03 Nov How To Introduce Your Child To Christ.
Every Day Ways to Introduce Your Child to Christ
When it comes to raising catholic children, there’s many ways to introduce Christ into their lives with ease. If you’re wondering how to explain Jesus Christ, or when to teach your child about God bible verses, look no further.
Even if your child attends Catholic school, or regularly attends church, parents play an important role in laying the foundations for a life rich in the Lord.
Here’s ten every day ways you can bring bible learnings into their lives from a young age.
1. Read bible stories together
Reading to children is encouraged from birth onwards, as it can help with cognitive development and listening skills. Whether it’s a bedtime story, or lunchtime read, children’s bible stories are a great choice when looking at how to explain Christianity to a child.
Opt for kids bible stories, as these are illustrated and written in way that children find easy to understand and enjoy. Expect plenty of questions – it’s great for sparking curiosity and understanding.
2. Watch Bible animation films
As children reach school age, they’re attention span and capacity for understanding grows. This is a good time to introduce them to bible animation films.
This, however, needs to be carefully monitored by parents especially on platforms like YouTube. Some of the top animations include ‘Joseph; King of Dreams’ and ‘The Star’ – all popular films for gospel explained to five year olds.
3. Teach simple prayers
Three simple prayers you can introduce to your child are; ‘Our Father’, ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘Glory Be’. If your child attends a Catholic school, they’ll likely learn these from the get-go, however you can give them a head-start, by teaching them these key prayers at bedtime or during Sunday mass. Your child may appreciate their own prayer book, which you can often pick up at your local parish.
4. Their first rosary
You don’t have to wait until First Holy Communion, a rosary makes a touching gift for a child of any age. However, typically around school age is when they might first use it. Take the opportunity to present your child with their first rosary, and teach them about the benefits of shared prayer together, as you complete a decade together.
5. Prayer of gratitude before mealtimes
If you’re wondering how to explain Christianity to a child in a natural way, then mealtimes provide the perfect setting. A simple prayer before dining reinforces the importance of gratitude, as we ask for God’s blessing and remain at his mercy.
6. Celebrate Saints
Young curious minds love learning, so talking about the great Saints from history is a fun way to introduce children to Christ. There’s plenty of ways to do this, from bible stories, to celebrating Saint Days. Also, take a look around the next time you go to church with the apostles and saints featured in pictures and paintings – these create interesting talking points with your child.
7. Play and pray
It’s often said that play is the gateway to learning. One of the best ways for teaching pre-schoolers about Jesus, is by allowing them to explore the religion through play. For instance, invite your child to design and build a shrine that becomes a payer corner.
Or perhaps in the run up to Christmas, get them to build a manger out of Lego, cardboard or any other creative means. This will inspire and feed their imagination, whilst learning more about the story of Christ.
8. Prayers of petition
For slightly older children, prayers of petition are a wonderful tool for creating a conversation in talking to Jesus. Perhaps there’s an important life-event coming up, a new baby in the family, or a world event that would benefit from prayers. By inviting your child to create a prayer of petition, you’re actively encouraging them to talk to Jesus like a friend, laying the foundation for future prayers.
9. Show forgiveness
A cornerstone in the teachings of Christ is forgiveness. Modelling behaviour is important for children, so when the opportunity presents itself, show forgiveness to your child and those around you – explaining that Jesus forgives because of his great love for us.
10. Family worship
And finally, perhaps one of the most simple and effective ways in how to explain Christianity to a child, is through family worship. Children copy those around them, so lead by example and worship as a family every Sunday at mass, and on Holy Days. This will help to set a healthy precedent for your child as they grow in Jesus’ love.
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