Quiet Times of Sharing Jesus' Love with Kids

For families today, life is busier than ever. There are play dates to keep, story hours to attend, sporting events to get to, school work to complete and much more. Throw in tech time and seemingly few moments remain for just quiet time. The busyness of work, schedules, commitments and daily life overwhelms.

It’s good, though, to occasionally step aside from all of that and engage in quieter, simpler activities. Like coloring. Activities that require only a box of crayons, a clutch of markers, a pencil, paper. Warner Press offers an extensive array of scripturally-themed coloring and activity books for children ages preschool to 12.

This presents a hands-on opportunity to teach children about Christ and Christian living, as instructed in Proverbs 22:6. Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Animals of the Bible, How God Made the World and Bible Stories Kids Love coloring books, for example, focus on biblical themes of special interest to ages 2 -5. I could see my 2 ½-year-granddaughter, who often visits a zoo near her Minnesota home, delighting in coloring a camel, a lion, a bear—animals all found in the bible. Plus, I would have the bonus of art for my fridge.

For older kids, mazes, word searches, dot-to-dot, secret codes, hidden pictures and more connect them to subjects like fruits of the spirit, the armor of God, The Lord’s Prayer. They learn about God and his word while putting pencil to paper and problem-solving. I remember the fun my kids experienced with I Spy picture books as they found hidden objects in photo spreads. Easter Hidden Pictures Activity Book provides that same thrill of searching for and finding objects with the additional benefit of teaching children about Jesus’ death and resurrection as we move into the Lenten season.

Emerging and developing readers may enjoy the line of itty-bitty word search puzzle books themed to the Old and New Testaments, Psalms, faith in action and more. I think back on my childhood and how my love of words grew with every word search worked, every crossword puzzle solved. There’s a certain satisfaction in looping pencils around words, writing letters in boxes.

Any time we have the opportunity to teach our children, our grandchildren, our Sunday School kids, our neighbor kids about God is a blessing. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 instructs us to impress upon our children the commandments of the Lord. As we walk, as we sit, at home—basically at every opportunity. Having biblically-focused coloring and activity books available to them is an easy way to do that.

I’d suggest occasionally engaging in these hands-on books together. Pick up a crayon and color side-by-side with a child. Work a word search together. That togetherness, that one-on-one time without distractions of smartphones and scheduled activities, creates a bond that tells a child he/she is important. There’s quiet time to talk about Jesus’ love, to build up a child’s faith, to model Christian living. And it happens sprawled on the living room floor or seated at the kitchen table or snuggled on the sofa. Coloring together and working together on Christian-themed activity books grow faith. And love.

Jesus loves the little children. At Warner Press we firmly believe that. Children are an important part of our ministry, reflected in the many kids’ activity books that provide hours of entertainment with Christ-centered messages. 

With two young grandchildren, one of them a newborn, Minnesota writer Audrey Kletscher Helbling is discovering all the joys of grandparenting. Whether coloring, answering why questions, reading bible stories or praying, Audrey finds plenty of opportunities to share Jesus’ love with Isabelle and Isaac.