Spiritual learning begins here. First, your child must know that you love him/her. The feeling of being loved by you will provide the foundation for understanding that God loves him.
Your child can know that God is the Creator and that He is all-powerful, perfect and our provider. He can know that God is a real person who loves and cares about him, even when he is bad. Your child can understand that Jesus came to earth as a baby, grew up as a boy, and became a man. He can know that Jesus died on the cross, through he will not understand all the implications, and he can know that Jesus took our punishment for the bad things we do. Although, he will not understand death very well. Your child can learn that the Bible is God’s Book and that it teaches us how to obey Him.
Your child can think of God in a personal way. He understands that God is perfect and the Creator. However, much of your child’s concept of God is related to his relationship with you. Your child can deal with Jesus as a personal friend. He can understand that Jesus is God’s Son, but will not understand the concept of the Trinity. Your child is gaining a deeper understanding of the difference between right and wrong. His conscience is emerging. He can know his wrong actions are sin in God’s eyes. He can feel sorry for his sin and confess it.
Your child will probably ask where God is and why He cannot be seen. His understanding of God will remain somewhat vague in spite of your explanations, but he can understand some basic truths about God. He can understand that God loves him, his family, his friends, and all the other people in the world as well. He can know and appreciate God’s forgiveness for wrongs he has committed. Your child can have a personal relationship with Jesus. He knows that he has committed sin and that this is not pleasing to God. He can understand and believe that God forgives him because Jesus accepted the punishment for his sin on the cross.
Your child should be able to recognize sin as sin when he hears stories of people doing wrong, but to identify his own sins is not so easy. He now begins to understand why God must punish sin, that Jesus took the punishment and that he needs to give his life to the Lord. He is now old enough to know in a deeper sense that the Bible is God’s Word, that it is without error, that it is to be obeyed, and that it provides direct answers for many problems he faces in life. A personal relationship with Jesus is generally easy for an 8-11 year old. He can learn that he needs Jesus to control his life. He can know that Jesus will help him with his fears.
