As parents so often we wonder how we can teach our children about God. We want to rely on the Church and Sunday Schools to teach our children all they need to know so that they can one day choose to have a relationship with God. We often feel ill-equipped to teach children about Theology or doctrine and it seems to be very complicated.
Our mandate is very clear in the Bible, that we as parents are responsible for our children and responsible for leading our children in the way that they should go. Proverbs 22:6 was directed to parents not to the church or the teachers.
The challenge we are presented with is to train our children in the way that they are meant to go, not in the way we would like for them to go, or we think they should go. We need to remember that God has a plan for each one of our children and we need to create the moments where they can begin to discern what that plan or way is, by teaching them to see and hear God in every day life.
Teaching our children about God is not only about reading the Bible at night and saying prayers or Grace at the dinner table but about how we as parents live our lives every day, how we make our choices and decisions. Do we act lovingly in our family? Do we treat all people we come across equally? Do we reflect the fruits of the Spirit in our own lives?
Here are some practical examples of situations we can use as teachable moments, please remember that this is not an exhaustive list but rather some simple examples that can get you thinking in the right direction:
- We all have to go shopping, by simply greeting the teller and teaching your children to do the same as well as treating them with respect we are teaching our children that all people are equal.
- Driving past a beggar do we complain about the beggar and ignore them outright, we can offer a friendly smile and explain to our children that not all people have what we have but God still made them and loves them the same as He loves us.
- If your children’s friends are not well, encourage your children to pray for them. This is a wonderful way for children to learn about compassion and be aware of what is going on around them.
- If your children are sick or sad take the time to talk through how they are feeling and then pray together in that situation, make sure to take the time later to talk through the result of the prayer.
- So often we hear that as parents we should stop and smell the roses, well we can literally do that, we can walk around our garden with our children or through a nature reserve and show the children some of the amazing things God created.
- When our children do something wrong, we can choose to discipline in anger or we can choose to explain to them that we need to be responsible for our actions according to the guidelines laid out in the Bible, and that we have the guidelines to help us have a happier life.
- Take time to see God in each moment of your life and share that with your child.
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This article has been written by Hayley Walker from All That’s Kids (Pty) Ltd. Hayley is a mom of 2 beautiful children age 3&4, married to Graeme and runs a business that focuses on “Providing a safe environment for children to grow to their full potential”. All That’s Kids runs parenting courses, youth and children’s ministry training courses and has set up a youth and children’s ministry academy with the view of helping children and families to know Jesus. See www.atk.co.za or find us on facebook. Tel 012 661 3300