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Is there a “right time” to introduce your children to the concept of religion? At what age can a child grasp concepts like God, heaven and forgiveness? And how can you make sharing your beliefs with your kids a positive experience that you both enjoy?
These are questions that many parents grapple with. We want to instill our values in our children, without scaring them or turning them off altogether. But what’s the best way to accomplish this?
Here are some suggestions, gathered from parents of several different faiths, of how they successfully shared their personal beliefs about God, religion and their church (or place of worship) with their children.
1. Start early. Begin sharing some basic principles with your children at an early age in an age appropriate way.
2. Make religion fun. Don’t make religious discussions boring. Use arts & crafts, signing, stories and even baking to share your story. One family said that they bake a cake each year together on Christmas Eve. Before bed, they light a candle and sing Happy Birthday to the baby Jesus. This lets them tell the story of Jesus’ birth in a way that the children can relate to, and look forward to more than just Santa’s visit!
3. Use child-friendly examples. Many religious concepts and stories can be overly complicated for children. Bring the concepts down to a very basic level – love, sharing, helping, and forgiveness are all ideas that even very young children can grasp.
4. Set an example. Your children watch you as a role model. Your language and behavior will carry as much weight as the lessons you teach.
5. Make attending church (or your place of worship) a social activity. Study after study has shown that children who are actively involved with their church are far less likely to be involved with negative activities like drugs, sex and gangs. And of course it doesn’t take a study to tell us that a child – even a preschooler – who has fun with his friends at church will enjoy it more.
6. Let children help with rituals. Even very young children can assist with certain parts of rituals, from lighting candles to giving thanks for their blessings.
The bottom line is that religion doesn’t have to be a scary concept, or reserved for older children and adults. Movies like the Veggie Tales series introduce biblical concepts and morals to children in a cartoon format. Just get down on your child’s level, tie in some fun activities, and make religion a fun part of your family life!
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