5 ways to help your toddler get to know God

I heard it said recently that you are the best example of who God is to your child. Even though they can’t quite wrap their minds around it yet, you are providing for their every need. You hold them when they fall and kiss their scrapes and bruises. You are setting safe limits for them for their protection, even if they don’t like those limits. What an amazing, if small, parallel to what God does for us.

But the truth is, I am not God. And someday, my little guy is going to need to understand that while I might be able to take care of him in some ways in this world, there are a great many more ways in which God is looking after him. And on a greater scale, e’s looking after everyone else in the world, too.

We are already starting to help our little guy get a picture of who God is, even though it’s not complete for him yet. We want him to see our personal walks with God. While he lives with us, he will grow up in a household of those beliefs. And hopefully when he is ready to make his own choice about faith, he will understand why we chose ours.

Are you looking to introduce God into your toddler’s world? It may seem early to start, but the habits you build now will have a great impact on them later in life! Here are 5 ways to help your toddler get to know God:

1. Pray with them. Make a habit of praying before meals and bedtime, but together. This is easy for me to forget! I can do it on my own without realizing, instead of incorporating my little guy. He actually really loves to pray. He’ll hold hands, bow his little head, and shout “AMEN!” at the end.

2. Read your Bible where they can see. This habit really stands out. I hadn’t really thought that he would pick up on it, but the other day, I pulled out my Bible and began to read near him. He came over and immediately said, “Bible!” Sure, he has no idea what it really is or why I do it, but he’s getting the idea that I do read it. Maybe someday he will ask me why.

3. Sing spiritual songs together, or listen to Christian music. We listen to Christian music on the radio (a recent habit for me), and now our son actually “sings along” with some of the words. He’s familiar with the songs and dances along. My goal with this is two-fold – obviously to share the concept of faith with him, but also? I so don’t want him learning some of the stuff I hear on pop radio stations. Even though he does sing, “HEY!” along with Taylor Swift in “Bad Blood,” and it’s pretty stinking cute.

4. Go to church together. I grew up attending children’s ministry while my parents went to Sunday service and midweek; now we do the same thing. It gives him a chance to spend time with other grown-ups we trust who love God, and other kids his age. He sings with them, and mostly just plays for now, but eventually he’ll get some lessons and crafts in, too.

5. Talk about God on the go. This one I need to work on! There are so many things that I don’t even think to stop and credit God for in a day. But he is in every moment! Pointing that out to your toddler helps them to start thinking about those big questions, like “why is the sky blue?” and “where does grass come from?” And it helps them build a bigger perspective.

What are ways that you help your little ones get to know God?