“I am really interested in learning about how children grow in faith. I was wondering if there were any books and authors that you would recommend to start reading.”
When Faith Formation Ministries (FFM) team leader Syd Hielema received the above request, he passed it along to FFM team members and children’s ministry leaders Liz Tolkamp, Laura Keeley, and Karen DeBoer. Within 30 minutes they’d compiled a list of go-to books on nurturing faith in the lives of children that was so rich we just had to pass it along.
- Children Matter: Celebrating their Place in the Church, Family and Community
- Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus .
- Formational Children's Ministry
- God's Big Table
- Helping our Children Grow in Faith
- I Wonder
- Lifelong Faith Journals
- Shaped by God
- Offering the Gospel to Children
- Will Our Children Have Faith?
How about you? What books and authors would you recommend for those who are interested in learning how children grow in faith?
Comments
How about books to read with children that form their faith? Like the Chronicles of Narnia? Or the Psalms - the excellent collection by Bob & Laura Keeley, Psalms for Families. I know a lot of people like The Jesus Storybook for young kids, but I always liked My First Message by Eugene Peterson.
I love that you mention Chronicles of Narnia. I grew up with my Dad reading me those books and the story style in which they are written (full of adventure, conflict, etc.) was incredibly helpful in my faith development.
Those are great suggestions, Diane. Thanks for adding another direction to the list. My favorite faith nurturing books to read with young children are the God Loves Me books. (Look for an upcoming post about the ways those books are impacting three children--and their families!) For parents/caregivers looking ways to connect children's literature with faith stories I highly recommend the Storypath site which lists more than 100 book titles for infants through teens along with ideas for how to use the stories as part of a faith nurturing conversation.
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