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Discipling Babies and Toddlers

Writer's picture: Rene ChristensenRene Christensen

Updated: Jan 17




Babies are so precious! They enter the world, and we are excited to see them grow. They are such treasures; God entrusted them to parents for a reason! We can disciple and teach our kids about Jesus as babies and toddlers.


Why should we disciple babies and toddlers?


  1. Jesus tells us kids are important.

    See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10

  2. Discipling kids pays off for parents.

    The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Prov. 23:24

  3. If we are wise, we will train up our children. 

    Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6

    (Note: This is a proverb or wise saying. It is also an instruction. This is not a promise. Each child makes their own decision about whether or not they will follow Jesus. If a parent has a prodigal child, we should support, encourage and pray with them about their child, never shame them. I have seen amazing, godly parents who diligently taught their children about Jesus have a child who has walked away from the faith. This causes so much pain. We as the church need to walk alongside those parents.)


What are some practical ways we can disciple our babies and toddlers?


Teach Them About God:


We will not hide them from their children but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. Psalm 78:4


We want to talk to our kids about God naturally throughout the day because God is an important part of our lives. When we sit down to eat, we can talk to our kids about how good God is to provide our food. When we are reading and telling our kids stories from the Bible, we can focus on how we see God in those stories. As we go to church, we can tell our kids we are there to worship God. As your children build and make creative projects, you can tell them it is God who made them creative.


At Christmas and Easter, it is easy to talk about Jesus. You can check out our Names of Jesus Advent Cards and The Real Story of Christmas in our shop.


Music: 


Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Col. 3:16


Music is a great way to get truths into your child's heart that they will remember. Think about how well you remember songs from when you were a child or teen. We want our kids to remember songs that have a meaning that matters for eternity.


I always sang to my kids as I rocked them each night when they were babies and toddlers. I sang John 3:16-17, Amazing Grace, and Jesus Loves Me nightly. I would sing other songs as well, but those were some I wanted them to learn.


As my children fell asleep during naptime and bedtime, I played a Scripture lullaby album. These songs were some of the first songs they sang when they could speak. While they might not understand the verses yet, those words are in their hearts forever, and their understanding will grow.


I play Scripture and worship music throughout the day. We will do motions to the Scripture songs to help them remember them. Enjoy dancing, singing, and praising God with your little ones!


Prayer:


Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7.


Pray over your child from an early age. I pray for mine specifically from the moment I find out they will be born. They hear me praying over them from an early age and this allows me to model prayer for them.


Another way to show the importance of prayer is to pray at set times such as meals, bedtime, and family circle time (family devotions). Pray throughout the day. As your child gets hurt, scared, or thankful - take the time to pray.


Model prayer for your children. The more they hear you pray, the better. You can let them repeat prayers after you as they are learning to pray.


We have had a prayer bowl on the table. You can help them add prayers to the prayer request bowl, or they can draw pictures when they are older.


Bible:


Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105


How can we incorporate the Bible into our everyday lives for toddlers and babies?


I read the Bible aloud to my older children, so my littles hear it naturally. I don't expect them to stay in the same room. I want them to enjoy reading the Bible, not fight about it. But, my littles love to be with their family, so they usually stay in the same room with us.


We do not treat the Bible the same as other books. There is a special place to put it and keep it safe.


As I start reading Bible stories to my toddlers that are not from the Bible, I am very careful about what I read. I have found that almost all of them are not accurate either with the picture or the words. This matters much to me. I don't want them to learn something incorrectly. Much of what babies and toddlers learn comes from pictures. When Noah's ark looks like a tiny boat with an elephant sticking out of it, that isn't accurate. Since many are not biblically accurate, you can also correct untruths as you read them.


I enjoy reading my kids books with verses - kids can hear and understand more than we give them credit for.


I keep reading the Bible when they wake up - I just start reading aloud while they listen.


Creation:


At this age, kids are so curious about animals and plants God created. We can talk about what God made as we take walks outside.


I enjoy doing a creation week with my kids each year. We go through the week learning what God made. We do crafts and just have fun with it. My kids love doing this! If you are interested in doing something like this you can check out the Creation Activity Book in our shop.


At this age, we teach kids the names of their body parts. As you teach them, you can talk about how God made them and what they can do to serve Him with their hands, feet, etc. Tell them how wonderfully God made them as they can do things


Books:


We can read books that have an eternal value. I look for books that include verses that have accurate words and accurate pictures. Pictures mean so much at this age. Kids understand much of the story from the picture. If the picture is not accurate, the child might not understand the story accurately.


Here are a few that our kids have enjoyed: (If you buy a book from this link, I receive a small commission.)


Here are some books we have used that my kids enjoy. (These are affiliate links. If you purchase from this link, I make a small amount of money.)

From Big Theology for Little Hearts:


The LullaBible for Boys (My son absolutely loved the pictures in this book, and enjoyed listening to the Scriptures.)


What are some fun ways you teach your babies and toddlers about Jesus?




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