Teaching Kids About God

Teaching Kids About God

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

How do we impart values to our children? Do we just let Bart and Lisa Simpson be the role models? Or wait until they outgrow hooting for Wiggles and Barneys? Kids are sponges for information. Nowadays they learn from sources like the telly or the web. They get subtly influenced at childcare, at school, or even at a neighbour’s playground. How do parents plant seeds of wisdom in children’s heart? How do parents pass on morals with greater impact? How else? But through the Bible. And I can’t answer that question any better.

If JK Rowling can bring us to Hogwarts where power comes from spells and magical wands, what greater truth and power can the Bible’s author manifest in words that we can hold onto throughout our lives? If Tolkien can create mental pictures of evil defeated by good, what book can let us experience victory more than the Bible? By teaching kids the Bible, we as parents seize a window of opportunity in shaping the lives of our children. It contains adventure, humour, romance, and heaps more. An absolute source of history, wisdom and prophecy. Most importantly, the Bible is the very word of God. What better start toward a personal relationship with our Lord could we give our child than reading God’s word with him?

I want my son to know more about Jesus’ disciples than the Autobots and Decepticons, or Percy, Harvey, Billy and those other friends of Thomas the Tank Engine or Snow White’s 7 dwarves. Amazing it is when your tot can distinguish one from the other but I would applaud parents who take time enriching young kids’ lives introducing characters like Abraham, Moses, Noah and the likes.

Isn’t my son too young for this? Maybe yes, maybe no. But every time he clasps his hands together and bow down as we say grace before meal or we go under the bed covers at night, it paints a smile on my face knowing that my husband and I have made the initial step to create spiritual thirst in him. A thirst to know the same Father I seek in times of joy, sorrow and hope. On an honest note, I cannot say I am all-knowing about this matter however the seed that we are planting in him would hopefully begin to guide him in his own journey of faith.

Teaching kids about God at an early age should neither put pressure in kids nor parents. Rather it should bring peace and hope in them that both lives will be empowered by God.

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Parents have eyes in the backs of their heads. --Melissa, age 12

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