 2-year-old to 7-year-old. If you are wondering which story to start at, my advice is to start at the beginning. Many children’s Bibles help you teach your child how the Bible is one big story, and many of them connect each account to the coming of Christ. You can also use books about Bible characters such as David, Jonah, Esther, etc. My 3.5 year old prefers to read those books, so we switch it up based on his interest.
Many Bible stories are tough for little ones to comprehend, so follow your understanding of your child’s maturity level before reading these stories. Sometimes you can give them the ending of the story or the lesson it teaches before reading it; an example is Abraham’s story where God tested his faith and asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Of course, we all know the ending, but your child does not.
Emphasize the lessons they learn from these stories. One day when my older kid was mad at her brothers, I reminded her of the story of Joseph and how he held no contempt at his brothers who mistreated him. You can talk about Esther’s bravery, Daniel’s faith, or Noah’s obedience to God. Kids will give you many reasons to bring up these great stories to make the Bible relevant to them.
Here’s another great way to talk to your children about God – Easter and Christmas. There is no better time to teach your child about Jesus than these. Last Christmas, I made a DIY Nativity Calendar for the Christmas countdown, and the kids loved doing it every morning.
Easter is more important because it is the pinnacle of our faith. There are so many easter books you can read to your child. This Easter, we are reading ‘The Jesus Storybook Bible.’ It is not my favorite of all the Bibles I have, but they have an Easter reading plan, and my kids are invested in this activity that comes with cutting off a link each day and reading a story that takes them from the Old to the New Testament. We will also be learning the Easter story with a 12-day countdown Easter Egg Kit we purchased on Amazon. Kids remember more when they can interact in the learning process.
I know I have shared a lot here, but I want to close with one of the most important things you can do for them – to pray. Pray that God will sow a seed in their heart that will ignite interest, passion, and dedication in learning the word of God.
