Never has it been so hard to compete with the rhythms of our world for space in the hearts and minds of our children. If adults today do not intentionally claim ground in the mental files of our next generation, modern culture will sweep in and take it.
We must not wait for reading skills to emerge or for writing to reach journaling capacity, for vocabulary to include words like “discipleship” and “justification.” While the sprout is still tender and the roots are just reaching out to take hold in the soil, the time is ripe to embed truth in the heart of a small child. Truth creates a fertile environment for God to work in the mind and spirit, for understanding to grow, and for belief to mature into faith. While the ground of the young heart is soft, we have the chance to share the oral history of God’s written truth. To act in the earliest windows of childhood to prepare the next generation to abide, we must sing songs of faith.
By putting God’s word & stories to childhood tunes, we stir up benefits like:
- nurturing faith vocabulary to prepare children to be comfortable talking about truth
- embedding rhythmic, rhyming language in young memories, along with stories
- associating stories of God’s word with comfort and bonding with trusted adults
- placing mental “hooks” in the framework of a child’s thoughts for building later learning
- linking God’s word to what a child learns are the sounds and sense of joy
While excellent children’s faith music exists, we can use familiar, traditional songs like nursery rhymes and childhood tunes to sing original lyrics in our homes, in our Sunday Schools, and in our ministries. Need to help a child remember God’s truth? Follow these simple steps and check out the samples below.
Choose a simple, short, rhyming song children know.
- Take a story, character or passage and identify key truths to remember.
- You can get creative with the rhyming, but not with the truth! Be accurate.
- Use varied color and/or symbols to reinforce the lyrics visually.
- Design a display card or coloring sheet for a child to use as they grow.
“I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 89:1
Some of my favorite tunes for creating Bible songs:
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Row Row Row Your Boat
- Happy Birthday to You
- London Bridges Falling Down
Example: (Using Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) Start humming before you read!
Adam and Eve
God made us to be His friends. Then the first 2 people sinned.
Since He loved us He would give a HERO so that we could live.
Eve and Adam could not be heroes that would set us free.
Noah
Noah was a faithful man, built an ark with his 2 hands.
People laughed, but he obeyed, and safe inside his family prayed.
Noah and his sons and wife knew that God has saved their life.
Abraham
Two old people had no son, though they hoped and prayed for one.
God said Abraham would be father of a family.
God keeps promises the same. 9 months later Isaac came.
Joseph
Jealous family, angry vote. Hated brother’s special coat.
Joseph was sold as a slave, his brothers’ sin he then forgave.
Though he went to Egypt’s test, God was working for his best.
Let’s use our mouths to make God’s faithfulness known through songs for all generations!
Let’s sing the stories of God’s acts and truths so our children will hide them in their hearts in the midst of the messages of our times!
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