(Christian parents only!) What age would be appropriate to teach my son about Jesus & the Bible? And why?

Question

My son is two years old. My wife and I don't attend church as regularly as we should, but we've begun praying each time we put him down to go to sleep, and he has actually started to ask us to "pray Jesus" each time he climbs in bed! It's adorable. I was wondering which age would be appropriate to start teaching him about God, Christ, the Bible, and so forth. What are some good methods - that may have previously worked for you - that helped to help your children learn about the teachings and belief system of Christianity? I want to become a better Christian, and I feel that by doing this, it can help me to become a better father & husband, too.

Thanks in advance.

***Note to all atheists, agnostics, Pagans, etc.: Please don't lend your comments on this issue. There are plenty of other questions where you can bash Christianity freely, but not this one please. This is an honest question, and I'm only looking for honest answers from fellow Christians. Take no offense.***

***Side note to the atheists, and other non-Christians.***

Note to the kind atheists who have responded so far: Thank you for your consolations and kind words. My intended audience was for Christian families, but your answers are still welcome.

...as for the boisterous, monotonous, and unintelligible atheists who just desperately needed to chime in and try to get underneath my skin (as well as the skin of the many Christians here)...

...I forgive you for making idiots of yourselves. Keep telling yourself that the whole concept is a lie, and we'll compare notes on the day that we finally die. Until then, please stop trying to convince me that you know ANYTHING about the afterlife, Heaven & Hell, or the divinity of Christ. Your opinions are as meaningless to me as mine are to you. Do you want to know the difference between the two of us?

You actively seek out people like me and make attempts to belittle me and my religion. This, in my opinion, makes you caustic & bitter human beings. But, I've been taught to forgive you...so I must.

Answer 1

Your little boy is already on his way.

I used to tell my kids to think of God like "The Boss" of the universe. Jesus was like the "Vice President".

We talked about God and Jesus, and all that went on long ago every once in a while. We would see a nice sunset and say "Good Work, God!" We were always on the lookout for things showing God's handiwork and discussed them, and of course, always let God know we appreciated His work.

Two is a fine age to begin to appreciate God's work. And, to begin to distinguish God's work from Man's work.

We also had occasion to discuss deeper things. Death came to our family when the kids were 3 and 5, so we explained that each body has three parts: a soul, a spirit, and a body. The body is the "house", the spirit is what makes you alive, moving, breathing, talking. and the soul is what makes you a human being.

When a person dies, the body is not being used any more and is like an empty soda can. We could just throw it away, but because we respect the gift God gave us, we neatly bury the body so it can return to the Earth. The spirit, that breath of life God put in us, goes back to God. The soul, however, is what makes you the individual you are, and that has to go back to Heaven and talk to Jesus, and talk to God about your life.

Now, I don't want to confuse things with doctrine, but I believe you see how complex things can be put into simple terms for little kids. I go to a simple bible-based congregation that tells the truth in simple terms for all of us.

You might want to see about finding a similar congregation and begin attending yourselves. Not only will your son have an enlightening time, you might well find that you have been missing something in your own lives.

At any rate, I encourage you to be truthful with your son, and if you don't know something, just admit it, but do try to find the truth, or someone with good knowledge to discuss it with. I used to discuss things with my kids, and then let them ask their own questions after introducing them to the "experts'.

This works with things other than Christianity, too, by the way.

By the way, my kids are now 26 and 24.

Answer 2

Your best bet is probably to continue what you are doing now. Also get into the Word more yourself so that as your son grows so also do you.

Find a Bible teaching church in your area that suits you and start attending regularly. This will help you by allowing you to consult with other parents concerning difficulties that you run across.

I don't envy you raising a child in today's world (mine are grown and my grandchildren are almost grown) but my elders said the same thing to me.

If you start now and teach right from wrong and that there are consequences for poor decisions you won't go very far wrong.

Prov 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
NIV

Answer 3

If you don't mind a Pagan who's not anti-Christian, my thought is, you'll have to start sometime soon. He's already getting a sense of things, a little, though it's unclear if he's asking you to pray because it's a familiar bedtime ritual or not.

At 2, I don't think you can go into a lot of details - let's face it, some of Christianity can be a bit complex for even adults - but you can give him some basic info. You'll probably need to wait a few years before you start giving him some of the more in-depth stuff.

As for methods - I'd recommend against bringing up the whole sin and resurrection part. I've heard a number of horror stories from folks who were exposed to that as a kid and were traumatized.

Answer 4

Jesus told His disciple to let the little children approached Him. For the Kingdom of God is for those who come to Jesus like children
Faith is not the attribute of body or ratio, but of the spirit. Therefore parents should start teaching their children even when the baby (fetus) are still in the womb. (By singing of hymns or spiritual music played close to the mother).
Fetuses have already had their spirit, hence they have the right to start enjoying the faith. And they have the right to continue living in the world, such that abortion is a very immoral action, since it is an offense toward a spirit inside the womb.

Answer 5

My daughter is 3 and attended Christan daycare for 2 yrs... she learns a bible theme every week, and she really remembers them, she is also the prayer police and will not let you eat without saying grace!!! She also likes the veggie tales...and singing songs about Jesus that we just make up from scratch... it's a lot of fun...the younger they are, the more they want to learn, so it's never too soon! :o)

Answer 6

Hi Glad to help I would say 2 years ago would have been a good starting point as the bible says to train up a child from infancy as was the case with Timothy who turned out fine not only read to him from the bible but reason with him also and set a good example live what you teach it worked with my daughter and grandkids and i have been teaching the Bible for 35 years so if i can help any let me know best wishes Gorbalizer

Answer 7

My children were 8 and 9 when we came to know Christ, but we now have Grandchildren. We started to read them stories from a book called "My first Bible" right away. They are never to young to read to, and this teaches them right away. The other day our four year old granddaughter (who has some mental issues from water on the brain) was telling her 8 month old brother stories from it.
There a lot of videos that children, even our 8 month old love. You can find them at any Christian book store. Veggie Tales, Roach Approach, The Pond, 3,2,1 penguins just to name a few of our favorites.

In our church we start teaching lessons at the age of two.

Answer 8

Build a foundation of Godliness in the life of your son.. by doing so, he will also build a foundation for others to follow. When you build a house, you make sure that the foundation is solid and is founded on ground that will withstand earthquakes and other potentially dangerous weather... in like manner, parents that are gifted with children are given the opportunity to proclaim Jesus to the world through living a life that is well-pleasing to Him.. and to raise their children with Christ-like characters. In your son's young age, his behavior and character can be molded in the likeness of his father, the creator of this Universe, through your teaching and your example. What a great ministry! God will do the rest.. just do your part.
EJ

Answer 9

Hello. My husband and I started talking to our boys about god and jesus when they were around 3. The methods we used were in reference to the passing on of pets. We teach them that god has a plan and that they move on to heaven and we describe it to them. I think it would be okay to begin with your child. You may want to do it cutely at first....like, when it thunders and has lightning outside. We told our kids that god was bowling and when it thundered he just sent the ball down. When the lightning flashed, he got a strike and knocked down all the pins. Now they are 3 and 5. They are beginning to understand more indepth about heaven and god and jesus. I try to teach my kids that you should treat others as god would want you to act and as you would want to be treated. Now, I am by no means a perfect parent...far from it. I do think it is never to early to start. Good luck and god bless you and your family.

Answer 10

Most churches have Sunday school.Your son might be a little young for that,but many churches (in addition to Sunday school) have a creche for the very small children,where they play games,sing simple songs,and get looked after while mum and dad are listening to the sermon.Hope you find something.

Answer 11

I am telling you the truth i am an atheist but i believe that there is a needed stability in the world, that stability is belief the greatest gift you can give your son is the gift of belief teach him young before doubt stes in so i say around 6