How to Make Jesus Part of Your Baby or Toddler’s Everyday Life
If you’ve ever tried to pray with a squirmy toddler or read a Bible story while they’re busy turning three pages at once, you might wonder: Are they actually getting anything out of this?
I think the answer is yes—even if it doesn’t look like it yet.
Our daughter is 14 months old, and she certainly doesn’t understand everything I tell her about Jesus. But I’ve come to realize that helping our children know Jesus doesn’t begin when they’re old enough to understand a theology lesson. It begins by making faith a familiar, natural part of everyday life.
The goal right now isn’t perfect comprehension. It’s planting little seeds that, Lord willing, will grow as our children do.
Here are a few simple ways we’re doing that in our own home.
1. Pray With Them—Even Before They Understand
Every night before bed, I nurse my daughter and pray with her.
Right now, she has no idea what the words I’m mumbling over her actually signify. She doesn’t understand that I’m talking to Jesus or why I’m thanking Him for our day, asking Him to protect her, or praying for the people we love.
But someday, she will.
For now, she’s learning something much simpler: this is something we do every day.
My hope is that prayer becomes as familiar to her as brushing her teeth before bed or sitting down at the table for dinner. As she grows, I can explain what those prayers mean and eventually encourage her to pray herself.
You don’t need a special toddler prayer or a perfectly structured routine. Just let your child hear you talk to Jesus.
And if you’re looking for more ideas for making faith part of the end of the day, our Christ-centered bedtime routine for little ones shares some of the simple rhythms we use in our family.
2. Read Bible Stories Together
Toddlers learn through repetition, pictures, stories, and hearing our voices, which makes this such a sweet age to begin introducing Scripture.
We read from a storybook Bible with our daughter, and I don’t worry about whether she understands every detail. Sometimes she listens. Sometimes she wants to flip the pages. Sometimes we make it through very little of the actual story!
That’s okay.
At this age, simply making Bible stories part of your normal reading routine is meaningful. Over time, names like Jesus, David, Moses, Noah, and Mary become familiar. Eventually, the stories will too.
Try keeping a children’s Bible somewhere you naturally reach for books—beside the rocking chair, in the playroom, or with the bedtime books—rather than treating it like something reserved only for Sunday.
3. Choose Books That Reinforce Biblical Truth
Children’s books are another easy way to weave faith into everyday life.
Of course, we read all of our Iam the Lamb® children’s books with our daughter. One of the reasons our family created these books in the first place was to give young children something engaging and age-appropriate that points them back to Jesus and Scripture.
For little ones, tangible things can help make abstract concepts more understandable. A child may not fully understand what it means when Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd,” but they can begin learning about sheep, shepherds, love, protection, and care.
If you want to explore this idea more, I wrote a simple guide on how to teach Psalm 23 to children and help little ones begin understanding what it means to have the Lord as their Shepherd.
As they grow, we can continue connecting those simple ideas to the deeper truth behind them.
4. Talk About Jesus During Ordinary Moments
Helping your children know Jesus doesn’t have to happen during a designated “Bible lesson.”
In fact, some of the most natural opportunities happen in ordinary life.
When you’re outside, talk about the things God created. When something beautiful happens, thank God for it out loud. When your child is scared, remind them that Jesus is with them. When someone is hurting, tell your toddler that you can pray for them.
These little comments may seem insignificant, but they teach our children that faith isn’t something we only practice at church. Jesus is part of our everyday lives.
5. Let Them See Your Faith
This might be the most important one.
Our children are constantly watching us.
As they grow, they’ll notice whether we pray when life is hard, whether we open our Bibles, whether we worship, whether we forgive, whether we serve others, and whether the things we say we believe actually shape the way we live.
We won’t model any of this perfectly. But our children don’t need a perfect performance of Christianity. They need to see a real relationship with Jesus lived out in front of them.
Start Small
If your child is still a baby or toddler, you don’t need an elaborate devotional routine.
Start with one Bible story.
Say a simple prayer before bed.
Play a worship song in the kitchen.
Point out something God made on your walk.
Read a book that teaches them about Jesus.
The little things we repeat today can become the rhythms our children remember tomorrow.
My 14-month-old may not understand the prayers I whisper while I nurse her to sleep yet. But one day, I hope she will understand exactly Who I’ve been talking to all these years.
And more than anything, I pray that she’ll want to talk to Him too.
