Children & Spirituality

Human beings are by nature spiritual;  at a time when more and more people are disillusioned by 'organised religion', the vast majority of people still believe in a god or gods, they pray, and they sense that the world is beyond what can be measured and explained by science.  When you bring a child into the world, you want to nourish their physical, intellectual, emotional and psychological growth;  but how do you encourage them to grow as spiritual beings?  Here are some useful resources.  

Read Bible stories together

When you read a book with a child you share more than the story - you share your reactions and thoughts about it too.  There are lots of beautiful, clever, fun story-book Bibles available for kids, for all ages from toddlers through to youth.  For littlies, rhyming Bibles are great for engaging them.  Cartoon and Manga versions might appeal to the action-oriented child.  The Jesus Storybook Bible works well for Grade 1-3, and connects each short story with the big story of the Bible - the story of Jesus coming into the world to rescue people. You can get it as a physical book or an ebook.

PRAY WITH YOUR CHILDREN

Children learn through watching you, and having a go with your help.  Having prayer as part of the the night-time routine is a great way to review the day, practicing gratitude, and handing the worries and hard things over to our loving Lord.  Here are 10 other ways to pray with children: 

'Fam Bam Bible Jam'

Try having a 'Fam Bam Bible Jam' - (with thanks to Colin Buchanan!) you can have it in the morning, the evening, whenever you can: read a Bible verse, talk it through, sing a Bible song, share stuff and pray about it... have a listen to Colin's song:

ATTEND CHURCH, AS A FAMILY

Actions speak louder than words - if God is important to you, it's worth setting aside a couple of hours to prove it to your children;  attending as a family means you can help the kids navigate the different things that happen, and discuss it all later too.