11 Ways to Introduce Your Toddler to God

As parents and teachers/leaders of toddlers, we want to develop a healthy, hunger for a loving heavenly Father. Here are some ideas that have worked with other parents/teachers.

*Begin praying with your baby from the time he/she is an infant. Prayer is a 24/7 communication with the Lord, of course, but pray at specific times with your young child. Usually before you eat and before bedtime are good choices. Be brief. You might be surprised how quickly a small child begins to join you in saying “amen.”

*Treat the Bible as an honored book. Don’t throw it in the toybox with Goodnight, Moon and Veggie Tales. Instead emphasize that this is God’s Word and needs to be treated in a special way.

*Have the Bible open in your lap while telling your child about Bible characters or biblical events.

*Read a preschool devotional book to your child before he goes to sleep or at some other specified time during the day.

*Talk about God making the flowers, the bugs, the puppy, the kitten, dad, mom, grandparents, etc.

*Talk about God’s love with your child. Dad loves you. Grandma loves you. God loves you.

*Play fun, children’s songs that teach Bible truths. (Awana has several Cds available and the music is also available on iTunes.)

*Take your child to church and make it a habit from the beginning. (Don’t make church negotiable – make it be something your family does as regularly as eating or going to the dentist. Church is something your family does – no debate.)

*Make church a fun place. Yes, the child needs to be quiet in the service. You can allow him to look at books or color. (Some parents have a special bag filled with books, coloring pages, small stuffed animals etc. that he is not allowed to look at any other time, but church.) Don’t blame God for your own rules. “God won’t like it if you make noise, if you run in the aisle, if you laugh too loudly.” You’re setting your child up to not like God. Instead say, “We need to be quiet in the service so we can hear what’s happening up front and other people can hear, too. We need to walk through the church hallways because we don’t want to knock someone down. Isn’t it great that God gave us laughter?” If a child disobeys he needs to face consequences, but because he disobeyed YOU, not because God “doesn’t like it.”

*Say a phrase  (that you want your child to learn) or short verse over and over. Write the verse on poster board and include a picture that illustrates the verse. For instance, you could write: I will never leave you (Hebrews 13:6) and have a picture of a thunderstorm or something else that ignites fear in your child. When the child expresses that fear – repeat the phrase.

*Be an example. Let your child know that you enjoy attending church, reading your Bible and praying.