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 that I wanted to teach my kids about Jesus. It was a big discussion topic between my husband and I before we got married and before we had kids. The gospel has been a huge priority and influence in my life and we wanted that for our kids. I have leaned on Jesus in so many different and in for so many different reasons. I want my kids to have a relationship with Jesus so that when they go through hard times and when the world throws everything at them, they can find peace and comfort in Christ.

I believe that creating a foundation of Jesus when your kids are young is essential for them to grow in their Faith and Testimony. This is something my husband and I have made a priority in our family. Because of that, we have slowly watched our kids grow in their faith and understanding of Jesus. We know that the things that we do work. I love when my daughter reminds me that we forgot to pray over our dinner, or when I hear my son singing a church song all over the house. These are things that are constants in their life and that they can learn to rely on one day.

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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.
• 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.

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.

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.

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.

If you want the Coloring Book for free, you can find it here:

Printables

There are a ton of resources out there for different printables that can help you teach the about Jesus. The prayer challenge is one, but I also like:

• DLTK’s Growing Together is a great resource for different printables to learn about Christ and bible stories.
• Teaching Mama has some FREE Jesus printables like puzzles, nativity, mazes, and matching games.
• Bible Story Printables has a whole website dedicated to kids activities and printables about Jesus.
• Activity page about Christ and Noah. 

Games

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

• Bible Trivia Cards
• 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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