What’s the Right Age for a Child to Learn About the Sanctity of Life?
While raising pro-life children, you may wonder how and when to start teaching them about the sanctity of life. It can be a challenging topic. This is one reason author Krystle Joy DeGraide wrote The Story of You as a tool to help kids understand pro-life values in an age-appropriate way. Today we’re going to take a look at when to start instilling these values as you teach your kids.
What’s the Right Age for a Child To Learn About the Sanctity of Life?
You Can Teach in Increments
The sanctity of life can be a heavy and complicated topic, so, understandably, some parents are hesitant to discuss it with their kids. As you strive to raise pro-life children, understanding their maturity levels can help you decide how and when to discuss this topic with them.
Readying yourself for their questions is a good place to start. Kids are very curious and insightful. When they start asking questions, having some answers ready for them can give parents peace of mind. In general, kids around elementary to upper elementary age may start being able to handle more difficult topics. These topics can include why you believe life is precious at all stages, even when the baby is still in utero.
Lessons for Young Kids
Nature
Nature offers a plethora of hands-on learning opportunities. Planting a seed can be a wonderful way of showing your kid how everything needed to become a plant is hidden within a tiny seed. You can compare an acorn with a great oak tree and explain that even though an acorn looks very different from an oak tree, all the acorn needs is to be planted and given the right nutrients and environment to turn into an amazing tree.
You can directly tie in the message by talking about how babies start off very small in the womb, too. Growing a plant can help teach your kids a little science at the same time! You can plant some seeds together and watch them grow. You could even track their progress together as a fun project and a way to spend quality time with your little one.
Books
Books can be a good way to teach kids about life and conception. Books give you the opportunity to proofread first, so you can be sure they match what you want to teach your kids. Books for young kids often use artwork to help kids better grasp the message. These books are written with children in mind, so a well-written book will know how to deliver the message in a way that’s easy to understand and child-friendly.
This can be an especially good option for parents who aren’t sure they want to initiate the conversation. By reading this book together with your kid or leaving it for them to read at will, you can give them some knowledge and information. This can help open the door to allow your child to approach you with questions they may have about the book.
Where To Find These Books
As much as going to a bookstore in person can be fun and exciting, you may not always be able to find pro-life books there. Some bookstores have a dedicated area for religious books: you may be able to find pro-life books in those sections. If you have a local Christian bookstore, there may be some good options there too.
Otherwise, the internet can be a great tool to help you find pro-life books. You can look for online lists of recommended books. Shopping online also has the benefit of allowing you to read book reviews from fellow parents.
Lessons for Older Kids
Ultrasounds
Ultrasound technology has come a long way and continues to develop as time goes on. 3D and 4D ultrasounds can show the development of unborn babies in amazing detail. This level of detail can help bring these images to life and give them personality.
Videos are another way you can show your kids how even very small unborn babies can have hiccups and bounce around. This can help show your kids how these babies are already developing their personalities and doing some of the very human things babies do after they’re born, even while in the womb.
Communication
If we want to be able to teach our kids, it’s important for them to feel like they can safely approach us with their questions. Having a good relationship with your kids, encouraging them to think critically, and helping them to learn from reliable sources are all ways to practice healthy communication. It can also help them develop reasoning skills, so they can look at challenging topics from multiple angles rather than immediately believing everything they hear.
The last thing you want is to have your kid afraid to ask you questions or for advice. Having a good relationship with your kids can help them feel comfortable coming to you with concerns they may face throughout life or in school. Answering their questions in a calm and well-rounded way can help build their confidence.
Lessons for Teenagers
Morals
There comes a time when our kids are going to have to decide what they believe for themselves. Having a strong moral foundation can help them along this journey. Teaching our kids, especially as they get older, doesn’t always have to feel like a lesson. An important part of teaching is to lead by example.
In addition to celebrating life in all its stages, you can help instill pro-life values by supporting parents who have fallen on hard times, being involved in the needs of your community, and showing love to all those around you.
Confidence
There can be a lot of pressure kids face to “go with the flow,” especially as they get older. By fostering their ability to think critically, you can help your kids prepare to have respectful and well-educated conversations with those who disagree.
Ad Populum, also known as the appeal to popularity, is the argument that something must be true just because the majority of loud voices seems to believe it. It’s important to encourage your kids to think for themselves and that it’s okay if their beliefs aren’t shared by all their peers.
Why Is It Important To Raise Pro-Life Children?
1. It Can Instill a Sense of Value
When you teach kids about how precious unborn life is, you can also talk about the sanctity of all life throughout all stages. This can shape how they think about and talk to the people around them.
Sometimes society can make people feel like their value depends on what they bring to the table. It’s important to challenge that idea by teaching pro-life values. We can teach our kids that everyone has equal value, including those who can’t speak for themselves.
2. It Can Develop Strong Empathy
Pro-life teaching should put a strong emphasis on both compassion and empathy. You can also show them what empathy in action looks like. Making a “care package” of baby clothes and food for families in need can help your kids understand that it’s important to care for others. Donating to or volunteering at meal centers can also be something positive you could do with your kid.
If you have an animal lover in your household, you can use that as an opportunity to bring supplies to your local animal shelter. Some shelters or wildlife rehabilitation centers nurse tiny baby animals back to health. Seeing these small babies treated with care and love, even when they need extra support and care to survive, can be a way to show your kid pro-life values in action. Even when life is small and fragile, it’s valuable.
3. It Can Help You Bond
Teaching your kids about the value of life can be a great time for you to bond. When they were just a tiny baby in the womb, you can talk about how you were so excited to watch them grow and meet them.
For younger kids, laying out different-sized items like fruit can be a fun way to show the different sizes of a baby in utero. If you or their mom had funny food cravings during pregnancy, this could be a fun story to share with them. Compare these cravings to what their favorite foods are now. This can make them feel like a more active participant as they learn about how they used to be a tiny baby too.
4. It Can Build Reading Skills
If you’re using books as a teaching tool, that can also help your kids learn crucial reading skills. Books are powerful doorways into countless worlds of knowledge and imagination. They can help answer questions and develop skills that can serve your kids for their entire lifetimes.
If you’re looking for an easy way to start teaching the sanctity of life to your kids, The Story of You by Krystle Joy DeGraide may be a good option. This book can be a great way to help parents raise pro-life children and help them understand the miracle of life. To learn more about this book or order your own copy, visit Krystle Joy DeGraide today and add it to your bookshelf!