Scripture is clear. As believers, we are called to train our children about what it means to follow Jesus.
“Train up a child in the way he should go,and when he is old he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
But….how exactly are we supposed to do that?
There are many ways to teach your baby about God. We will discuss some great tools and discipleship ideas in this post.
Get ready. Prepare your heart and ask the Lord to guide you as you seek out different ways to disciple your child. This is your greatest mission field. It will take effort. It will take tears, but it is worth it.
It Starts with You…
The most important thing when it comes to teaching your baby about God is YOUR relationship with the Lord.
Our children are smart. They know when we are being genuine. They know if we are struggling.
Most of all, they learn from us. They see us.
They will be able to tell if we simply follow a religion or if we have a genuine relationship with Christ. They will see us following a law or living a grace filled life.
Your daughter will see you spending with Jesus in the morning. She will see you turn to Him in your struggles.
Your son will see what spills out of your heart when you are under pressure. He will see you trust in Jesus when all seems hopeless.
Your baby will also see when you fail and they will see how you react.
Will you turn to Jesus for forgiveness and help? Will you publicly repent when you fall? Will you proclaim God’s grace over your failure?
They are watching. They are watching to see if what we teach them is genuine. The best way to teach them about the love of God is to show them what it means to seek Him. Be genuine. Be close to Jesus. Fess up when you mess up and ask for forgiveness when you fail.
“Seek you Yahweh and his strength; Seek his face forever more.” – 1 Chronicles 16:11
How to Teach Your Baby About God
We’ve already talked about the best way to teach your baby about God –which is showing them what it means to personally seek Him!
There are many other practical ways that you can be intentional in discipling your child.
Teach Your Child the Word
“But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. Every Scripture is God-breathed and[a] profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:14-17
Scripture is clear that faith comes from hearing the Word. Children are like sponges. They can memorize new words and ideas faster than most adults. Take advantage of their memory retention in their younger years, by teaching them Scripture. Make a list of verses to teach them. Read to them from Scripture. Involve them in your quiet time.
Pray with Your Child
“..with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.” – Ephesians 6:18
Prayer is such an intimate part of your relationship with the Lord. Teach your child what it means to spend time with the Father in prayer. From infancy, show them that prayer is not a ritual, but is time where we are blessed to go before the throne room of the King!
Train them to spend time:
- Praising & Adoring the Lord
- Submitting to the Father’s Will
- Thanking God
- Repenting from Sin
- Praying for Other
- Requesting Personal Needs
Make Holidays about Jesus
Rabbits, eggs, gifts, elves, and Santa. These things are not evil or bad. However, spend time praying about how you will incorporate them into your family’s holidays.
Christmas is about God’s faithfulness to His promise – the promise to send the Messiah. Easter is about that same Savior conquering sin and death for us. Don’t forget to teach your children the true meaning of holidays. We can’t miss it. Without Christ, we don’t have anything to celebrate.
Read from Scripture about how God has been faithful. Make traditions focused on Christ. Bake a birthday cake for Jesus. Celebrate Easter with empty tomb rolls. Make these holidays fun and exciting, but make them about our King.
Be Involved in Your Local Church Body
Promise to raise your child in the faith in front of your church. Some churches call this child dedication. Other churches call it parent commissioning. Despite the name, publically commit before your church that you will raise your child in the faith.*
We are stronger together. Being involved in a local church body keeps you accountable in training up your child in the Lord. When you fall, you will have friends to keep you accountable.
Being in church will also help your child learn more about God’s Word and other areas of discipleship. Church will help you baby learn about God’s love for them.
*Remember, this doesn’t make your child a follower of God, only their personal decision to repent of their sin and follow Jesus does.
Tools to Help You
At Bless Our Littles, we like to talk about things we love and think you might enjoy too. Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. Which means we will receive a commission, if you click on a link and make a purchase. This is no extra cost to you. There are some products we have tried and others that we haven’t but think would be helpful to you!
Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel the Kids – Jack Klumpenhower
Klumpenhower shows parents and teachers how to find Jesus on every page in Scripture. This book focuses on teaching children about relationship over religion and grace over law.
The Jesus Storybook Bible – Sally Lloyd-Jones
“Every page whispers His Name.” This is one of the best Bible storybooks around! The pictures are bright and engaging for kids. Each story ends with a connection to Christ.
The Garden, The Curtain & The Cross – Carl Laferton
This book clearly lays out the Gospel for young kids in a way that makes it easy to understand.
Tiny Theologians
Tiny Theologians is a ministry that produces an entire line of discipleship tools for young children. Teaching babies about church history, missions, Scripture, and theology from a young age is so important. Their resources focus on teaching children big truths to grow into instead of little ones to grow out of.
Get to It…
Now that you have the tools, make a plan. Decide how and when you will incorporate different ideas into discipling your child.
- Will you recite a different verse every night?
- Will you start breakfast with a Bible story in the mornings?
- Will you resolve to pray with your child daily?
There are so many tools and ideas to help us teach our baby about God! Remember, no family’s plan will look the same. Whatever you decide to use for your family, resolve to be committed to your relationship with the Lord first and foremost. As you push into His heart, He will change yours. Through much prayer and time in the Word, He will guide you in raising your children up in the faith. He is the One that will draw your child’s heart to Himself, bring them to repentance, and make them new in His Son.
Depend on Him.
“Unless Yahweh builds the house, they who build it labor in vain.” – Psalm 127:1
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. So you can pin it to your Baby Board!!
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