“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
God gives clear commands to parents to diligently teach God’s word to their children.
How can we teach God’s word to children?
Some suggestions:
1. Encourage daily reading of God’s word. 2. Pray together as a family. Teach the children how to pray – adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. 3. Praise and worship God through songs. 4. Scripture memory through actions, pictures, drawings, crafts, etc. 5. Share blessings and testimonies. Share your encounters with God and encourage the children to share theirs. Be excited about truths learnt during church service and ask the children what they have learnt in Sunday school. 6. Role model in daily life. Give compliments when due and always use positive affirmation even during correction of undesirable behaviours and actions. Point the child to God’s word during correction.
Spending time in teaching God’s word is the best gift that parents can give to their children as it provides a solid foundation for their walk with God in adulthood.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Doreen Tan
