Parenting

By Rennu Dhillon

Teaching Children About Their Religion and God

Religion is a very sensitive subject that cannot be broached by your children's teachers. The foremost instructors on who God is should be the parents and the parents alone, even though the topic might be difficult to approach.

The best approach is a simple one; to teach young children about God or religion, teach them about spirituality. Additionally, emphasize good habits for them, like telling the truth, being kind to their friends, and respecting their elders. These are all universal values and skills advocated by all religions, thus a good first step to addressing religion. Just talking about God is meaningless to children 4 and under because young children have difficulty with abstract concepts.

Remember that there is no need to pressure your children since they will follow your lead as they grow older. Children will be inspired by your behavior and action, rather than your words. With structure and feedback, youngsters will develop values. As religions are based on values, faith in God will evolve naturally. As you are your children's best role models, be consistent. Young children are like sponges and will absorb everything you teach them.

Here are some simple methods to incorporate in your daily lives when introducing religion and God to your children:

1. Use stories to talk about religion. One of the best ways of teaching children is through stories. Most religions have interesting stories about the holy people and their God. Many videos and illustrated books are now available that have simplified stories about religions and what has happened in the past. Introduce God as a character and talk about God's traits – honesty, helping others, being kind.

2. Be consistent with what you say and do because children learn by repetition.

3. Vary the activities and stories you tell, to keep your children interested. If possible, incorporate arts and crafts activities, thus making God fun. As children have short attention spans, keep your activities and stories short and to the point.

4. Incorporate discussions about sharing, being kind, honesty, helping friends and loving your family into your daily conversations. Introduce God as the invisible character that is watching all of us to see what we are doing.

There is one important tactic to remember: DO NOT USE GOD AS AN INSTRUMENT OF FEAR. If you tell your children that God will punish them for disobeying their teacher or not cleaning their rooms, they will be confused about how God can be kind and vengeful all at once. Rather than harshly claiming that God will punish your children, explain to them why they should be doing the "right" thing.

Teaching your children basic religious principles from infancy is the best course of action. However, all people eventually reach an age when they are accountable for their own beliefs. Your children will go out into the world, weigh what you've taught them against what they perceive, and they will make their own religious decisions. Teaching religion to your children makes it more likely that they will choose your religion simply because they will understand those religious principles. However, if they decide to join another religion, it is their right to do so—no amount of teaching can prevent people from making their minds up on their own.