Introducing Jesus: Resources to help grow your child's faith

My daughter recently informed my husband and me that God was "cross" (who says that word anymore?) with Wreck-It-Ralph. She told us that Ralph was wrecking God's creation and God was going to send an angel to help him STOP!

My husband and I got a good laugh out of her story.  We hooted even more a few days later when we were in a store with Kylie and a woman's voice came over the loud speaker. Our daughter jerked her head up, sucked in her breath and exclaimed "That's God's SISTER!!"

While Kylie's theology is obviously flawed, and we have LOTS of work to do to make sure she understands truth, we were thrilled that she is beginning to connect the spiritual dots, however squiggly the lines are right now.

As parents, we have an awesome and wonderful opportunity to introduce our children to Jesus. However, when you are a parent of a child who experiences special needs or who learns differently, this task can seem overwhelmingly difficult.

A good place to start would be to figure out what your child's learning style is. Is your child an auditory learner? A visual learner? A hands-on learner? Do they enjoy self-teaching? Do they learn better in a group or one-on-one? Does music help your child learn?

Once you know that piece, it is much easier to choose resources to help your child become acquainted with spiritual truths.

Here are a few resources that have really been helpful in our home:

*Bible Memory
-Scripture Lullabies:CD I discovered these recently and am so THRILLED by them.  They are an incredible way to learn scripture simply by listening to them as your child goes to sleep. The music is so beautiful and the lyrics come directly from God's Word.  (Volume 1 and Volume 2).  (on a side note: many parents have reported that after listening to these cds, their kids sleep better, night terrors cease to exist and they rest beautifully... because folks.. scripture does that.  The Word of God is alive and powerful!!)

-Hide 'em In Your Heart DVD/CD: This is an amazing DVD/CD set.  The fashions are a little dated, but the kids playing and colorful scenes are engaging for kids and adults alike. The tempo is upbeat and fun.  We really enjoy these for daytime viewing. (Volume 1 and Volume 2)

*Bible Stories (Reading)
-Read and Share Bible: This is my daughter's absolute favorite book. (We also LOVE the DVDs)  She takes it with her EVERYWHERE. She has read these stories to Buddhists, Hindus, Free Thinkers, and Muslims. (who said a 7 year old can't be a missionary?) The illustrations are colorful and exciting.  My only teeny tiny "negative" feedback is that my daughter often gets confused by the babies in the book.  The babies in different stories are illustrated the same so, because my daughter is a literal thinker, it took us a long time to convince her that the babies had not jumped into other stories of the book but that they each had their own name (and own parents). (For example: Kylie kept telling us that the baby Samuel was Ruth and Boaz's son... nope... the babies just look the same in the book.  Samuel's mommy is Hannah and Ruth and Boaz's son is Obed).  However, this is a miniscule complaint vs how much we LOVE this book and DVD set! Seriously, It is GREAT!

-The Jesus Story Book Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name: This is my absolute favorite book to read to my daughter.  The illustrations are not that engaging for children (in my opinion), so I choose to read this to Kylie at bedtime after she is already tucked into bed. The writing is amazing and I LOVE that every story circles back to Jesus and the Big Picture.  You aren't left wondering how it all fits together in the end.

*Bible Study/Devotions
-Word of Life Gopher Buddies Quiet Time: This is a quick daily devotional for you to do with your child.  Each lesson is short and sweet and gives them a hands on activity that requires zero prep. Kylie LOVES it.  (Also, the lessons are easily adaptable based on your child's abilities)

 -Keys for Kids: (online version or book version). This is also a favorite of ours. These are not as colorful, but the stories are captivating and so applicable to every day life. Plus, you can get the first book free or read online for free.(This website also shows the ABC's of salvation)

*Biblical Training/Discipline/Parental Guidance
-For Instruction in Righteousness: My absolute favorite resource.  Behaviors are listed topically (example: Anger, Pride, Friendship, etc) and each section is divided into: What the Bible says about this, What are the consequences if you Don't do as the Bible says, What are the blessings if you DO what the Bible says, Examples of Bible Characters who did and did not obey and what happened to them, practical ideas of object lessons and other helps for parents.  Much scripture is listed and reinforces that our children are to obey God's word (through parental instruction).

 This really helps our family reinforce that Kylie is not just disobeying/obeying us as her parents, but more importantly she is disobeying/obeying God.  It also gives us ideas of the GOOD things she is doing so we can reward and encourage her appropriately as we see these positive behaviors. I love that discipline is not just negative... but what it is SUPPOSED to be: Teaching and Training.

-The Child Training Bible: This website gives you a full tutorial, shopping list and tips on how to use the Child Training Bible.  While it is time consuming to put together, it is a great resource. You simply follow the tabs for scriptural helps to teach your child about that issue or concern in the Bible.  They also offer a Virtue Bible.

-The Five Love Languages of Children: This is an Amazing book for parents.  I can't say enough about it.  Knowing how to discern Love Languages is so important to every aspect of your life: Parenting, Work Relationships, Church Relationships and so much more.  It helps with every communication style. One of my favorite parenting books.

*Faith Based Toys
-There are so many to choose from... See this link for a big list.

Fisher Price Noah's Ark Play set

12 Disciples 

The spiritual training of children is an awesome responsibility and privilege. When you think that God placed your child specifically in your arms for such a time as this... well, it is overwhelming to think any of us could ever do a good enough job. But the amazing thing is... God knew we could never do it alone.

 In Matthew 19:26, Jesus said "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Luke 1:37 reminds us that "NOTHING is Impossible with God."

(Enjoy this sample song from Scripture lullabies: "Everything is Possible")

God has promised to be with us EVERY step of the way.  He will give us just what we need in the moment to do HIS perfect will.

You CAN do it and you can do it WELL.

While I know the resources available are many, I hope some of these particular resources will be helpful to you!  I'd also love to hear what other resources you have found valuable. I hope you will share by commenting below.