5 Ways To Talk About God With A Toddler

It has been one of the greatest privileges I have been given – the opportunity to teach my child about God. I am in awe, everyday, of how often I see God in Mazy. How often I see God working in the littlest of details!

Toddlers pick up on things so quickly. They hear EVERY word, don’t they?

I have wondered how to “best” talk about God with Mazy. I know she is only 2, but part of me says she is TWO! I see how much she is learning right now, so why not? When I keep the bigger picture in perspective, I realize that her knowing who Christ is, is THE most important thing I could teach her. If everything I else I do fails, but I feel I have done all I could as a parent to introduce her to Christ, I feel I did my best as a parent. I know it’s God who ultimately will work on her heart, as I can not change her heart – that’s the job of the Holy Spirit. But I want to make sure I did not shirk my duties either.

I wanted to share some ways that we have tried to introduce God into Mazy’s life. By all means, we are NOT perfect in this. She is our first and only, so this is all about trial and error. So do not take what I say as gospel truth. I know there are parents out there who have WAY better ideas than I do, so please comment below with what you do in your family!

The reason I am sharing this is because I know when Mazy was younger, I wondered what are some tangible things I could do on a daily basis to talk about God with Mazy. Here are a few:

1. Bible Storybooks –

• Reading is one of the most important things we could do with our children! Books offer up a whole new world, a whole new worldview, and allows that one-on-one time our children crave. We were given some GREAT Bible story books when Mazy was born. The two that she has really grasped onto was the Little Lamb’s Bible and the Beginner’s Bible.
• The Little Lamb’s Bible we started to read to her when she was a baby because it has a soft and I mean SOFT cover, that Mazy loved. That meant it gave me a minute or two to read it to her.
• The Beginner’s Bible, we received from my parents for Christmas for Mazy, and even though she doesn’t obviously get all of the concepts, she at least is seeing that Samuel was sleeping and then woke up (when God called Samuel and he said “here I am”). She is learning what a king is because of the crown (though she calls the king a princess – we are working on the gender difference).

2. Youtube and Movies –

• I understand why some do not choose to allow their toddler to be exposed to screen time. I get it, I do. We have just chosen to allow screen time in moderation. No judgement here though, if you do or don’t. With that said, I have found a lot of value in having Mazy see things from a different perspective. Mazy was given a PraiseBaby DVD and she LOVES those DVDs! In fact, she is now singing those songs on her own because they are in her head, thanks to that DVD. Songs I wouldn’t even think of teaching her! To hear her say “Hallelujah” or “Holy Holy” in her own little way, brings tears to my eyes! My prayer is that those words sink deep into her heart!

3. Praying

• Even though a 2 year old’s concept of God is very different than ours as adults, they can still learn about who God is. What better way to get to know God than to talk to Him? The more we pray, the more we hear Mazy modeling after us. We say a simple prayer with her after our “storytime” and meal – “God, I love you, Amen.” It’s simple, but she is learning the words and is so proud. And I know God is smiling too.

4. Daily Conversations

• Think about how you get to know someone. It’s through spending time with them, talking with them, about them, and trying to deepen that relationship. I feel that is the way we can go into teaching our children about God – making sure we make God a daily part of our conversations. When Mazy says “sun”, I reply with “do you know how made the sun? God did!” Of course she looks at me completely puzzled, but it is getting the wheels turning. Eventually those wheels will hit the road and she will run with that concept. When you think of something to tell God, tell it to Him outloud, so that your child hears you. Soon, they will do the same.

5. Sing

• There is something about hearing a little toddler sing, isn’t there? The words are hard to make out, but you know they come from a heart of gold. We named our daughter a “different’ name so to speak, but she is a reflection of God’s grace in our lives (Mazy Grace). Those countless nights when I would rock or try to calm her, I would sing Amazing Grace, every time. Now, when she wants to “Rockie, Sing,” I start to sing Amazing Grace and now she joins in with me. She is about asleep, as she repeats the words. It is beautiful. I hope she too, believes in that same grace that God gives. It is never too late to start to sing with your children! They will pick up on it!

And it is never too late to start to talk with your children about God. I know there are numerous other ways that I could implement God into our daily lives here at home. So, again, if you have any suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them! Also, what are some ways you see your child connecting with God?