Sharing God - Babies and Toddlers

When should we start teaching our babies about God? I think from the very beginning! Infants love the sounds of their mommy's and daddy's voices. Parents can share God through their prayers and songs. Simple stories, fingerplays, and songs are wonderful for toddlers. Also, pointing out the wonders that God has created in this world can be done with toddlers on a daily basis. My children have grown out of this stage, but I still cherish a few of the resources that helped me during this time in their lives. One of the resources is titled Playtime Devotions and it was developed by Focus on the Family, written by Christine Harder Tangvald.

"Playtime Devotions help parents blend playtime with 'Godtime' by combining familiar childhood games and songs with new rhymes and lyrics that teach about God's love."

Another resource that I continue to find helpful is a book titled The Story of Jesus written by Patricia A. Pringry.

"This little book, in a few simple words, briefly tells the Biblical story of Jesus Christ, how He healed the sick, fed 5,000 with a child's lunch, and invited the little children to come unto Him. Parents can use the simple words and bright pictures of this book to introduce to a very young child the person of Jesus Christ and His love for all children everywhere."

My six year old selected this book this evening for our bedtime stories. She could have picked any number of books such as Clifford, Barbie Princess, etc., but she chose Jesus first!