preschoolers,

children, and

conversion

Easter experiences can cause your child to ask many questions about Jesus, who He is, and how He is alive in spite of the fact that He died on the cross. These questions will give rise to conversations about God’s love and what it means to be a Christian. However, the way you talk with a preschooler and address the topic of salvation and the way you talk with an older school-age child will be different.

Preschoolers and Conversion

Keep the following ideas in mind when talking with your preschooler about what it means to be a Christian.

• Understand how your preschooler learns. Preschoolers are concrete thinkers and do not always understand symbolism. They learn precept upon precept just as the Bible describes. Avoid dumping too much information on your preschooler. Your preschooler will need time to process each truth.

© Glenn Gregory

• Work from birth to build your baby’s trust. Trust is developed as you meet the physical and emotional needs of your child. He will begin to equate being fed when hungry and being consoled when hurt with trustworthy caregivers. This sets the stage for him to be open to learning truths about God, Jesus, and the Bible.

• Use music. Christian music with concrete and literal wording helps children begin to become familiar and comfortable with biblical teachings.

• Intersperse Bible thoughts, verses, and phrases into everyday conversation. This will help your preschooler develop a biblical worldview.

• Give simple, straight-to-the-point answers when your older preschooler begins to ask questions about baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Respond with questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Open-ended questions such as “What have you heard that caused you to think about this?” help to open your child’s heart and mind.

• Add The Read-to-Me Bible for Kids (Holman Bible Publishers, 2005) to your child’s library. This Bible has great parent and teacher helps.

• Remind your child that you always are available to talk about spiritual questions and truths. Admit when you do not know an answer. Check with someone or some resource and get back with your child.

• Assist your child in writing a journal account of becoming a Christian if he makes a profession of faith. Encourage him to sign and date the story of his conversion. Keep the note in a safe place and encourage your child to keep it for future reference to rebuff doubts and confusion.

• Add to your child’s library The Illustrated Study Bible for Kids (B&H, 2005). This Bible contains excellent parent helps as well as many study tools for children.

The greatest

Blessing

School-Age Children and Conversion

Keep the following ideas in mind when talking with your school-age child about what it means to be a Christian.

• Make every attempt to explain what symbolic Easter words and phrases mean. Most younger school-age children continue to be literal minded.

• Do not rush your child. Each child responds to the gospel at a different time and on a different timetable. Nowhere in the Bible is an appropriate age assigned to when a child can become a Christian.

One of life’s greatest blessings is to lead your child to Christ. Make the commitment today to develop and learn as many skills as possible to communicate with your child about conversion. There is no greater calling!

What will you do this year to make Jesus the best thing about Easter? How will you guide your child to have meaningful times of worship and conversations? Remember, you are the primary teacher of your child. Plan now to invest in the life of your child in order to have the most blessed Easter season ever. 

Jerry vogel and his wife, Janie, have four children and 11 grandchildren. They are members at ClearView Baptist Church in Franklin, T _School. ennessee, and teach kindergartners in Sunday

MARCH 2008 PARENTLIFE 21