On Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers

Doctrine, Family May 15th, 2008

As a parent raising young kids I want to raise them with a correct understanding of God and themselves. It has been a bit of a challenge since most of the children’s material that I have found tends to be based on a self-centered theology. So, my wife and I have worked hard through our family worship and discussions with our kids to teach them a Biblical view of God, and a Biblical view of man. Through the use of Bible reading, catechism and discussion I hope we are succeeding in presenting the story of the Bible in its redemptive context, and not just as moralizations.

My assumption is that other parents struggle in similar ways. Most of us who grew up in the church, grew up on moralized stories of the Old Testament. The assumption is that preschool kids cannot understand the more complicated issues of orthodox Christian doctrine. Yet, we know that simple moral stories will not save our kids. We tend to write off the preschool years, waiting until they are older to present them with more concrete truth.

Knowing this tension within myself and the heart of many parents, when I run across a really good resource for children I feel it should be shared. There is a series of books called “Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers” which I would recommend to all those who have young children coming through their home – both parents and grandparents. These books are simple, short, attractive volumes which teach God-centered theology to young kids. They are targeted to children in the 4 years old to 6 year old category. Yet they will grab the intrest of both older and younger children as well.  When they were found sitting next to my computer by my kids (11, 9, 7) they were quickly commandeered, and were still great sources for conversations.  Here are the four titles:

These books are written by Joey Allen. Joey Allen is a missionary and artist who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Georgia and a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Allen has created a great tool for parents. The illustrations and characters in these books will interest your children, and the truths they will learn from them will help build a foundation for understanding God’s word.

The publisher summarizes the books in the following ways;

The Trinity promotes the doctrine that there is one God who exists in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This teaching is foundational for a child’s understanding of God; a fact about the Trinity is presented on each page, leading the child to a stronger faith.

The Scripture teaches children that the Word of God is true, inspirational, reliable, and dependable in all circumstances at all times.

The Mission presents the Great Commission in a manner that is easily understood by children. The world is full of people who need a Savior, and it’s up to us to share the gospel with them.

The Gospel relates a gospel message of salvation to children, at their level of understanding, planting seeds that will hopefully blossom into a Christian life of dedication to our Savior and Lord.

Hope this is a resource that you will find useful in your family as well.

Comments are closed.