How to Talk About Baptism With Kids | Free Printable
Has your child asked to be baptized? Learn more on how to talk about baptism with your kids with our FREE printable! Read to find out how!
Baptism is an integral part of the Christian life and a mark of a transformed heart. Something particularly exciting about our faith is that Jesus specifically said to let the little children come to Him. This means that the same transforming work Christ has done in you is being done in your child. Every part of being a Christian is available to them, including baptism!
If your child has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and has submitted their life to His transformational work, it may be time to talk about baptism with them. Congratulations! This is an exciting step for your child and for you. Now it’s time to enter into multiple conversations to help your child understand what baptism means. But where do you start?
Has your child asked to be baptized?
First, you should address whether or not your child has asked to be baptized. If your child has asked to be baptized, but you’re not sure they’re ready, that’s okay! Don’t discourage them in their growing faith and excitement. This is a great time to talk to them about what it means to be a Christian. Our Bible study I Have Decided is a great resource for those talks.
Sometimes, children haven’t asked to be baptized because they don’t understand the significance. This is an opportunity to gently guide them into a conversation about what baptism means. Take care not to pressure your child into feeling like they need to be baptized to please you. Baptism should be an outward demonstration of the inward changing of their heart.
And if your child has asked to be baptized and you are certain they are ready, don’t wait!
Are they ready?
Now that baptism has been brought up in your home, it’s time to talk about baptism and ask if your child is ready. Most importantly, has your child accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior? If the answer is no, don’t worry! Discuss what salvation means, and pray that God works on your child’s heart. Our Bible study Rock of Salvation is another resource for talking through accepting Jesus with your child.
If your child has accepted God’s transformational work of salvation, they may be ready for baptism. While there are no explicit biblical requirements for baptism, you don’t want your child to be baptized before they’re truly a believer. Look for fruits of the Spirit in your child (Galatians 5:22–23), and see if there is evidence of God working in your child’s heart, even in subtle ways. Sin won’t be put to death immediately in your child, but they should be showing a desire to honor God even as they struggle against sin.
These are all conversations you can have with your child, and once you’ve come to the conclusion that your child is ready for baptism, you should ask some more questions, such as why they think they should be baptized. Ask your child what baptism means. Can they describe what the gospel is and what it means to be saved?
Look at the Bible together.
There are no right or wrong answers when answering these questions, so don’t worry if your child isn’t sure how to articulate baptism or stumbles over explaining the gospel. Remember, we’re all growing as Christians, and there was a time when you couldn’t explain those things either. Instead, look at Scripture together to see how God defines baptism and the importance it plays in the life of a Christian. Below are some references to get you started talking about baptism, but be encouraged to search the Bible for yourself too!
Resource to Help
We have created a special printable to make it a little easier to talk about baptism. We’ve packed it full of Scripture for you and your child to look at and think through what baptism means. It asks questions and encourages your children to seriously think about what the Bible says about getting baptized. Download and print it out so you can start talking with your child today. Baptism is a gift to believers from God, and helping walk your child through this decision is an enormous blessing!
An avid reader of literature, Arden loves using words and stories to communicate the truth, beauty, and goodness of God. She has been writing for fun since she could reach a keyboard but has over a decade of writing experience in the professional sphere. With eight years of children’s ministry, three in youth ministry, and five years in young adult ministry, Arden also values making God’s word understandable and accessible to the entire family, no matter what season of life.
I guess I am a little bit confused by some of the language in this article, because it doesn’t line up with the Bible studies I have from Not Consumed! I was personally raised in a mainstream, large evangelical church and baptized as a teen. However, I started studying the Bible more a little later in life and realized the Bible is written as one, almost ‘cyclical’ story, with everything before and after pointing to Christ. (I also thought Not Consumed held this view??) Therefore, Christ is what circumcision was pointing to in the OT, which is why after Christ died circumcision is no longer required for families in God’s covenant, and instead baptism was instituted for families in God’s covenant (which now includes males AND females, and not only Jews, as God’s people were expanded!). Therefore…we SHOULD be baptizing before our children profess faith, just like they were previously circumcised before they professed faith, and only after coming to faith if you have not previously been baptized into a covenantal family… which is why the NT talks about baptizing the whole family when parents become believers in Christ, or baptizing the Egyptian Eunuch when he entered into the covenant! Anyways, I am no theologian. But I do read my Bible and I think I’m a pretty logical person, and that would seem more logical than how this article portrays it… Because what this article seems to be referring to is communion, NOT baptism…? I see that Kim did not write this article, so I’m wondering if it is not maybe the actual belief of Not Consumed!
Hi Rachel,
This blogpost does reflect Not Consumed’s beliefs on baptism within the beautiful continuity of God’s Word and the gospel story. We understand that baptism is an issue that many learned and godly people differ on within the protestant faith. It is not an issue of salvation, but rather one of practical living and willingness to obey God. This is why we do not go into depth on baptism in any of our studies—we want families to adhere to their conscience and beliefs. We never want to stir up strife or controversy over non-essential issues (Titus 3:9). Our post is simply a resource for those wondering about our beliefs and why we hold them.