Encouraging Biblical Literacy in Our Nurseries

No, the title is not a mistake. We can encourage biblical literacy among the youngest babies in our care. How so? First of all, babies can begin to learn (absorb) important Bible "skills," such as the skill of hearing and listening to the words of the Bible and its key themes. This can be done by doing the following:

• Speak and pray Bible verses to the babies—they are hearing biblical truth.
• Tell simple Bible stories. Choose a dozen or so key stories, from both the Old and New Testaments, and repeat these stories several times. By age 2, most children will be able to not only pay attention to these stories, but begin to remember and even memorize some of the content.
• Present key Bible themes—through the telling of Bible stories, present a few key Bible themes, and repeat these over and over:

God is big. God is strong. God made everything. God is with us. God knows everything. Jesus is my friend. Jesus loves everyone. We need God. Thank You, Jesus!

• Begin Bible memory with a few simple key verses. Two year olds (and even younger) CAN memorize Scripture. We have heard countless stories from our parents and nursery workers of these young toddlers memorizing Scripture.

Want some practical resources to help your church make the most of these crucial years in a child's life? Check out these resources from CDG:

A Sure Foundation: A Philosophy and Curriculum for Ministry to Infants and Toddlers

Foundation Verses

Nursery and Toddler Ministry (audio seminar by Joyce Heinrich)