Helping Parents Teach Their Babies About God

One of the most important things Christian parents can do is to study the Bible with their children at home. Daily Bible study is critical to a child’s developing faith. Yet, many parents struggle with when to start and what to do. That confusion can create a lack of confidence, and crucial family Bible studies don’t happen.

The key is providing parents with the resources they need to feel confident in teaching the Bible to their children. Churches can’t wait until the children are in elementary school to begin helping parents. Family Bible studies need to start when children are babies.

It’s a rare Bible class teacher who sends home suggestions for Bible study and accompanying questions or activities. Until last week, I had never met a Bible class teacher of infants who regularly sends home Bible study materials for the parents of their students to use.

Karen C. Of GreenLawn Church of Christ, has been teaching a class of 12 month olds to two years old for decades. She teaches a curriculum where the same Bible story is taught for about three months. In her case, the Bible story is Creation.

Karen has developed take home bags for each day of Creation. She sends a new one home with her students each week for eight weeks. (The first week is a general Bible bag.) By the end of the quarter, each family has everything it needs to teach their babies about the Creation story.

Karen’s take home bags combine elements of play while teaching children about the Bible story. They are very similar to the items she uses in class to help her young students make connections.

Some of the items in her bags are treasured by her students long after they leave her class. She’s even had a few of her now adult students tell her they still have the items.

We don’t usually go into this much detail in our blog posts, but these ideas are so great, we want you to have photos and descriptions.

Initial take home bag: Children’s Bible (We would suggest an NIrV or baby Bible if you can afford it. The tiny Bibles pictured are usually inexpensive and many churches already like to gift them to infants.), baby board book (If you can, find a Christian one or one about something like animals, fish, flowers or etc. to fit the Bible story of Creation.)

Day 1: A page with the Bible verse, a clear plastic baby toy and a blank handkerchief or cloth large enough to play peek-a-boo.

Day 2: Bible verse, small flannel board with blue sky and ocean, flannel clouds

Day 3: Bible verse, felt tree on popsicle stick trunk, fake flower

Day 4: Bible verse, small flashlight, felt night sky, cardboard sun and moon on popsicle sticks

Day 5: Bible verse, small stuffed bird and fish

Day 6: Bible verse, stuffed animal, cardboard Adam and Eve

Day 7: Bible verse, small felt blanket in creation fabric (featuring something God created like animals, birds, fish, suns, etc.), small pillow with Bible verse (God rested)

Giving parents resources to teach their children about God at home is always a good thing. Encouraging parents of infants to start good spiritual habits with their children early is a fantastic thing! (Thanks to Karen C. For sharing her amazing ideas with us!! )

Categories Ministering to Student Families, Preschool
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