How to Teach Your Child About Jesus

As the wife of an assistant pastor and a children’s Sunday School teacher of 14 years, I’ve had a lot of experience teaching children about Jesus.

It’s such a joy to teach a child about Jesus. Their face when they understand His love is worth it all!

You can easily teach your child about Jesus, too! Here are some great ways to show and tell your child about Jesus and His love for us. 

Teaching a Child About Jesus and His Love

A child is very malleable. They are open to learning. You have been given a great responsibility to form and mold your child into the man or woman that God wants them to be. Part of molding them is training them to love God and that means teaching them about Jesus.

Why Should I Teach My Child About Jesus?

There are several reasons that you might choose to teach your child about Jesus.

If Jesus is the basis of your religion, then teaching them about Him is vital. If you don’t do it, who will?

You might be thinking, “But my child learns about Jesus in Sunday School!” Children (and even adults) need to hear concepts from several sources before they take them as the gospel truth and take it to heart. What they hear in church must be confirmed by Mommy. What they hear from Mommy should be confirmed by the Sunday School teacher and then by the Junior Church or Youth Group teacher.

Another reason you should teach your child about Jesus is that Jesus makes a big difference in a child’s life. A child who loves Jesus and wants to please Him tends to want to do right. Learning about Jesus also teaches better character, self-discipline, love, joy, peace, and self-control. A child who loves Jesus is friendlier, more others-focused rather than-self-focused, and more centered. 

When Should I Teach My Child About Jesus?

You should start teaching your child about Jesus from the womb. You might be thinking, “But they won’t understand that young!” This may be true. However, every child is individual, and we don’t know at what age your child will begin to understand your teaching about Jesus and His love. There is also the fact that beginning to teach your child about Jesus as early as possible will get you into the habit early-on.

Don’t worry if you get a late start. It’s better to start later than not at all! Your child will benefit greatly regardless of what age you begin teaching them about Jesus!

Where Should I Teach My Child About Jesus?

You can teach your child about Jesus anywhere, and you should! There are lessons to be told about Jesus everywhere you go. I am always being reminded of some story about Jesus or something that He taught in my daily life.

Here are some examples:

• Seeing your neighbor out and about can remind you that Jesus asked who our neighbor is. The answer was, “He who shows compassion and cares for others.” This can be turned into a lesson about caring and compassion.
• A trip to the bread aisle in the grocery store can become a lesson about Jesus being the Bread of Life and the only way to Heaven.
• Seeing a rainbow during a soft rain or after a storm can become a lesson about the fact that Jesus always keeps His promises.
• You could spend some time in prayer before a long trip, asking God for safety and then thank Him for protection after you return. This could turn into a lesson on how Jesus cares for and protects us.
• When you are eating your meal, you could talk to your child about the providence of God and how Jesus promised that He would always care for His children.
• There are so many other examples that I could give, but time doesn’t permit.

Teach about Jesus in your home. Christian families should have family devotions, which are times when they learn about Jesus as a family. You can find devotion books for young families, families with children, and families with teenagers at most Bible stores. Many times, our family will sing a hymn, read a Psalm and Proverb, listen to my husband explain the more difficult verses, and pray. This is our devotion. There was a time, however, when the children were younger, that we used a book called “Family Devotions for Kids.”

What Should I Teach My Child About Jesus?

What you teach your children about Jesus depends on their age and maturity level.

At three years old, you might stick to the fact that Jesus loves them.

At six years old, they are not ready to learn the finer points of Revelation, but they can understand that we get to Heaven through Jesus’ death on Calvary and through His free gift according to John 3:16.

By the age of nine, they should be able to understand that we are to share our faith in Jesus with others so that they, too, can learn of Him.

Twelve-year-olds can start to delve into Revelation a little, but I’d stay away from the more complicated prophecies. Stick with the Rapture, the Tribulation Period, Armageddon, and the Thousand-Year Reign of Christ.

How Do I Teach My Child About Jesus?

Now onto the part that you’ve been waiting for! How exactly do you get this teaching done? There are three ways that you teach your child about Jesus.

By Your Words

The first way everyone tries to teach their child is through their words. This is vital, though the next two points are equally important.

Make sure that you are verbally teaching your child about Jesus and His love for them. We talked about this throughout the blog, so I’m not going to belabor the point here.

However, it’s vital that they understand the basics about Jesus’ ultimate love, His gift for them, His sacrifice on Calvary so that they can go to Heaven and avoid Hell. If you don’t teach them anything else, teach them this point! Their eternal soul depends on it. They depend on you!

Also, on this point, use your words to tell them you love them. The first example of Jesus and His love that a child sees is in their Mommy. Tell them of your love every day.

By Your Actions

Though teaching a child how to love Jesus through your words is important, this will fail without the other two that we will talk about (your actions and your attitude). When children see you saying, “Do as I say, not as I do,” they will see you as a hypocrite. Not to mention, children are more likely to act as you act rather than to act as you say anyway.

Another action you should show is loving others. Put others first. Do your children see you taking care of sick family members? When someone in the church needs help, do you offer? Do you work in the ministries of the church? The nursery and children’s ministries are great ministries to get involved in as a mother! Let your children see you putting others first. Let them see you showing the love of Christ to others. This is another way that you teach your child about Jesus.

By Your Attitude

You teach your child about Jesus by your attitude. Before you react, think “How would Jesus react to this?” Teaching your child character traits is one way to teach them about Jesus. Jesus wants your child to act a certain way. He wants them to have the fruits of the Spirit–“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22, KJV).

When children see you being hateful or negative much of the time, not only do they learn that behavior, but they also learn that what Mommy teaches about love must not be true. However, when your actions convey the love of Christ, they learn about Jesus through your actions. Let Jesus so shine through you.

How to Lead a Child to Christ

When your child expresses a desire to ask Jesus to save them, if you believe they truly understand the Gospel, it’s time to go through the plan of salvation with them. Make sure they understand each point before moving forward. If they don’t understand point #1 (that they’re a sinner), do not move forward. They have not reached that age of accountability and are not ready to put their trust in Christ.

To lead a child to Christ, lead them through the following steps. I have written this on a child’s level.

1. Everyone is a sinner. Everyone does bad things. Every boy, girl, man, and woman has done bad things in their lifetime. They have lied, cheated, stolen, disobeyed, or done something else that was bad. Jesus said, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23, KJV). Have you done bad things?
2. There’s a price for sin. When you do something bad, you get in trouble. Maybe you have to sit in time out. Maybe you don’t get to play video games for a while. Because we do bad things, because we sin, God said we have to go to a horrible place, called Hell, where there’s a fire that burns you day and night. Worst of all, you can’t see anyone there. You’re separated from everyone you love, and you’re separated from God forever and ever. Jesus said, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a, KJV).
3. Jesus paid that price. The wonderful news is that Jesus died for us so that we don’t have to go to Hell! We can go to Heaven because of what He did for us! He came to Earth as a baby, and He never did anything wrong His whole life. Then some men hung Him on a cross and killed Him, and He died there for us so that we can go to Heaven! Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV).
4. What are you going to do about it? All you have to do is pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you! Jesus said, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9, KJV). There’s nothing else you have to do. Jesus said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourself: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9, KJV).

If you believe your child understands each point, and if he agrees with each point, go back through it one more time by asking the following questions:

1. Do you know you do bad things?
2. Do you understand that you’re on your way to Hell because of those bad things you do?
3. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you so you can go to Heaven?
4. Do you understand that all you have to do is tell Jesus you’re sorry for your sin and ask Jesus to save you so you to go to Heaven?

If they agree on each point, ask your child what they want to do about it. If they want to ask Jesus to save them, lead them through the following prayer (never push a child into salvation. They may end up making a decision to make you happy, which will not be for the right reason. A decision for Christ to make you happy is not a true decision for Christ).

Dear Jesus,

I know I do bad things. Please forgive me for the bad things I do. I don’t want to go to Hell. Thank you for dying on the cross so I don’t have to go there. Please take me to Heaven so I can live with you forever. Thank you for saving me so I can go to Heaven.

In Jesus’ Name I Pray,

Amen

After your child prays this prayer, ask him what he just did. After he tells you that he asked Jesus to save him, explain to him that salvation is forever. Quote John 3:16 again, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Repeat the last two words: “everlasting life.” Ask him if he knows what everlasting means. Explain that it means forever and ever. Ask him if God can lie.

“Of course, He can’t,” he’ll tell you. 

Tell him, “Then God must be telling the truth here. Remember. No matter what you do. God will always keep you. You are always His. Your salvation is everlasting.”

Conclusion

Now, it’s your job to keep teaching him, Mommy. Don’t stop there. Remember that although salvation is everlasting, Jesus expects us to act a certain way as His children. It’s your job to teach your child how to act. It’s your job to teach your child about Jesus.

Once you learn the ins and outs of how to teach your child about Jesus, you can not only do so, but you can teach others how to teach their children about Jesus as well! Share your knowledge!