Introducing young children to Jesus/God/Christianity

[HappyGirl]

Need advice please


If a child had never heard about/ been talked to about God & Jesus before, how would you introduce her to Christianity and about Jesus? Especially if a child had been hurt a lot.... and needed to know that Jesus is our Savior and loves them very  much. What words/ phrases would you use? What would you start with to even introduce Him? Take a picture of Jesus and say "Let me tell you about this guy?" Read a Bible story? If so, which one? What kind of concepts would you start with?  I could use detailed ideas....having no idea where to start. Thanks.

[shardae]

I think it varies depending on thier age, but I love go to bible stores because they have such a large variety of children's books and interactive activities that can help them learn about God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Each child has their own individual abilities to understand different things at different ages. I know a 4 yr old that is more mature as a Christian than some that are 40 or 50. Yet others that are not capable of understanding at a much older age. We need to be able to make that determination of each child's needs and each child's level of understanding. I personally talk to each child just as I would about any other subject, taking it one step at a time and getting a feeling of how much they can handle.

Reading Bible stories, or showing one on videos, coloring pages or other crafts to accent the stories. At any age reading portions of scripture and short devotions are great. It is not only good to for the child but for us also.

[nChrist]

Hello HappyGirl,

I agree with everything said, but I think that the maturity of the child and the type of abuse or molestation will have a lot to do with gaining the child's confidence to talk with you. Depending on the situation, I would advise a comfortable surrounding with others present, because things can get REAL complicated with the wrong words or actions. I'm a retired police officer, so I keyed in on the "hurt a lot" pretty quickly. Some of these "HURT" children don't like or trust adults very much because adults HURT them. You really would have to do things slowly and take it one step at a time like Pastor Roger stated. If they feel more safe or comfortable in a group of other children, that's where one would begin. A lot does depend on how badly they've been hurt, the type of hurt, and the gender of the person doing the hurting. How long ago was the hurt also makes a difference. You must remember that innocent children don't handle being victimized well, and they aren't supposed to. Depending on all the circumstances, it might not take much to make them think it was about to happen again. There can be a considerable number of complicated issues, especially if the HURT was recent. Most obviously, you would give them plenty of room and be very kind. You'll be able to tell if you're doing something that scares them or makes them uneasy. I remember many children who were hurt horribly in ways I can't talk about here. Pray about this and go slowly. This might require considerable patience.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Galatians 5:16-17 ASV  16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.

[HappyGirl]

As a child I was hurt a lot in many ways by many people, continually, so I definitely understand--thanks for the advice.


WHICH Bible stories would you start with?

What, precisely, would you tell a child? Say, a 7 or 8 year old who was abused, and intelligent, and also had not heard about God before?

[nChrist]

As a child I was hurt a lot in many ways by many people, continually, so I definitely understand--thanks for the advice.


WHICH Bible stories would you start with?

What, precisely, would you tell a child? Say, a 7 or 8 year old who was abused, and intelligent, and also had not heard about God before?

Hello HappyGirl,

I would use the typical things that Sunday School classes in church use. You can find many great examples in Christians Unite KIDS:

http://kids.christiansunite.com/

We have great examples for various age groups you are welcome to use.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 John 5:11-13 NIV  11  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  12  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.