Exposing Your Child to God Everyday

As Christian parents we want to teach our children how to make God part of their everyday lives. Some people grew up in homes where religion and God were talked about every day, but many people grew up in homes where this did not occur. Many families attended church on Sunday and that was their only connection to God each week. There are some simple and practical ways you can expose your child to God multiple times each day. They do not take much time and can be used with children of any age.

First, expose your child to prayer. Prayer can be done at anytime and anywhere during the day. When you are beginning to introduce your family to prayer it may be easiest to do it at mealtimes and bedtime. By praying at mealtimes and bedtimes it assures that each day you will have a set time to pray. Prayers do not have to be long and elaborate. My daughter does a very simple mealtime prayer. She prays, "Dear Jesus, thank you for my food and help me to grow big and strong. In Jesus' name amen." Depending on the child's age, the depth of their prayer will vary. A child that has never prayed before may be nervous when asked to pray out loud. To help your child overcome the fear of praying out loud you can model praying for them. You say a prayer first and then have your child say a prayer. As your child becomes more confident with praying they will be more willing to pray at time other than mealtimes and bedtimes. If you are having a hard day take a minute while you wait at the traffic light and say a prayer out loud. The more your children see you praying the more likely the will feel comfortable praying at anytime and anywhere.

Secondly, pick a few verses from the Bible for your child to memorize. Choose verses that toddlers can memorize such as Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Or Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times. These verses are simple enough for a young child to memorize, but have a strong message for every child to learn. Verses are a great way to introduce children to the Bible and begin to show them the importance of scripture. Your child will become familiar with a variety of verses and you can remind them of these scriptures throughout the day when they fit the situation. For example, if your child is nervous on the first day of school remind him/her of Psalm 56:3. Tell your child that whenever they are afraid they can put their trust in God and they will be OK. Remind them of the verse and say a little prayer for or with your child. This practice will teach them to rely on God in times of need. At the end of the day be sure to have your child say another prayer thanking God for helping them.

Daily devotions are another great way to expand your child's knowledge of the Bible. I recommend a book called The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers by Crystal Bowman for children two years old to five years old. It has a one-page story for each day of the year which emphasizes different truths about God. Each story ends with a Bible verse and a prayer for the child to read or repeat after an adult. Once again, be sure to pick a specific time that you do devotions each day. Devotions are a great way to start or end the day. While your child is eating breakfast you can read to them from a devotion book. Or, as your child is lying in bed and unwinding from the day, read them a devotion. Breakfast or bedtime allows you time with your child to read devotions to them and discuss it. It is important that you do not just read to them and close the book and go on with your day. Take time to discuss what you read to them so that you can answer any questions they may have and be certain that they understand it. Devotions teach your child positive ways to handle situations they encounter everyday. As children grow there are a variety of devotion books available that will be appropriate for their age.

Children should be exposed to the Bible at an early age. Bibles are available for children at every age level. For toddlers I recommend the Read Together Bible for Toddlers written by Laura Derico. This book offers short Bible stories that a young child can listen to without losing focus. Along with the stories there are motions that your child can act out, questions they can answer and a prayer to close the reading. I recommend reading each story for a week. Reading a story for a week allows your child time to fully understand each one. As with prayer and devotions, pick a time each day to read a Bible story to your child. In my home we read a Bible story to our daughter before her nap each afternoon. Be sure to pick a Bible that your child will be able to understand. At a young age it is not important if they know every detail of each story. They will learn these details as they grow older and are able to understand more complex stories. When they are young they are able to understand many of the stories in the Bible in basic ways and can learn important values from these stories.

Do you have an active child? Music will allow you to expose them to God and be active.
Turn on your local Christian music station or put in your favorite children's Christian music CD. Crank the music up and make a dance floor. Do not be afraid to bounce and spin around with your child. Your child will love having this time with you. As they are dancing they will be hearing about God through the music. As they become familiar with the songs they will begin to sing them even when the music is not on. When you are in the car doing your errands, be sure to have Christian music on. Your children hear everything and if you are listening to music that is not appropriate your child is hearing it also. They will pick up words from in appropriate music and use them. Worship music is great to listen to in the car so that don't always have to listen to children's music.

Young children love to soak up information. Offer your child a variety of ways to soak up information about God. They want to learn so allow them the chance. Use resources such as children devotional books, Bibles, and music. They all offer you a chance to teach your child about God. Pick a time each day to do each of the above activities and stick with it. Incorporate prayer into your daily life. Be sure to model prayer for your child and do not be afraid to pray anywhere and everywhere. Do not try to incorporate all these ideas at once. Try to add one idea at a time so you do not feel overwhelmed. You will be more likely to keep your new routine if you are not overwhelmed.