5 tips for teaching the word of God to your toddlers

By Pearl Akazue on January 4, 2023 • ( 9 )

Teaching toddlers anything can be challenging. When it comes to God’s word, we must be intentional about keeping it fun and exciting; otherwise, they lose interest.

Here, I share five tips that I find help a great deal.

Image shows a female teacher wearing a blue button-down shirt and a blue jean trouser passionately teaching a group of five children from a book in a classroom setting.

Keep it short and sweet: Let’s face it, toddlers have a very short attention span. So for each lesson, I identify three key takeaway points I want my toddler to remember, and I emphasize these three points at the beginning, end and all through the lesson (see the image below). I also try to make him repeat the crucial lessons.

Image shows an examples of a bible lesson condensed into 3 takeaway points for toddlers.

Keep it engaging: Even as adults, we lose interest when a talk isn’t engaging; it isn’t much different for toddlers. To keep their attention, use different voice tones, facial expressions, hand gestures and role-playing.

Use visual aids: A picture speaks more than a thousand words. A colourful, relatable and relevant visual can be a very effective tool for instruction. I would typically sketch illustrations for my toddler. While we colour the images, I’d use the opportunity to explain how it relates to the lesson (see the image below). I like doing this because he carries it throughout the day and periodically looks at it. It also helps in active learning as against listening, which is passive. Other options could include using Play-Doh, stuffed animals, plastic toys, stickers, puppets, etc.

Image shows a pink sheet of paper with a lesson title written on it, some bible verses and an unpainted illustration of a man preaching.

Image shows a pink sheet of paper with a lesson title written on it, some bible verses and a painted illustration of a man preaching.

Sing it: Yeah, that’s right. Sing it! Convert the key verse into a song and teach your toddler to sing it. If possible, include basic sign language or actions; it helps the child quickly memorize and recall the verse. I’d also teach my toddler two songs each week that are closely related to the lesson. If he forgets everything else and remembers only the song, that’s also a win 🏆

Ask for God’s help: After I have done all that I know to do in my human wisdom 😅, I realize that the Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher, so I ask Him to teach me to be a good steward of the little ones He has entrusted in my care and to consolidate the lessons I have taught in a way only He can.

At the end of the day, we are just caretakers. We plant, and God brings the increase – but we must do our part first.