#5 Faith at Home and Parenting Young Children
Becoming a parent is a whole new adventure in life. There are many books, websites, parenting groups, and social media gurus who have lots of advice on how to be the best parent raising the best kids. The reality often falls short of what we think it should be as we discover there are no fool-proof formulas. But is that really a bad thing? Always trying to be the best parent can be a trap that leaves us feeling guilty when we’re having an off day, feeling tired or sick, or just plain don’t know what we’re doing (even with all of the advice out there). And trying to raise the “best” children may not really honor them and the fact that every one of us is on a journey of learning through experience and failure. Can we just pause for a minute and let that sink in: we learn through failure!
So, with that in mind, how do we walk this journey of faith with our preschool children? Is it even important to think about this during the early years? Can they even understand what it means to have a relationship with God at such a young age? I would say, yes! The Bible makes several references to children being formed by God in the womb and being called from infancy. Check these out:
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Psalm 139:13, NLT
“…And he will be filled with and empowered to act by the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.”
Luke 1:15b, AMP
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5, NLT
As parents who follow Jesus, we know God’s desire is for our children to follow him as well. This is a life-long journey that begins with God’s love and desire to be in relationship with each and every one of us. It’s our job to lead them in this and we won’t do it perfectly, but that’s okay because God is faithful!
So when do we really need to start talking with our children about God? I would say that as soon as we want to tell them that we love them, we also want to tell them that God loves them, too. Throughout the day, we can make our children aware of God’s presence and love for them. Through song, story, prayer, and our love for them, we can be sharing our faith with them.
How do we do this? With infants, it can be as easy as singing lullabies to our children and whispering in their ear that they are loved by mommy, daddy, and most of all by God. I enjoy watching musicals, and when my children were younger, we were living in a musical singing all kinds of songs for each part of the day – songs about getting up, brushing our teeth, going to the bathroom, going out the door, and loving Jesus. There are many worship songs for children – soft, lullaby ones; fun, energetic ones; Bible verse ones; and many more. Find them on YouTube or your streaming app of choice.
As soon as our children are sitting in a high chair to start the exploration of eating solid food, we can pause to pray and thank God. It’s not about your child being able to fold their hands and repeat after you, it’s about creating rhythms that include God in every part of our lives and showing our children that He is present with us. Short, simple prayers at mealtimes, bedtimes, and other times throughout the day are a great way to start this. And they are simple prayers: “Thank you Jesus!” “I love you Jesus!” “Help me Jesus.”
Parents are encouraged to read to children from infancy as a part of healthy development. There are many wonderful Bible story books made for preschool children. Some of my favorites are Ella K. Lindvall’s Read-Aloud Bible Stories series and Sally Lloyd Jones’ The Jesus Storybook Bible. There are also board books for the littlest ones.
When my oldest son was a toddler, I was getting frustrated at his interruptions as I was doing my morning devotions. I’m sure it was the Holy’s Spirit’s prompting that gave me the idea to include him in my work to memorize some Bible verses. I made up some simple actions and got him to do them with me. We would do those together regularly and low-and-behold I found that I was able to remember them easier myself! I still remember that first verse and actions that we learned together.
Playing games that have a Bible or faith with them is another fun way to make faith an everyday part of our lives.
Make the most of spontaneous conversations. If something happens to make your child sad, take that moment to say that Jesus knows they are sad and is sad with them. Pray for friends or family members together. Wonder at God’s creation together. Even if your child doesn’t seem to acknowledge or understand what you are saying, you are blessing them with a perspective on life that knows God is with them and loves them.
We especially lead our children as we live it out ourselves: praying in front of them, reading the Bible when they can see us, growing in our own faith. We don’t have to hide our faith from them. They are watching and learning about life from us, so don’t hide your faith from them – make every day about following Jesus. We won’t do it perfectly, there will be moments of failure, but we are on the journey every bit as much as our children and we have a loving, patient, and faithful God who will lead us.
Recommended resources
Ella K Lindvall Read-Aloud Bible Stories
Sally Lloyd Jones The Jesus Storybook Bible and other stories
Sally Lloyd Jones Lift the Flap Bible Board Book
Worship music for kids – look songs with actions on YouTube
Games – check out this blog for a variety of board games (there are several for preschool age)
Apps – check out this blog for some apps that might appeal different members of the family
Sarah Cogswell is Pastor of Children and Families at The Journey Church in Moncton, NB, Canada. She and her husband David have been married for 23 years and are parents to three amazing teenage boys. She spent 9 years caring for children in her home, and has hosted 17 international students throughout the years. She is currently working on her Master of Divinity through Acadia Divinity College and enjoys learning and experiencing ministry and faith all at the same time. You can contact Sarah by emailing sarah@onthejourney.ca.