I'm not a parent yet, I'm pregnant, but I do spend a great deal of time with my nephew. He is 5 years old and has just started showing an interest in God. I need advice on how to teach him about the subject.
Children learn by example and your concern for this child is certainly to be commended.One of the best things to help him become aware of is that there is a God who loves him,and it seems he needs to feel loved with the little fellows problems.YOU will more than likely be the one he will look to.Another thing is to let him know that God cares about his problems and teach him to pray for his Mother and Daddy.Sometimes as a single Mother I felt uncertain that I had stressed to my children ENOUGH about the power of prayer.They are grown now with family of their own and in the midst of problems I have witnessed that my prayers were not in vain.They had learned where their source of help was in the darkest of times.No greater reward to a Mother.
LET THE CHILD LEARN BY CHILDRENS BIBLE STORIES AND FUN CHRISTIAN ACTIVITIES THAT YOU CAN GET FREE RIGHT ON THE INTERNET.ALSO LEARNING BIBLE SONGS WILL HELP.
Yes, 5 is a great age to teach him about God. There are great children's bible stories to read to him. Children often get a kick out of this. Also, if you are Christian, there is a lot of great Christian music he'd love to sing along to.
The advice you received is great!! And truly God bless you for your efforts and Godly concern for this child that you can really be a mentor to! What I wanted to add, is that I found when my children were even younger than that, they can memorize Scripture so easily (my husband used to say that they don't have all of the clutter in there that we do as adults :) If you pray with them about their concerns and thank the Lord with him as you see answers to those requests, I believe that is powerful. One other thing I found very helpful is so many of the videos that reinforce in a fun way - like Superbook, the Donut Man, and the animated Bible collection that you can order from:
Take him to a church where there is a Sunday School program. They do an awesome job at introducing concepts to the children. Then it is up to you to field the quesitons! Praying before bed and meals is a good ritual as well!
Good luck!
If you take him to church get him in a sunday school class. They teach kids on a level that they can understand
Check with churches in your area, now that school is out they have summer bible school, from 9-12 for a week. My friend takes her kids, to all the churches, you don't have to be a member and the kids have fun.
Bible stories are good and Sunday School is great if your church has that. Veggie Tale movies are great and kids love them.
My husband and I had a children's bookstore. The very best book about God that I know is Because Nothing Looks like God - Lawrence Kushner, Dawn Majewski (Illustrator), Karen Kushner. I now volunteer at a temple library although I am not Jewish and always recommend this book for every grandparent that comes to visit.
i have a granson that is 2& ever since he learned to give kisses i would have him kiss the Jesus on a cross necklace i always wear. Now he just knows when he gives Gamma a kiss Jesus gets one too,Jesus even gets them and i don't but thats alright with me too so i think i have played a little part in associating a cross with Jesus.Likewise my daughter and the father are not the real religious types , they believe but don,t live by it.
Nature is a wonderful way to teach small children about God. Tell them that everything they see - flowers, trees, grass - are made and tended by God.
Inquire about Christian radio in your town. Here in Baltimore, we have kids shows on Saturday morning. I enjoy them too. We have: Down Gilead Lane, Focus on the Family Kids Show, Karen and Kids and 1 or 2 others that are local.
Also you can read story books that talk about the truth. I would also reccommend going to a Gospel preaching church that speaks the truth about Jesus and His saving power. sandy sheep 1 @ yahoo.com
You can have so much fun talking about God with this little boy! Perhaps your church, or another neighborhood church, has a summer Bible school he could go to. They are usually Monday thru Friday, in the mornings or in the evenings, for a week. Vacation Bible School meant so much to me as a child! Nowadays the themes are very appealing to the children. That would give you some stories and songs to reinforce with him at other times. Goodwill and other stores often have children's bible story books you can buy very cheap.
