How soon should I start teaching about God?
My daughter is only an infant and wouldn't understand the anything I am 'teaching' her about God and His creation. When should I start teaching her? It seems that if I wait until she is old enough to understand then precious years will have been wasted in developing that natural love for God. I do not have a strong religious background so I as a parent am unfamiliar with the right approach but I have no doubt that our children need to have a love for God and His creation in order to thrive as responsible adults.
What suggestions can you guys offer to help me know where to start? I truly haven't a clue Smiley
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Thank you everyone for all the tips. We have started reading some fun stories each night, she would rather chew on the book though Grin
It is fun to read with her each evening and to be reading such positive stories. I want to get some of the veggie tales as well. I really like the way they present the story line. We will continue to our story time together each evening and thanks again.
Hi, JaMae! Songs are a wonderful way to communicate the love of God to your little girl. Jesus Loves Me is perfect, and there are many others. She doesn't need to understand. She'll feel God's spirit and love, and that's what really matters.
You mentioned that you don't have a strong religious background. Do you have a church that you enjoy attending? If not, I'd encourage you to find one and take your daughter with you! If you'd like to talk more about church and religion or about knowing Jesus Christ personally, send me an email. Just click on the little envelope over to the left.
Ja Mae-I grew up being taught about God. In fact, I never even heard "secular" music until I was in high school (and that's not a bad thing!) But I say that to tell you that even for me it has been hard knowing how to start teaching Aiden about God. He never used to sit still for books and one day a friend mentioned how she and her daughter prayed for me every night (because of my infertility issues). Her daughter is about 6 months younger than Aiden and it made me realize that I should be praying with him at night. So I started doing that as part of our nap/evening ritual. I started praying for meals...Now he likes to do it: "Dear Dee-zus, thank you for my cereal, milk, mommy's cereal, milk...AMEN!" LOL It's the cutest thing in the world!
One thing that we've been doing recently, and I wished we'd started it sooner because it's such a sweet ritual, but we all sing "Jesus Loves Me" together before bed. So any children's Bible songs would be a great addition to your day. We bought a CD at our Christian bookstore because I couldn't remember too many little children's songs. I just love that you're enthusiastic about teaching your daughter...you're right, you can never start too early!
Oh, and we have a rhyme Bible as well...not sure if it's the same one Mikki is talking about, but developmentally, rhymes are great for little ones because they pick up on the rhythm and sounds of words before they understand the meanings.
~Elsie
Wow, thanks Michedolene. I will look into the books.
Hello JaMae,
You are right about precious years. Even though your daughter doesn't understand 'what' you are teaching her she is learning. I recommend that you begin with some simple children's Bible books. You can read to her each time you are sitting together, when you are nursing or feeding, while she sleeps too. She will love hearing your voice and the soothing words that come from good quality stories. Here are two books that I personally think are excellent for reading to little ones;
100 Bible Stories, 100 Bible Songs
The one listed above even has Bible songs you can sing to her as well.
The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers
This one is a little simpler to read and great for moving into the toddler years (when they like to move about more frequently). There are numerous children's Bible stories available, these are two that I really like for the younger years. The trick is to pick one that you enjoy sharing with your daughter.
In addition to reading to her speak openly about God when you talk to her. Because you don't have a strong religious background this may seem strange at first but it truly gets easier. When you strive to teach your children God's truth He will guide you through.
We offer a FREE mini course on developing a family Bible study that works and it offers great suggestions on how to prepare yourself to prepare your children. You can find the sign up form here 8-Week Mini-Course; Family Bible Study I hope you will check it out. And I am so excited to see that you have taken an interest in teaching your daughter God's tru
Mikki Hogan Publisher of UniqueParenting.com