The doctrine of the Trinity is the most foundational doctrine in the Christian faith. Everyone should learn about and how to cherish the doctrine of the Trinity. Especially our children! So, how do you teach the Trinity to your kids? I’m here to help you!
Everyday Conversations
As a mom, I have found that the most is learned when you talk about it throughout your days with your children. Making deep theology and Scriptural truths part of our conversations should be a daily process.
So try to teach the Trinity to your kids throughout your day by incorporating conversations about the Trinity into your day. Whether it be while you have a second in the car or at the table over a meal.
Once you start thinking with this in mind you will find that it’s easy to fit in a short conversation about the Trinity into these moments, even if it is just a sentence or two.
And, even if your children are small, they can still learn a lot by repeating after you or answering questions you ask them. They may not understand what they are saying now, but they will as they get bigger.
Teaching your kids in everyday ways and conversations is a great method for other subjects as well, not just the Trinity.
So what is the Trinity?
The definition you should know and teach your kids is this: the Trinity is three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — in one being: God.
What About the Common Analogies for the Trinity?
There are many ways that we try to explain the Trinity. The most common ones are with analogies such as water, the three leaf clover, and an egg.
While these analogies are meant to be helpful, I do not think we should use them when teaching our kids about the Trinity.
The important thing when teaching your kids is that they know the truth. The analogies of water, a clover leaf, or an egg, do not really help your kids know the truth, rather just the analogy.
The truth of the Trinity is that it is three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — in one being: God. That’s it. This is what you want your kids go know and be familiar with.
And, yes, it is hard to understand. That’s okay. Your children will never fully understand God even when they become adults. He is just too wonderful for us.
So share this with them. Tell them that even when we don’t totally understand God and His ways, we trust Him and give Him glory for the mystery that He is. Tell them that we should praise Him even more because He is unknowable.
Reinforce the Truth of the Trinity
While we cannot fully understand the Trinity itself, we can understand the effects of the Trinity on our life.
And there are so many effects of the Trinity on our loves that we could go on forever! So, I have chosen three truths that we should cover with our children. They are the most profound and, I think, the easiest for our children to understand.
The Trinity is love. The Trinity created us. The Trinity brings salvation. These three points are summed up here, but ate further developed in my Trinity Teaching Bundle (see below).
The Trinity is Love
The Bible tells us that before the foundation of the world, the Father loved the Son (John 17:24).
So the Trinity is love because the Father has eternally loved the Son. Without the three persons of the Trinity, there wouldn’t have been someone for God to love.
But because the Trinity is three persons in one being: God, the three persons are able to love one another.
Without the Trinity we would not have love.
The Trinity Created Us
So we know that the Trinity is love, but did you know that it is that same Trinitarian love that created man?
Genesis 1:26 tells us that God created man in His own image. It was the Father’s love for the Son that overflowed into creation. And it’s His love that He put into us so that we bear His image.
If God was note three persons, there would not be love. And a god without love for others would only love himself and not want to create anything.
Without the Trinity we would not have been created.
The Trinity Brings Salvation
Not only does the Trinity bring love and that love brought humans into the world, the Trinity also brings Salvation.
First John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The Father sent the Son because of His love for us, His Trinitarian love.
So the Trinity brings love, which brings humans, which brings the ultimate act of that love, the cross and salvation.
See how important the Trinity is? Why wouldn’t we want our children to know and understand this?
The Trinity Teaching Bundle
Well, I’m glad you’re here because everything you need to help your kids learn about the Trinity is in my Trinity Teaching Bundle!
This 12-page bundle includes a Lesson Plan laying out step-by-step how to talk with your kids about the Trinity, a Trinity Overview, a Trinity Q&A Guide, Scripture Memory Cards with Related Verses, Trinity Definition Flashcards, and a Bible Verse Print. It also includes a free printable coloring page just for fun!
All of these pieces are made to help you teach your kids, big or small, about the Trinity. They are bundled together as a digital download so that you can easily print and use them to start telling your kids about the Trinity today.
Want to check out the bundle a little more? Become a subscriber below and the free printable coloring page is yours!
If you would like to read more about the Trinity for personal study, check out my blog post here: “The Mystery of the Trinity.”
