As my kids get older we have entered into a time where they are building a faith of their own. This still is a relatively new aspect of parenting for me but over the past few years I have been trying to be more intentional in how I can present our faith to our children.
Now I have a degree in Bible and Theology, along with my teaching degree. Though I did the work, wrote the papers, and took the tests, I admittedly don't remember a lot and still struggle to really read my Bible.
I also thought I needed to approach telling my kids about God by making it into a Sunday school lesson. But thank goodness for Sally Clarkson and her holistic approach to parenting. Through listening to her podcasts she taught me that I could just start talking about God in everyday conversation.
So I started saying things like, "Look at this sunset. Isn't it amazing that God created it for us?" A lot of this conversation surrounded around nature as it was an easy thing to point out. But over time, it became more of a habit that I mentioned our faith simply when it came up.
We also left a church we loved, a couple of years ago, to find a church that was closer and had a more thriving kid's program. Our hopes were that our kids would also make some friends there. This has been a challenge as the church is relatively large and I think that families aren't as consistent at attending church as we were growing up. Brent and I have often longed for a church like the ones we grew up in where there was a tight sense of community. But given our current society and our own busy life, I think we have finally accepted that we can't compare what is available to us today to the past. So we found a church that has wonderful resources for our children.
sweet kids carrying their Bibles to our new church a few years ago
They come home learning Bible stories, memorizing verses, knowing worship songs, and being loved on by caring teachers. There are fun activities and celebrations and our kids love going to church. This is a win in my book.
When they were little we had Bible story board books and during the pandemic watched a lot of Life.Church's Bible Adventure YouTube videos. But now that my older two can read, I have started to try to provide them with ways they can learn about God and read the Bible on their own. We have provided them with a variety of Bibles, regular full versions and kid ones. Even my youngest ones like to look at the pictures.
A few times a week Brent does "devotions" before bed with the kids where they read out of one of our children's Bibles. They are short enough to keep a three and five year old's attention. :)
What has been really neat is that these short toddler/preschool stories are just enough to peak my oldest's interest. Afterwards he will get out his other big kid books and Bible to follow up on the story on his own to find out more information.
My oldest is very intellectual so he definitely remembers specific things he learns at church and what he reads. It is safe to say he knows most Bible stories better than me now! It is truly incredible.
He reads in bed for about an hour each night. He shares a room with his brother so this allows them all to go to bed at the same time but he gets to stay up and read with a night light for an extra hour. He has a collection of chapter books he enjoys. But we also include his Bibles and devotionals that he will sometimes chose to read. We also recently found The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls which are fictional books based off of Bible stories. It is a similar genre to the Magic Tree House series (which he also loves) where a brother and sister go on these adventures together. They have been a huge hit and he rereads the series pretty regularly.
Found this on his bed - cross referencing his Bible story (which prompted this blog post!)
He also brings home library books from school. They are allowed to read them during the day but we have a rule that they can't have library books in their room at night. Partly so that younger siblings don't ruin them but also because I wanted him to be reading mom approved books during this lengthier reading time. The books he brings home from school are fine, but I really want his love for reading quality books to grow. And full transparency, I have told them that certain books aren't allowed to come home from school (particularly all the ones with potty humor). They can read them in their class if their teacher has them but they understand that these books aren't appropriate to our family and we have to set a good example to our younger siblings who don't know the difference.
Now, my oldest daughter, she has been the one to show more of an emotional connection with her faith, which has also been incredible. She wants to pray when she is scared and believes in God in a more emotional way. It is so beautiful and inspiring.
All my children are different and are going to approach their faith in their own way. I feel like I can barely take credit for it because it often catches me by surprise and challenges me in how I am setting an example to them.
When it comes to things like toys and crafts, I always believed that providing them with open ended materials provided them the tools for creativity and personal exploration. I am finding that approach can provide the same results as it pertains to their faith.
We also pray before dinner. We came up with a simple prayer that we all say together, as inspired by one of my friends. We simply say, "Thank you Jesus for this food. Bless our family. Amen." I wanted them, from a young age, to feel confident in being able to pray for a meal on their own. We also pray before bed and ask them what they want to thank Jesus for or pray for. It is never overly complicated or long. Honestly, Brent and I are so ready for them to go to bed, we don't have the energy for much more! So we have found repetition and tradition allow us to instill values even in our most tired state!
My oldest has started to ask about things like Satan and Hell. It's intense! It challenges me and I am grateful for my years of working in youth ministry that trained me how to lead someone to Christ. But he is not a little kid anymore and so I have to give him real answers. It is keeping me on my toes. And is my own reminder of how important this time is as he's developing his own views. I want to be available for these types of conversations. A reminder that my mission field is my own home with my own children. I am doing important eternal work. Just the thought brings me to tears!
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it // Proverbs 22:6
All this to say, here are some of the books and Bibles we have and love:
God's Big Picture Bible Storybook
I Will Follow Jesus Bible Storybook
I Can Read | My Illustrated Bible: For Beginning Readers
Bible Stories For Little Ones - beautifully illustrated board book
CSB Explorer Bible For Kids - boys leather bound Bible
CSB Explorer Bible For Kids - girls leather bound Bible
Jesus Calling: The Story of Christmas
The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories - we have three of these and they are all fought over, pages falling out, binding taped over and over. This is what we use for nighttime devotions.
Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God and Science
The Garden The Curtain And The Cross
Build: Christian Picture Book On Identity
Twirl: Christian Picture Book On God's Love
Bedtime Blessings For Little Ones
Cutie, I Pray - a sweet prayer book you can pray over babies and little ones
God Gave Us Heaven - a gentle introduction to death and Heaven
The Secret Of The Hidden Scrolls - book series based on Bible stories
// Shop all the books here:
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