Teaching Kids about Jesus: 11 Tried and True Ways to Help Kids Learn the Gospel

Ever felt like you want your kids to know about Jesus, but aren’t sure where to start? Teaching kids about Jesus doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some tried and true ways to help kids learn the gospel.

Teaching Kids about Jesus

Before I ever had kids, I knew one thing for sure—I wanted to teach them about Jesus. My husband and I talked about this often, even before we were married. The gospel has been a guiding force in my life, and we both knew we wanted that same foundation for our future children. I’ve leaned on Jesus through countless seasons and for so many reasons, and I want my kids to know that same peace and comfort when life gets hard and the world feels overwhelming.

We believe that building a foundation in Christ while our kids are young is essential to helping them grow in faith and develop their own testimony. It’s something my husband and I have made a priority in our home, and we’ve slowly seen the fruits of that effort. I love when my daughter reminds us to pray before dinner or when I hear my son singing a church song as he plays. These little moments remind us that our efforts matter. They’re creating spiritual habits our kids can rely on as they grow.

Look in my store for some fun Christ Activity Pages.

Here are the tired and true ways of teaching kids about Jesus.

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11 Easy Tried and True Ways to Help Kids Learn the Gospel

Read the Scriptures

This might be an obvious one, but it works. We rarely go a day without reading something from the scriptures, even if it’s just a verse. We have it as part of our nightly routine so we don’t miss it. In fact, if we do, my children remind us. It’s simple, but there is power in reading the scriptures! And there are so many different ways to do it:

• Choose a verse or chapter each day to read from your scriptures. I think it’s nice to have a hardcopy so the kids can see the book. You could use this fun primary reading tracker.
• However, you may not always have access to the actual book, there are a TON of scripture apps you can use.
• You can buy a child’s scripture book. There are so many out there. Here are a few of our favorites that we have come across through the years: Book of Mormon for Young Readers, 365 Bible Stories, another 365 Bible Stories, 5 Minute Bible Stories, or Baby’s First Bible Set.
• If you have an Alexa or Google, you can enable any scripture skill to have her read you a daily scripture or pick a scripture for her to read. If we’ve had a late night, we usually will ask Alexa to read us a scripture.
• You could even sign up for an email list where they send you a short thought and scripture everyday that you can share.

Prayer

Pray together often. And when I say often, I mean all the time. Pray over meals, in the morning, before you go to bed, whenever you’re having a hard time, or before any big event. Constantly having Jesus and His spirit with you comes through constant prayer. Teaching kids to pray and creating that habit now, will help them for the future.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to praying, here is some great guidance on how to pray. But if you already know, you just struggle to pray, or know what to pray with kids, here is a 30 day prayer challenge for kids. It helps you know what to help kids pray for, and kids learn all the different things they can pray for.

As kids get more used to praying, they come up with their own little things to pray about and it’s so precious listening to their little prayers. We have a rotation in our family for whose turn it is to pray every night before bed.

Praying Resources and Crafts for Kids:

• Prayer Cube
  A fun, rollable cube with a different prayer prompt on each side, encouraging variety in daily prayer. Kids can roll it before praying to help guide what they talk to God about.

• Prayer Hand
  This craft uses each finger to represent a different person or topic to pray for (like family, friends, and leaders). It’s a hands-on way for children to learn how to structure their prayers.

• Prayer Rainbow
  Each color of the rainbow stands for a different type of prayer, such as praise, thanksgiving, or asking for help. Kids use the colors to guide their conversations with God in a colorful, memorable way.

• Prayer Tracker
  A simple chart or checklist where kids can mark off each day they pray, building consistency and accountability. It may also include space to write what they prayed for or how God answered.

• Prayer Jar
  A jar filled with slips of paper listing prayer requests, topics, or people to pray for. Children draw one out each day to focus their prayer and remember the needs around them.

• Prayer Spinner
  A spinner wheel with different prayer prompts or categories to land on, making prayer time fun and spontaneous. It encourages variety and keeps kids engaged with new ideas each day.

• Prayer Flip Book
  A small book with flipable tabs that guide kids through different parts of a prayer, such as adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and requests. It’s a step-by-step visual tool that helps children build confidence in praying.

• Prayer Journal
  A personal space where kids can write their prayers, thoughts, and how God answers them. It helps them reflect, grow spiritually, and see their faith journey over time.

Songs

I think scripture, prayer, and songs are the top 3 simple things you can start initiating in your life that would help your children learn about Jesus the most. They are simple activities, but super powerful. I think music speaks to just about everyone, and children are no different. I think they can sense the good there is in an inspiring song. There are so many ways to share uplifting songs:

1. One of my favorite apps is the Sacred Music App. They have music for all ages and it’s ALL uplifting.
2. Youtube is actually a good source for good music. We really like the channel Strive to Be.
3. Pandora or any music app. We like Pandora. Some of our favorite stations are: BYU Noteworthy, Anthem Lights, or Vocal Point.
4. I love K-Love. They play awesome Christian songs.

I love hearing one of my kids singing a good song around the house.

Church

Go to church. If you are reading this during the pandemic, you might not be able to go to church, but there are a ton of virtual churches. I know that it can be hard to wake up early on a Sunday morning, get your whole family dressed and ready to sit through an hour of church that is constantly interrupted by children. But, let me tell ya, the benefits are worth it. If you make going to church a habit, it will just become what your family does together.

Also, children can be trained to sit through church. I’m not saying they will be perfect angels, but you can set expectations for them and they can adapt. They will have hard days, but it will all be worth it as they learn and grow. I also suggest being prepared with a church bag to take to church so the kids can do a quiet activity while they listen. Here is a great resource for putting together a good church bag.

Home Sunday School

If church is not an option for you, you can do an at home Sunday school with your kids. And it doesn’t have to be on Sunday. Do a family night where you have a lesson about Jesus. Include activities, crafts, and object lessons so they can learn easier. I’m hoping to include more ideas for object lessons and church crafts on my blog so it’s an easy resource for you. You can teach all kinds of lessons like how to be Christlike, the ten commandments, or the power of prayer.

Talk of Christ

Make Christ part of your every day life by always speaking of him in everything that you do. Point out little things everyday that you know are from God. Tell your kids about your experiences that you have with Jesus. It’s hard for your kids to know about how Christ really influences our lives unless we are open about it.

Hang Pictures of Christ

Surrounding your home with pictures of Jesus Christ is a simple yet powerful way to keep hearts and minds focused on Him. These images can serve as daily reminders of His love, teachings, and presence in our lives—helping children feel more connected to Him throughout the day. Whether it’s a print on the fridge, a framed picture in a bedroom, or artwork in the family room, each image can spark meaningful conversations and encourage Christ-centered thoughts and actions in your home.

A few of our favorites are the one with the sheep, Christ reaching out of the water, and teaching the children.

Another meaningful way to choose images is to let your kids pick their favorite picture of Christ—one that feels special or speaks to their heart. Encourage them to hang it in their room as a personal reminder of His love and presence. (This makes a great Easter activity).

Example

This goes hand and hand with talking about Christ. Be the example for what you want your kids to be. If you want them to serve more, be more kind, or pray more have your kids see you doing those things. My kids have walked on me a few times when I am praying. I hope it leaves an impression on them!

Make it a priority

I think our kids learn what our priorities are real quick. They know what we spend our time on and what we pick above everything else. They are very observant. Choose to make Jesus a priority in your life, and it will start to become important to them. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at a young age. It can be something they fall back on.

Crafts and Activities to Teach Kids About Jesus

I think one of the biggest ways to teach is through crafts and activities. Kids love to do hands on things, and it creates a greater impression in their mind. Here are some ideas for crafts and activities for teaching your kids about Jesus:

Coloring Books

There are all kinds of coloring books. I like to buy coloring books for different seasons and to take to church with them. There are Easter, Christmas, and Bible story coloring books that are great to learn the gospel. I also created an inspirational Christ coloring book. It’s about believing and loving God and knowing who you are as a child of God.

Printables

There are a ton of resources out there for different printables that can help you teach the about Jesus.

• You can turn water into wine with this fun Jesus Craft
• The Loaves and The Fishes story craft (download for FREE)
• Jesus Walking on Water
• Palm Sunday Craft
• Take a Holy Week Quiz

And so many more!

Games

There are several different games you can play to help kids learn and recognize Christ. Here are a few examples:

Check out all the Bible games in my shop! Including activity sheets and escape rooms!

• Bible Trivia Cards
• Bible Taboo
• Bible Bingo
• Noah’s Ark: Don’t Rock the Boat Game
• Bible Story Memory Games

Teaching Kids About Jesus

Teaching kids about Christ really is a simple thing. If you just include Christ in small ways in your life and make Him a priority, it will rub off on your children.

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