Laundry. Dirty floors. Full sink of dishes. The living room floor a Lego minefield. Playdates. Diapers. Temper tantrums. Sickness. Cooking. Errands.
Our lives as moms get so, so busy. Some days fly by and we realize that the first time we’ve talked about God is during bedtime prayers. Believe you me, I say this with zero judgment.
Here’s what God says about teaching our kids about Him
Deuteronomy 11:19-20 says: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates…”
In other words: talk about God wherever you are, whenever you can. Make it a natural, integrated part of your days with your kids.
Do these things no matter how young they are. Don’t wait for them to “understand.” Believe in the power of the word of God and that seeds are being planted in their little hearts.
Here are three practical ways to teach your toddler about Jesus throughout the day:
Incorporate prayers throughout your day
We pray before meals, naptime, and bedtime. We’ve done it so consistently that if I forget, my 3-year-old will dramatically raise his hands and proclaim with a mouthful of eggs, “Oh! We forgot to PRAY!”
We also pray together when the dust settles after tough moments. This is something I started doing consistently with Oliver when he turned 3, but I wish I had started it earlier. The goal of this prayer is to remind our kids of God’s grace, to ask him for forgiveness, and to thank him for his love for us even when we make mistakes.
If you’re a working mom, you could also pray with your kids in the car before daycare dropoff and after you pick them up. I used to do this with my kids when I worked full-time, and it was a sweet way to send them off and to reconnect with them after a long day.
Keep children’s Bibles or Christian board books easily within your reach
Yep, within easy reach of YOUR hands. We have lots of Christian board books which our kids pick up and want us read to them, but it’s good to be more intentional about reading the Word to them. We keep the kids’ Bibles on our kitchen table. Towards the end of breakfast, I scoot the kids’ chairs together and read them a Bible story. Some days we only have time for one, other days are slower and they’re all about it, so we keep on reading. Talk about what you read throughout the rest of your day. You’ll be surprised at how older toddlers can make connections to it, or when they’ll bring it up in conversation. If they aren’t quite old enough to make those connections, keep on talking about it, no matter how little they are. You are planting those seeds, sister.
Find fun Christian kids’ music they can sing and dance to
We often listen to kids’ worship music in the van. My kids get very little screen time (I max it at 20-30 minutes a day) and absolutely zero iPad or phone time (because I am a super mean mom) which means they are a captive audience in my minivan (she says maniacally while drumming her fingers together). I really do think the modern translation of that verse would say “talk about God while you putter along in the minivan to the local mall.” If they’re on a screen, you can’t sing worship songs with them while you drive.
Another way I try to include worship music in their day is putting on a few songs from Christian kids’ YouTube channels – yes, the ones with the dorky actions! Hey, kids love it. Embrace your early 2000s youth group roots and dance it up with them. Any time you can get them moving, singing, and doing actions to the truth of God, it’s a big win. It’s a fun way to break up our day, too.
Keep it simple!
These are the three routines I try to hit every day in our home. Sometimes I’m super-mommin’ it up and doing extended Bible activities or crafts with Oliver during Emily’s nap, but 9/10 days, it’s just those three.
Building a foundation of faith for our littles doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t require much money. Pray with them, read them the Word, and sing songs about God to them. They are never “too young!”
