An important part of any successful homeschool is relationship. As Christians, helping our children develop a personal relationship with God is our most important goal. This should be reflected in the time we spend together reading Bible stories, memorizing the word, training character, and praying. We should remember “to make the main thing the main thing”, and take the time necessary to teach and train our children in these matters. Following is a list of spiritual goals appropriate for young children
- To lead the child to trust God, and accept Jesus as Savior *
- To help child want to please God
- To begin to develop a personal prayer life
- To know that learning about God is important
- To help children become sensitive to their conscience
- To help children become aware of God’s presence and care for us
- To develop in children a love for God’s Word
- To participate in and enjoy worship
- To become self-disciplined during worship
- To become familiar with Bible stories
- Listen to stories about manners, morals and appropriate heroes; talk with adults who explain their values, faith, and beliefs
- To see that all of life is centered around living for God
Learn Simple Biblical Concepts, Such as:
- God made me
- God loves me
- Jesus is God’s son, the Holy Spirit is our helper; together with God the Father they make up the Trinity
- Jesus died for my sins; sins are the naughty things we all do
- Jesus wants us to love each other
- The Bible is God’s Word/book
- The Ten Commandments are God’s rules
- Prayer is talking to God
- We can talk to God whenever and wherever we want
- God is omnipotent and omnipresent
Character Development:
- Discern between obedience/disobedience, lies/truth
- Learn obedience with a positive attitude
- Develop habits that will benefit child and family
- Begin to learn respect for property/responsibility for possessions*
- Learn about the Golden Rule and how to apply it/be empathetic towards others
- Learn to put others above self*
- Learn to wait patiently
- Develop character traits: Self-control, obedience, patience, sharing, attentiveness, thankfulness, creativity, diligence, contentment, tenderheartedness, empathy, honesty, joyfulness, love, forgiveness, responsibility, and consideration of others
* Some children may not attain this goal until age 5 +
Copyright 2007. Susan Lemons. Used by permission of the author.
Susan Lemons and her husband Randy have homeschooled their four children “from birth.” Susan has earned both Associate and Bachelor Degrees in Child Development, and is Home School Enrichment Magazine’s Early Learning Columnist. Susan enjoys serving the homeschooling community as a mentor, “first contact” for new homeschoolers, and as a Thinking About Homeschooling group leader. You may contact her at [email protected]