How To Begin Teaching About The Bible & Jesus to your 4 year old

TimeIsNotMuch · Sep 23, 2013

Hello everyone,

My first post here and i'm glad to be apart of this new community :clap:

Bare with me as i try blurt about a question i have and try be as straight forward as i can so thebest advice may be given

i'm having trouble not knowing where to start teaching my 4 year old about the Bible and Jesus without making her feel forced? Not sure if that's the right word but hopefully some will understand what i mean.

I want her to grow up knowing about the world and what has been done for us so she doesn't grow up and take the wrong path

I have only just become Christian myself this year and would love my daughter to join in on my journey so we can embark on it together and as she gets older.

we've got a book of bible stories and a book named ''learn from the great teacher'' i was thinking maybe I should frequently read these books? they tend to have many words with nice pictures but not sure if they are for her age as she easily loses interest lol. She has a cool flap book about Noahs Ark and also a few biblical puzzles which are pretty neat!.... she's 5 next year May and currently learning about letters

and also i want to begin a prayer before meals to thank the Lord for the meal, and a prayer together in the morning and at night we could both do together
How could these prayers be structured?

She knows about how God made the sky, grass, animals and people so i guess that's a good start.

Thank you in advance for any given advice.
If any further information would be required to help with your answer feel free to ask

ProudMomxmany · Sep 28, 2013

Isn't "Learn from the Great Teacher" a book from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society? If it is, I'd burn it immediately. That is not an orthodox Christian religion.

The best way is to talk to her about the Lord. Pray with her at mealtime and bedtime. Talk about how the Lord made the world. Don't get too theological with her, show her the goodness of the Lord.

cerette · Oct 3, 2013

The yellow book with nice pictures and title "Learn from the great teacher" is from the Jehovah's Witnesses and is full of false beliefs. Take the advice given earlier, get rid of that book.
There are other books for kids you could get, ask at the local library for a kids Bible, or perhaps at a church.
When it comes to praying you could make it very simple: when you get up in the morning you can sit with your child and thank God for a good nights' sleep, and ask for His blessings for the new day. At meal time, thank God for the food before eating.

God bless you and your daughter!

TimeIsNotMuch · Oct 23, 2013

cerette said:
The yellow book with nice pictures and title "Learn from the great teacher" is from the Jehovah's Witnesses and is full of false beliefs. Take the advice given earlier, get rid of that book.
There are other books for kids you could get, ask at the local library for a kids Bible, or perhaps at a church.
When it comes to praying you could make it very simple: when you get up in the morning you can sit with your child and thank God for a good nights' sleep, and ask for His blessings for the new day. At meal time, thank God for the food before eating.

God bless you and your daughter!

Thank you. I pray with her in the morning for a good day and that our friends will be kind, pray before meals. I have since got rid of the Jehovah's witnesses books and am going to get a beginners bible book for my daughter for Christmas

thank you for the advice

EazyMack · Oct 23, 2013

My advice: live it out.

TimeIsNotMuch · Oct 23, 2013

EazyMack said:
My advice: live it out.

Thank you. Will do!

homeofmew · Oct 30, 2013

It depends on the 4 year old.
I was a free thinker from the very beginning, I think the first time my parents talked to me about it i had questions. I think I asked "if Satan knows hes going to loose, why doesn't he just say sorry so this entire thing can be over?" And I was 4. yeah so anyway it depends on your child :3 But you want to do it at an age when they understand what's going on.

LoveJ · Nov 18, 2013

When my kids were 1 they knew to put their hands together at meals for prayer. When my oldest turned 3 he could say "Thank you for the food, bout to ceeeve in desus name amen." (That's how he said it)

Bedtime prayers consist of general Thanks and then the Lord's prayer. Kids are old enough to listen to Bible stories. Just read them and talk about it. Even if they can't respond, they soak it up.

You don't have to give the big picture all at once. Step by step and age- appropriate is the way to go.

Kids don't feel forced. They love Jesus.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
- Matthew 19:14

Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it- Luke 18:17

The question is, how do you make sure they maintain faith when everything in the world will be against it? It starts by grounding them in truth and constantly praying for them. But that is only the first step.

bigvman · Dec 3, 2013

I pray with my youngest son every night. It's still mainly about thanking God for the blessings in our lives, like the Sun, our cat, house etc. I'm trying to introduce praying for other's needs (his friends etc).

Let her hear you pray and she will immitate.

TimeIsNotMuch · Dec 24, 2013

Hello. Yes I will be working hard to make sure I can achieve all that with m,y daughter. Will keep praying that it works for the both of us. Thank you everyone for your contributions to this post. Have a happy Christmas xx

God bless you

PrudenceAnn · Feb 6, 2014

Hello! I am also a new Christian and have a son that has just turned five...

I am in a slightly different position as it was actually my son that helped bring me to God (he learned about church from a Christian friend and asked if we could go together). However, what I am finding is that he has a better concept of God than of Jesus. I also understand exactly what you mean when you say "forced"... I would use the word "indoctrination"... this is absolutely the last thing I want for him. I want him to know Jesus through his own discovery... After all... It is his relationship with God that should be at the centre of his faith.

The way I am approaching this is that when the time is appropriate, I try to teach him in my words whilst also giving an example of what the Bible says about it. For example, if he is being unkind, I will tell him that it is not loving to be unkind and that I think being loving is the best way to live life. Then I will give the example of Jesus and "love your neighbour". Now his understanding is increasing, I try to include other world views in our discussions... And tell him why I think that we should follow Jesus. I hope that by doing this, I can equip him with all the information he needs to grow in his own faith, without indoctrinating him.

I also found that, because his first encounter with Jesus was through nativity plays, he was understanding Jesus as a baby! I helped overcome this with a very simple and very cute book called "do you want to know Jesus?". It is the sweetest little book ever! The illustrations are simple, and multicultural and the text is written in very simple language. There is also a lovely example of a prayer, and a beautifully simple translation of John 3:6. He loves it and it has really helped him understand who Jesus is and why He came to us. He also has a children's Bible... and we only read this together when he asks. It is always within his reach, so that he can look at it in his own time.

We also pray together... And I invite him to lead the prayer. We pray before meals, and before bed, and I am considering asking him to join me in prayer in the morning before school (I tend to pray before he gets up as the mornings can be quite frantic!). We tend to structure our prayers together by starting with "thank you God" and then listing the things we are thankful for followed by "sorry God" and then the things we are sorry for (I try to keep this list short and reserved for particularly memorable things that we are sorry for... I don't want him to carry guilt as this might impact his self esteem)... We always thank God for loving us and remember to tell him that we love Him too! I always invite him go to church with me, where he usually attends the Sunday School. This is invaluable in helping him understand Christianity. If he doesn't want to go, I don't make him. I also make a point of trying to educate him regarding nature, so that he can learn to appreciate the beautiful world we have.

I hope this helps! I pray that you both have a beautiful journey together

Daddy Abe · Feb 12, 2014

I strongly recommend the "Me Too" books by Marilyn Lashbrook. They're working really well with my three year old. (She is very advanced, mind.) They're broken down to quite simple versions of bible stories in children's language, with interactive bits, question and answer, and rhyming sequences.) They're really nurturing a passion for the things of God in my daughter.

You might feel some of the books are more appropriate than others for younger kids, as some contain warfare and killing. Maybe check the content of each first if you're not familiar with the Bible yet.

Btw congrats on coming to Christ! Praise God!

TimeIsNotMuch · Mar 31, 2014

PrudenceAnn said:
The way I am approaching this is that when the time is appropriate, I try to teach him in my words whilst also giving an example of what the Bible says about it. For example, if he is being unkind, I will tell him that it is not loving to be unkind and that I think being loving is the best way to live life. Then I will give the example of Jesus and "love your neighbour". Now his understanding is increasing, I try to include other world views in our discussions... And tell him why I think that we should follow Jesus. I hope that by doing this, I can equip him with all the information he needs to grow in his own faith, without indoctrinating him.

I also found that, because his first encounter with Jesus was through nativity plays, he was understanding Jesus as a baby! I helped overcome this with a very simple and very cute book called "do you want to know Jesus?". It is the sweetest little book ever! The illustrations are simple, and multicultural and the text is written in very simple language. There is also a lovely example of a prayer, and a beautifully simple translation of John 3:6. He loves it and it has really helped him understand who Jesus is and why He came to us. He also has a children's Bible... and we only read this together when he asks. It is always within his reach, so that he can look at it in his own time.

We also pray together... And I invite him to lead the prayer. We pray before meals, and before bed, and I am considering asking him to join me in prayer in the morning before school (I tend to pray before he gets up as the mornings can be quite frantic!). We tend to structure our prayers together by starting with "thank you God" and then listing the things we are thankful for followed by "sorry God" and then the things we are sorry for (I try to keep this list short and reserved for particularly memorable things that we are sorry for... I don't want him to carry guilt as this might impact his self esteem)... We always thank God for loving us and remember to tell him that we love Him too! I always invite him go to church with me, where he usually attends the Sunday School. This is invaluable in helping him understand Christianity. If he doesn't want to go, I don't make him. I also make a point of trying to educate him regarding nature, so that he can learn to appreciate the beautiful world we have.

I hope this helps! I pray that you both have a beautiful journey together [/_QUOTE]

Thank you for this. Your advice has helped me think of just the little things I can do to help encourage her. We have been praying together and reading her childs bible but I just knew there was more of the little and simple things I can do with her. It just needs to be more frequent so we can begin at church and have her already familiar with some of the stories which will keep her interested. I will pray for her faith and understanding to grow from now on. Once again thank you for your advice. It helps heaps because she is nearly 5! God bless you and your son.

TimeIsNotMuch · Mar 31, 2014

Daddy Abe said:
I strongly recommend the "Me Too" books by Marilyn Lashbrook. They're working really well with my three year old. (She is very advanced, mind.) They're broken down to quite simple versions of bible stories in children's language, with interactive bits, question and answer, and rhyming sequences.) They're really nurturing a passion for the things of God in my daughter.

You might feel some of the books are more appropriate than others for younger kids, as some contain warfare and killing. Maybe check the content of each first if you're not familiar with the Bible yet.

Btw congrats on coming to Christ! Praise God!

Thank you. Its been a rough journey but keeps getting better. Will I be able to find that at a Christian store

Daddy Abe · Mar 31, 2014

TimeIsNotMuch said:
Thank you. Its been a rough journey but keeps getting better. Will I be able to find that at a Christian store

Yea I imagine so. I don't think i'v ever been in a Christian store! You can pick them up on eBay and Amazon for pennies.

bigvman · May 14, 2014

I used to read a children's rhyming Bible to my kids each night when they were between 3-5. They learnt a whole lot of stories and had fun at the same time.
I agree that reading is a great way to teach your children.

TimeIsNotMuch · Aug 10, 2014

Just a brief update:

We pray every morning before school and I make sure she has her time to say her own thanks and things she want to say in prayer
We read out bible every morning together and she is genuinely interested in learning about what has happened in the Bible and if she forget, I can re read the story. Together we will continue to grow in faith together and encourage each other to know what Jesus and God have done for us!

Thank you everyone for the advice and please do continue to pray for us to keep praying and reading the word of God.

Blessings
xx

tall73 · Mar 12, 2015

PrudenceAnn said:
Hello! I am also a new Christian and have a son that has just turned five...

I am in a slightly different position as it was actually my son that helped bring me to God (he learned about church from a Christian friend and asked if we could go together). However, what I am finding is that he has a better concept of God than of Jesus. I also understand exactly what you mean when you say "forced"... I would use the word "indoctrination"... this is absolutely the last thing I want for him. I want him to know Jesus through his own discovery... After all... It is his relationship with God that should be at the centre of his faith.

The way I am approaching this is that when the time is appropriate, I try to teach him in my words whilst also giving an example of what the Bible says about it. For example, if he is being unkind, I will tell him that it is not loving to be unkind and that I think being loving is the best way to live life. Then I will give the example of Jesus and "love your neighbour". Now his understanding is increasing, I try to include other world views in our discussions... And tell him why I think that we should follow Jesus. I hope that by doing this, I can equip him with all the information he needs to grow in his own faith, without indoctrinating him.

I also found that, because his first encounter with Jesus was through nativity plays, he was understanding Jesus as a baby! I helped overcome this with a very simple and very cute book called "do you want to know Jesus?". It is the sweetest little book ever! The illustrations are simple, and multicultural and the text is written in very simple language. There is also a lovely example of a prayer, and a beautifully simple translation of John 3:6. He loves it and it has really helped him understand who Jesus is and why He came to us. He also has a children's Bible... and we only read this together when he asks. It is always within his reach, so that he can look at it in his own time.

We also pray together... And I invite him to lead the prayer. We pray before meals, and before bed, and I am considering asking him to join me in prayer in the morning before school (I tend to pray before he gets up as the mornings can be quite frantic!). We tend to structure our prayers together by starting with "thank you God" and then listing the things we are thankful for followed by "sorry God" and then the things we are sorry for (I try to keep this list short and reserved for particularly memorable things that we are sorry for... I don't want him to carry guilt as this might impact his self esteem)... We always thank God for loving us and remember to tell him that we love Him too! I always invite him go to church with me, where he usually attends the Sunday School. This is invaluable in helping him understand Christianity. If he doesn't want to go, I don't make him. I also make a point of trying to educate him regarding nature, so that he can learn to appreciate the beautiful world we have.

I hope this helps! I pray that you both have a beautiful journey together

One thing that helped our kids a that age was to act out Bible stories together. make it fun and easy no big production or props necessary. We would narrate to our kids what to do, and then afterwards read the story and discuss.

keith99 · Mar 17, 2015

ProudMomxmany said:
Isn't "Learn from the Great Teacher" a book from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society? If it is, I'd burn it immediately. That is not an orthodox Christian religion.

The best way is to talk to her about the Lord. Pray with her at mealtime and bedtime. Talk about how the Lord made the world. Don't get too theological with her, show her the goodness of the Lord.

If an outsider might make a suggestion based on your good advice?

Reading farther into this thread I saw many posting are new believers. A generalization of the problem you pointed out is that before one can teach they need to know what they believe. I'm not saying one needs super deep detailed understanding. But one should consider the adult answers and then move on to how to get the ideas across in children's terms.

For example. Decide how you should pray before trying to tackle how your child should pray. Is prayer thanks giving and expression of concerns or asking for material stuff? (I hope more the former). Then teach the first steps toward the final goals.

Also look to what is being mistaught in your area and be careful there.

Finally a thought from C.S. Lewis. Most of what Jesus taught was a reaffirmation of basic and nearly universal morality. Lewis called it the morality children learn at their mothers knee. That is the lessons a child learns most easily and ones that sometimes get neglected. Don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal, Love your neighbor. Do not neglect those.

bibletoyscom · Apr 2, 2015

Alot of people have the same concern. Introducing it in a calming way, as well as an understandable way was a concern I too had. I found this company, whom I now work for, BibleToys that had so many products that made this easier. First, they have this stuffed Bear, the "Prayer Bear" that reads aloud four different, basic prayers and s/he comes with a backpack that has the prayers in them for them to read along with. A goodnight prayer, a meal prayer, Our Father, just enough to break the kids into it in a simplistic away. They also have these "action figures" of David, Goliath, Samuel, Samson, Noah's Arc, Jonah and the Whale, the Birth of Baby Jesus, you name it- and each figurine comes with a little story that explains the characters and the setting. I found, as did many other parents, this was the easiest and most enjoyable way to introduce Faith into their lives (and playtime!)

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