Teaching the Faith to Children
The most important job parents have is passing on the Christian faith to their children. Christian parents know this of course, but often aren't sure where to start or how to go about this. I thought I'd pass along some ideas and resources that might be helpful to parents as they go about this most important task.
- Put on Christian music at home, as you drive to school, when shuttling kids around to their various activities, and at bedtime.
Music is a fantastic way for children to learn the faith. When children hear hymns, they'll learn them (their brains are sponges!) and then they'll be better able to participate on Sunday mornings, which will make things more enjoyable for them and easier for mom and dad.
Here are some music recommendations for kids.
These are really great because they're hymns the kids will hear in church, sung by kids. You could also get a copy or two of the "My First Hymnal" book and use that with these CD's as part of family devotions.
Sung by kids and primarily fairly simple songs that kids will pick up quickly.
Randal Goodgame does a great job with children's music. His music is always fun, catchy, and often goofy. There's a mix of funny songs and songs that will be helpful in teaching the faith on his various albums.
Koine takes hymns, keeps the wonderful words, and gives them a very contemporary feel. Their music is great for adults and older children, but will also be enjoyable for younger children.
- Pray with your child before they head off to school for the day.
This is a great way to remind them of who they are, whose they are, and that they can be praying all day long. It's also powerful because God hears those prayers and has promised to answer!
- Send a note of encouragement with a verse of Scripture in their lunch box.
In keeping with Deuteronomy 6:7-8, why not send a reminder for them along with their lunch? It's a simple thing to do and a good reminder for them. You don't have to do it every day, but doing it on occasion is a great idea (and my wife's idea, not my own!).
- Begin/continue family devotions each day.
What can devotions look like? Read the Bible or a children's Bible or a devotion together, sing a song or two, and pray together.
Here are some great devotion resources.
This is a great resource. It has 130 different stories from the Bible, beautiful pictures with each story, questions to ask children for each story, and a prayer to use at the end.
Too often, children get the idea that the Bible is just about rules. This children's Bible does a great job of showing that the Bible is first and foremost about Jesus coming to be our Savior.
This is a resource that has been around for a very long time, but it's still a great resource. We read through a about half of it with Timmy when he was younger, then he took over and read the rest of it all on his own. It's great for middle school children.
Reading the Bible can be a daunting task for an adult, so imagine how intimidating it could be for a child? These booklets are perfect for instilling in children the habit of daily Bible readings without that being an overwhelming prospect. You can read the Bible with them or they can do it on their own.
Living Planted has some great (free) resources for family devotions.
Creative Communications has some good resources for Advent and Lent devotions. Explore the site a bit and see what they have to offer.
- Set an example by regular attendance of church and Bible class.
I hope these resources are helpful to some parents. I'd love for you to share ideas you have. Please let me know if you do make use of any of these resources and if they've been helpful for you.
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