Recently, my 3-year-old son told me he has an imaginary dog named God. And, according to him, God (the dog) is stronger than God (the God).
No amount of Bluey episodes could have prepared me for that comment. Immediately, I had to make one of those classic, split-second parenting choices.
Do I jump right in, armed with my undergraduate minor in biblical studies, and deliver a Bible lecture about God’s omnipotence, with illustrations from Leviticus about what happens when people replace God with a human-made imitation? Or do I let it go and say something like “Wow, that’s a strong dog!” and save the theology lesson for another time?
To be clear, I did not traumatize my 3-year-old with the gory details of the golden calf story. But it did get me thinking about how to explain Jesus, God, and faith to my kids in a new way.
Why It’s Hard to Explain Jesus to Kids
Every week, my kids enjoy going to church and learning from the dedicated volunteer leaders in the kids’ ministry. But if you’ve spent any amount of time around kids, you know that it can take time for them to understand even simple concepts, like “why your friends don’t like it when you bite them” and “why you can’t watch thirty episodes of Sesame Street in one sitting.”
So, how do we explain Jesus to kids in a way they can understand? Here’s the good news. You don’t need a degree in child psychology (or a minor in biblical studies) to talk about faith with your kids.
3 Simple Ways to Share Jesus With Your Kids
Here are a few things I’ve learned that have helped me have better conversations about God with my kids.
1. Look for Small Wins
My son is convinced that Mary, the mother of Jesus, lives at the North Pole with Santa.
Do we tell the Christmas story countless times every year? Yes. And do we explain that the Santa story is different from the story of Jesus? Absolutely. But a toddler’s imagination can’t be controlled by trivial things like simple logic, clear explanations, and countless repetition.
Often, that’s great! I love my kid’s God-given imagination, and it’d be wrong for me to crush it in order to turn him into a kid theologian. But sometimes I have to resist the temptation to play whack-a-mole with the faith-related thoughts he shares that don’t line up with Scripture.
Why resist? Because otherwise, I’d be conditioning him to fear sharing his thoughts about faith. If I meet his every comment about God, faith, or the Bible with “Well, actually, in Ezekiel it says …”—he’ll start expecting correction every time he shares a thought about faith. And eventually, he’ll stop wanting to share at all, which will shut off countless opportunities for spiritual conversations.
So instead of stressing out about his belief that Mary lives at the North Pole, I’m focusing on small wins. Specifically, I love to see him learn and embrace simple statements about God and his identity. Statements like:
- God is my friend.
- God loves me.
- God is always with me.
- God made me.
- God is powerful. (Even more powerful than my imaginary dog.)
I’m okay with my son thinking that Mary lives at the North Pole (for now). Why? Because it doesn’t really matter to His life and faith today. What matters today is that he’s learning, bit by bit, about God’s love.
Give your kids space to share their ideas about God, however wild they might be.
So, avoid playing whack-a-mole with every heresy your child might unleash. Give your kids space to share their ideas about God, however wild they might be, and guide them toward simple truths that are a pathway to a deeper understanding of God.
2. Use Stories They Know
My son likes Bible stories, but he loves Paw Patrol. I love it, too, especially when I need 20 minutes of relative peace on a rainy Saturday.
At first, I only saw the show as entertainment, but recently, I’ve seen how the stories in his favorite show can lead to conversations about Jesus.
For those who aren’t familiar with the show, it’s about a boy named Ryder who has a team of puppies who help out their town. Their main antagonist is the petty, self-absorbed mayor of a neighboring town. Often, the mayor causes mischief that puts the town and himself in danger. Ryder calls the pups, and they help the town and save the mayor.
Now that you’re up to speed, let’s take a look at a conversation my son and I had last week. He said that if he met a bad guy, he’d spit on him to make him sick (we’d been talking about germs earlier that day).
My first thought was to talk about Jesus and how He treated His enemies. But after thinking about it, I changed my approach. I said, “You know how Mayor Humdinger does a lot of mean things and doesn’t really like Ryder? Well, one thing I like about Ryder is that he always helps Mayor Humdinger, even when the mayor’s being mean. So I think we should try to be like Ryder and help people, even if we think they’re bad guys.”
And, miraculously, my son thought about it and agreed. I took that small win and built on it later when we read our nighttime Bible story. I told him about some of the ways Ryder reminds me of Jesus.
To be clear, we do read Bible stories, and I want my kids to love Scripture. But they don’t always connect with every story from the Bible just yet. That’s why I recommend getting to know the stories and characters they identify with today and using those stories to help them connect with Jesus.
3. Set the (Imperfect) Example
You’re leading your kids to get to know God, but you’re in the process of learning, too. I know I like to be seen as an expert by my kids. Maybe you can relate. But I also want my kids to see that I’m learning.
For example, I tell my kids about how God forgives, and I make a point of telling them that I forgive them when they say or do something hurtful toward me. But I also ask them for forgiveness. Like when I get frustrated and respond impatiently after I’ve made the exact meal they asked for, and they refuse to eat the food.
Being a parent doesn’t give me permission to be rude, inattentive, or needlessly harsh. So when I mess up, I go to my kids and tell them what I did wrong and that I shouldn’t have spoken the way I did. And then I ask them to forgive me. Why? Because I want them to see that following Jesus is a lifelong journey. Yes, I’m leading them, but not from the sidelines. I’m learning and growing, too. And people are still explaining Jesus to me in new ways every day.
As you explain who Jesus is, let your kids know you’re still figuring it out, too.
As you explain who Jesus is, how He loved, and what it means to follow Him, let your kids know that you’re still figuring it out too. Let them know how they’re teaching you more about Jesus through their curiosity, kindness, or courage. And don’t be afraid to let them know that you don’t have all the answers and that you can search for answers together.
When you set the imperfect example, you show your kids that following Jesus isn’t about being perfect—it’s about progress.
Keep Sharing the Story
Parenting is a journey filled with millions of little moments. So don’t feel discouraged when your kids don’t fully grasp a spiritual idea. Instead, keep looking for opportunities to tell God’s story and continue being a great example of what it looks like to live and love like Jesus.