Basic apologetics for kids
Teaching children why we believe.
Helping children understand that Christianity does not ask them to switch their brains off.
By Damilola Adeniregun · 9 min read
When we hear the word apologetics, it can sound very serious.
Debates. Philosophy. Historical manuscripts. Arguments about science. Words that require you to Google another word just to understand the definition.
But apologetics, very simply, is about being able to give a reason for what you believe.
And our children need that.
Because “because Mummy said so” might work when they are five.
It probably will not work when they are fifteen.
At some point, someone is going to ask them:
“Why do you believe in God?”
And I do not want the only answer available to them to be, “Because my family is Christian.”
I want my children to know that Christian faith is not asking them to turn their brains off. There are reasons we believe, and we can start teaching those reasons surprisingly young.
1. “How do we know God exists?”
Children understand evidence. We do not have to begin with complicated philosophy.
Start with the world around them. Their eyes. Plants. Space. Animals. The complexity of the human body. As they get older, those conversations can deepen.
You might ask:
“If you found a painting, would you think the paint accidentally arranged itself into a picture?”
Probably not.
A painting points to a painter. A building points to a builder. Christians believe creation gives us reasons to look beyond creation itself.
That does not suddenly answer every question about God. But children can understand the basic idea that things can tell us something about the one who made them.
The Bible puts it beautifully:
“The heavens declare the glory of God.”
Psalm 19:1
2. “Why can’t we see God?”
Children ask this surprisingly often.
And the answer should not simply be, “Just believe.”
There are plenty of real things we do not see directly. We do not see gravity itself, but we observe its effects. We do not see the wind itself, but we see the trees move. We cannot physically see another person’s thoughts, yet we know thoughts exist.
Christianity teaches that God is Spirit, so we should not expect God to be visible in exactly the same way another human being is.
Christians believe we can know God through what He has made, through Scripture and, most importantly, through Jesus.
3. “How do we know Jesus was real?”
This one matters.
Jesus is not considered a historical figure simply because Christians decided He existed. Historians study Jesus of Nazareth as a person of history.
The New Testament contains accounts of His life, and ancient writers outside the New Testament also refer to Jesus or the early Christian movement.
Younger children do not need a lecture on Josephus and Tacitus. But they can understand one very useful distinction:
“Did Jesus exist?” and “Is Jesus the Son of God?” are not the same question.
We can first establish that Jesus belongs to history. Then, as our children grow, we can explore the much bigger questions about what He claimed, what He did, His death and why Christians believe He rose again.
4. “How do we know the Bible wasn’t just made up?”
Start with something simple.
The Bible is not one book written by one person. It is a collection of books written by different authors, in different places and circumstances, across a long period of time, yet Christians understand them as telling one connected story.
As children get older, we can introduce conversations about manuscripts, archaeology, eyewitness testimony, historical context and how ancient texts are preserved.
But even young children can learn to ask good questions:
Who wrote this?
Who were they writing to?
What was happening at the time?
What kind of writing am I reading?
Those are not dangerous questions.
They are good habits.
We do not have to be frightened of our children examining the Bible carefully. We should encourage it.
5. “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?”
This sits at the centre of Christianity.
Christianity does not simply say that Jesus was a good teacher who said lovely things. The claim is much bigger.
Jesus died. He was buried. Christians believe He rose again.
As children grow, we can begin introducing the reasons Christians take that claim seriously. The New Testament reports that Jesus’ followers believed they encountered Him alive after His death. It reports appearances to individuals and groups. His followers went from frightened disciples to publicly proclaiming His resurrection, and the early Christian movement formed around that message.
Young children do not need every historical argument.
But they should understand that Christians are not saying:
“We believe Jesus rose because it is a nice idea.”
We believe something happened.
6. “What about science?”
Please do not accidentally teach children that they have to choose between being intelligent and believing in God.Christians work in science.
Christians also disagree with one another about some scientific questions. Science itself is enormously valuable.
Science helps us investigate the natural world and understand how things work. Christianity also asks questions about meaning, purpose, morality, human value and why anything exists at all.
And “God” should not become the answer we use every time we do not currently understand a scientific process.
Our children deserve better than that.
Instead, teach them:
Learning how something works does not automatically tell us why it ultimately exists.
They can love God and love discovering how His world works.
7. “Why does God allow bad things to happen?”
This is probably one of the hardest questions.
Children can encounter it far earlier than we would like.
Someone dies. A friend becomes sick. They hear about war. Something they prayed for does not happen.
Do not rush to silence their pain with a quick theological answer.
The Bible does not pretend suffering is not real. It is full of people grieving, crying, questioning and asking God why.
Christians believe God created a good world, that sin and brokenness entered it, and that we now live in a world where terrible things happen.
But Christianity also says God has not abandoned that world.
Jesus entered suffering Himself. Christians believe God will judge evil, bring justice and ultimately restore what is broken.
And perhaps this is one of the most important things we can teach our children:
Christianity’s answer to suffering is not only an explanation. It is also a Person who stepped into it.
Teach children how to think
This might be the most important part of apologetics.
It is not about giving your child one hundred answers to memorise.
Teach them to ask:
“What makes you think that?”
“What is the evidence?”
“Could there be another explanation?”
“What does the Bible actually say?”
“Is that really Christianity, or is that simply something somebody said?”
Those questions will serve them for life.
And please teach them to say, “I don’t know”
Knowing how to explain your faith does not mean pretending Christianity has a three minute answer to every difficult question.
Sometimes:
“I don’t know, but I want to understand.”
is an excellent answer.
The goal is not to raise tiny debaters who think they have to win every conversation.
The goal is to raise children who are confident enough in their faith to ask questions without being frightened of where the questions might lead.
I want my children to love God with their hearts.
But Jesus also taught us to love God with our minds.
So yes, let us teach the Bible stories. Let us teach the memory verses. Let us pray together.
But let us also teach them:
This is what we believe.
This is why we believe it.
And when you have another question?
ASK.
