Apologetics for Young Children
As Christians, we are called to have answers when people ask the hard questions about our faith. We need to be able to have questions not only about WHAT we believe but WHY we believe it, responding to questions with solid scriptural answers. You know what? Our kids will field those questions, too! How can we prepare and equip them for that?
Whether they are questions our children come up with themselves or ones they are asked by friends or family members, the reality is that our kids will find answers. Will they find those answers from us and from the Bible? Or will they find answers in the world? Obviously, we want to be able to present them with the truth of God’s Word in a way they can understand. We also want model for them how to handle those hard questions with grace and truth!
So, how do we approach apologetics fro young children? How can we teach our children not only what those answers are but how to handle it when they’re questioned for their faith?
This is a sponsored review post and giveaway in cooperation with Apologia. All opinions are my own.
Disclosure: *This post may include affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the disclosures and terms for more information.
What is apologetics?
First, let’s define what apologetics means for now. Apologetics can be defined simply as giving a defense for your faith. For ourselves and for our children, we can think of it this way: We want to be able to logically and respectfully explain what we believe, why we believe it, and answer questions about it. Those questions may be antagonistic or from someone who is genuinely seeking, but it’s our job to prepare ourselves and our children for that conversation.
Apologetics for young children is mostly natural conversation in the home. In our home, we talk about apologetics all the time! We just don’t call it that. We don’t gather the kids on the couch and have a formal discussion. It’s not a homeschool subject we tackle each day between 10:30 and 11 AM. Instead, it happens during family devotions, as we come across interesting questions in reading or conversation, and as we address differing points of view.
How We Equip Our Kids to Defend Their Faith
Answer their questions. Sometimes kids are asking the questions themselves and need to have a safe and productive conversation with you about it. If you don’t completely know then answer, don’t panic! Tell them you’ll pray about it and look into it and get back to them. This is a wonderful way to model for them how you find answers to hard questions! Talk to godly men and women you respect, pray for guidance, and look into trusted sources for help.
Fill them with God’s Word. The more we know scripture, the more we are able to draw upon it as we think and talk about those hard questions! Be reading the Bible with them every day. Memorize scripture together or make it a regular part of their week. Welcome the tough questions and search the Bible together to find answers. Show them how to make the Bible their first and last authority on these issues!
Study creation together. If you study apologetics as a subject, you’ll find that there are many proofs that people use to be effective in their discussions. For kids, a wonderful approach is to study nature together. God reveals Himself in His creation! Study His world and all the intricate designs and purposes He shares with us.
Pour drops in the bucket. The spiritual formation of our children takes time and intentionality. We know this! Apologetics is not different. It is adding drops to the bucket until pretty soon there is an ocean of heart knowledge. As you have these conversations with your children, remember that you are helping to build a firm foundation over time from which they will be able to defend their faith with gentleness and confidence in Christ.
Fun Tools for Teaching Apologetics for Young Children
I love to use great books and resources to help me in this effort. For me, I didn’t have the experience of apologetics when I was a kid. I came to Christ as an adult, and so sometimes I need help finding a good way to discuss the hard questions in a way that resonates with my kids. I also want to find ways to talk about the subject that are intentional but not too formal.
Recently we’ve been reading a fun set of books from Apologia called the Young Defenders Series and have been enjoying them so much! Each book presents realistic situations where the kids encounter hard questions about God. They have great conversations with godly people in their lives who come alongside them to explain what the Bible says about it.
Here are the books in the Young Defenders Series:
- How Do We Know God is Really There?
- How Do We Know God Created Life?
- How Do We Know Jesus is Alive?
- How Do We Know Right From Wrong?
My kids will read books from the Young Defender’s Series on their own for fun – that’s a big deal! The older immediately started devouring these books and we ended up having some fantastic dinner-time discussions about them! They are a perfect way to casually prompt those conversations in your home with biblically solid content. The illustrations are fun and the kids really connect with the characters and their way of talking and thinking about the topics.
More Great Resources for Young Kids from Apologia
I wanted to mention a few other fantastic Apologia resources we’ve been using as well. If you have young children, these are the perfect addition to your library!
A Light For My Path – I LOVE this book! It is so unique and powerful ABC book that teaches a deep reverence for God’s Word. The illustrations in this one are absolutely gorgeous. Each page says “God’s Word, Law, Statutes, Decrees, Commands, and Precepts are” and then the opposite page has a word that describes it (Absolute, Blessings, Comforting, etc.).
Psalms to Know Early – This is a NEW resource from Apologia that you’re going to love. I’ve been using it as a simple devotion that my littlest kids can enjoy. Each page spread has a psalm you read along with some simple discussion questions. The kids love the fun illustrations and I really appreciate the that were selected. You can watch a cute preview video here.
Gathering fantastic resources like this for our family has been a priority for us. I encourage you to do the same!
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A light for my path, ABC book. I love keeping a collection of ABC books on hand to read to my preschoolers.
The “HOW DO WE KNOW GOD IS REALLY THERE?” book.
Apologia’s apologetics books for young readers would be a valuable resource for our family library!
Good Morning God. Mornings are hard here!
Thanks for giveaway. These books look wonderful l. Hard to pick but I really like Good morning God. Thanks
Psalms to learn early.
These all look so great! I’ve been wanting to get A Light For My Path for awhile.
Me too! I think each of these books would be a valuable resource I’m our house!
Thank you for doing these giveaways!
How do we know God is really there?
Another awesome giveaway! Thank you. These resources are so valuable
This looks like a great series!~!
Good morning God would be great for us to read together with our little ones :-).
What a wonderful giveaway! I would love to have the Young Defenders Series because it’s so important to teach our little ones WHY we believe in God and it seems there are so few resources for this age group. Thank you for giving us a chance to win these books!
What a blessing to be able to teach apologetics to our young children on a level that they can comprehend. And to know you’re teaching them correctly and not have to second guess your self if you’re not familiar with apologetics. I’ve been wanting to find something to help teach my children and these books would be the perfect solution. Thank you for the opportunity to win them and for being so kind to share your homeschool/homemaking journey with us.
Would love to win this package as a tool to not only teach my kids but myself as well, more about apologetics.
good morning God and a light for my path look like a wonderful place to start@
How Do We Know God Created Life sounds great!
Would enjoy any of the Apologia books!
All of the How Do I Know…picture books look wonderful. They would help me with both my younger and older children.
I’d love to have these books. Thanks for the giveaway!
Good Morning God is my favorite preschool book!
God is really there! and Good Morning God
I’d love the Young Defender’s Series!!
I would love to read with them, IN THE BEGINNING THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS. What a great story.
Psalms to Know Early and Know Right from Wrong.
Thank you for the chance to win these great Apologia resources!!
What a great giveaway! Would love these for my girls so they can be better equipped to defend their faith to our non believing family members.
I’ve heard such good things about Apologia! I would pick: How do we know that God is really there?
A light for my path looks very interesting
I had never heard of these. Thanks for sharing!
These look wonderful! I love digging in “deep” with little ones because they soak up truth!
I love apologia’s products and would love to win.
I would love to have How do we know God is really there. Thank you so much for the chance to win.
HOW DO WE KNOW GOD IS REALLY THERE?
Yet another awesome giveaway!!! Yay!!!
I would like to have from the “How so we know” series the books for God is there and Jesus is alive.
I like the Young Defenders Series because this would help answer all the questions my kids ask me!
Love to learn about quality books to grow a solid foundation of truth.
God Created Life looks beautiful!
Any of these books would be a great addition for young learneed. The psalms book would be great for our morning basket .
They all look good!
I would love to get good morning, God. Having a question to open up discussion with my littles seems right up my alley. I know they children would benefit from it as well.
The “Good mornning God” and “A light for my Path ABC” books look fantastic!
This looks amazing! 🙂
I would love to have “A Light For My Path” book for my preschooler.
Good morning God, really all of them look good!
They all look good but I would like to check out How Do We Know Jesus is Alive?
I think it is an excellent idea to start kids at a young age, learning how to defend their faith.
I would love to have the book, How do we know right from wrong for my granddaughter!
I would like to some time soon purchase the books in the elementary area and young readers area.
How Do We Know God Is Really There?
I’d love this set of books for my littles. We currently use the apologia Botany series for my oldest, but my little ones would totally benefit from the apologetics series!
I would love the book,
‘How Do We Know God is Really There’
‘http://www.apologia.com/preschool/367-how-do-we-know-god-is-really-there.html
I like Who is God Coloring book.. although I like all the books so it is hard to pick a favorite
In the beginning the first 7 days would be one I would like to have.
What amazing books. They look so helpful – all of them look like they would be great..
Thank you for the definition of apologia — a word that would be so intimidating
I would like to try the Good morning, God resource.
I would like the “how do we know..” series for my preschooler!!!
They all look good, but a friend and I were just talking about Creation, so “In The Beginning: The First Seven Days” is the one that caught my attention just now.
I think we would benefit a lot from How Do I Know Right from Wrong?
Thank you!
Young Defenders Series
The Psalms book sounds great.
Not sure if I’m commenting on the right post, but I have an almost 4 year old and I know he would really benefit from just about all of Apologia’s preschool books. I especially like the Young Defender series. Great answers to big questions little people ask! 🙂 Thanks for this giveaway!
Definitely “How Do We Know God is Really There?”. I get asked this all the time by my kids!
Thank you for the opportunity to win!!!!
How Do We Know God is Really There?
I would like any of themy, but especially the food morning God books.
“God created Life” sounds good. Pro-Life-ism from the start.
Thank you for helping us as we teach our children God’s ways! It is strengthening our children in the Lord. It is hard to pick what book I would read first, because I would want to read all of them at the same time!! I probably would pick the ABC one first to read. Thanks for this great offer!
I would love to have the Young Defenders series for my children. They sound amazing!
Wow, I often learn about a new product when I come to your site. Thanks!
Wow…what a great giveaway! Thank you for having it!
I would love the young defenders books, they sound great and seem to answer the questions we hear a lot.
Who is my neighbor?
I like the Psalm’s to Know.
It’s hard to choose. Any of the young defender books look great. All there resources would be wonderful.
How have I not found these before? I don’t homeschool, so I don’t need a whole curriculum for my kids, just resources to give them a solid foundation of Bible knowledge. I love the “Light for my Path” ABC book, although we don’t really need another ABC book. Good Morning God looks really sweet too.
Young defenders series probably would be fun, my older kids will assist younger once in reading.
The Young Defender Series and A Light for My Path sound wonderful!
A Light for My Path ABC’s and Good Morning God both look great 🙂
I like Good Morning God Coloring Book .
I honestly can’t select just one! Would love any and all of these!
These look like great materials!
Young defenders
I would really enjoy any of the books. I used Apologia Science curriculum for our four older children. We had a 12 year break and had three more. Since I am going to finish up a dual degree and begin teaching, our little three will be attending school. It is vital that they have the tools to solidify and defend their faith. The “Good Morning God” book and coloring book would be a wonderful way to start our days and include the three year old!
I would love these books! I think we would start with A Light to my Path.
Psalms!!!
The whole series looks great.
We’d love to read “How do we know God is really there?”.
I would like to have “How do We Know God is Really There?” I think that this is such a fundamental issue not only for kids, but adults as well. I would be very happy to lay a good foundation for my kids.
We’d love to have Good Morning God!
What a great giveway, thank you for the chance to win. “Good Morning God” is my favorite.
What a great giveaway!
Thanks so much for hosting the giveaway! These all look so wonderful it is hard to pick!! I’m going to say Psalms to Know Early. 🙂
I like “A Light for My Path”
I would love to share A Light for My Path, or the Psalms with my boys and granddaughter!
They all look amazing but I think A Light to My Path looks great!
We would love to have the Young defenders Series! All the kids would be able to benefit from it as it is passed through their hands!! We have the Good Morning God book and the Light for my Path! Both are excellent resources to have on your shelf for young preschoolers!
The Psalms to Know Early would be great to use during our evening family worship.
the Young Defenders Series: is so interesting.
A Light for my path.
We use Apologia Science, and I really would love to have more for the rest of the years and the kids.
How do we know right from wrong and Psalms to know early look neat!
Would love to win! How do we know God Created Life.
What an amazing giveaway!
Love the Early Pslams book! Well all of them are going on a list for future reference if I am not very
fortunate to win the giveaway.
My kids would love the coloring books. I would love to have the Psalms book for them too. They all look good though 🙂
A light for my path
I think the Young Defender Series looks interesting. This is the first time I’ve heard about them, and there’s no look-inside feature on the website, so it’s a little hard to know. But I would like the chance to check these out. I didn’t know Apologia had any picture books.
Good Morning God, Psalms to know early, Who Am I, How Do We Know God is Really There-this site is great. OK, I would really like them all.
These sound amazing!!!! I would love any one of them! They would be perfect for my younger children, as well as my grandbabies!! Thank you for the opportunity!!!
Patsy
Super excited about this giveaway. My husband and I are in the same boat as far as not knowing much about this subject growing up. We both however grew up in church but nothing like this was taught to us. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be able to do things different for our kids today!
I would LOVE the whole set, but esp the A light for my path set!
Looks like a great series to help equip my children!
How do I know Jesus is Alive? Would be great for my 6 year old that wants to know the details about faith and struggles with the answers that satisfy most kids his age.
Good morning God.
Would love to win this!
“How do we know God is really there?”
Oh , wow! These sound amazing! I look forward to getting to read these to my 3 yo.
A light for my Path looks wonderful.
What a great way to introduce kids to topics they are asking questions about!
A LIGHT FOR MY PATH, would be an awesome book to start my kid with followed by, HOW DO WE KNOW GOD CREATED LIFE?
Along with the ones you mentioned, I love “Good Morning God” and how it introduces kids to the idea of involving God in everything they do in life!
I like the ABC book
The CDs (Who is God?, Who am I?, and Who is my neighbor?) would be excellent for our homeschool. Not only for the kids, but for me too.
I would love Good Morning God! Such a great message 🙂
The book on “How Do We Know God is Really There?” and the Creation book. These look great!
Psalms to know early, there are so many of God’s wonderful promises in the book of Psalms and great guidance.
Good Morning God would be a great way ri start the day! Thanks!!!
We would love the who is God audio cd for our preschool!
I think the Psalms book would be a great addition to family devotion time.
I would love the Psalms book. Psalms is my favorite book in the bible!
I think the “How Do We Know God is Really There?” book and the “Good Morning, God” book are 2 books that I am interested in sharing with my children. I love how Apologia books meet children where they are not only at their reading level, but also at their emotional level. Books that may seem directed at one age group are often lovely for multiple age groups.
A ;Light for My Path looks really interesting. But really any book would be a good fit for us (Especially coloring books as everyone in the house likes to color).
I love just about anything from Apologia, but the book “In the Beginning: The First 7 Days” looks especially helpful for understanding and defending the Biblical creation account.
These books look like great resources! Thank for the chance of the giveaway.
All of them sound great!
HOW DO WE KNOW GOD IS REALLY THERE?
Would love an opportunity to read this with my kiddos – looks like an amazing resource.
These books look great! This is the first I’ve heard of them and will certainly be looking at them closer for my boys.
Each of these sound like great tools to prepare our children to defend their faith and know our Lord better! Thank you for this post and giveaway!
I would love the ABC book. There are probably some truths in there that I need to know myself. I am also always interested in books that teach the ABCs and Gods word at the same time.
Psalms to know sounds great and looks cute. Thanks for the chance.
The Young Defenders series sounds great!
I would eventually like to have all of them, but would be happy to start with God is Really There?
I would love the “How Do We Know God is Really There?” Thank you for this giveaway!!
Good Morning God looks like it would be great!
They all look great, but I really like “Psalms to Know Early” as well as the “Good Morning, God” book and coloring book
These look like wonderful books!
I would like to read my preschoolers the “Light for My Path” book. We love God’s Word!
How we know God created life?
These look like great resources to add to our home to help our 4 and 2 year old through understand our faith! Thanks for the giveaway!
I love these books, I saw them at a homeschooling convention but I didnt have the money to get any of them hoping that maybe this year I will be able to afford at least 1.
How do we know God created life would be very interesting!
I’d love to have the whole “How do we know?” series. Those are some great questions and it would be great to have them for my own family and to tell others if they are high quality.
Love what you’re doing!
I like the How do we know God is really there book!
I love Apologia!
This would be a great set for my younger two girls.
The Young Defenders series would be AWESOME!!! I want my sons to be strong in their faith & to be able to share with others. THANK YOU.
Good morning God looks fabulous!
Thanks for having a giveaway! I would love this serious for my boys.
I really like the ABC book. 🙂
Good Morning God looks like a great place to start!
I had no idea these books existed! Thanks for the post and giveaway!
I would be especially interested in any of the Young Defenders series.
Thank you for the giveaway!!
I would like many of them, but “Good Morning, God” would be the book I would like most. I think this would be great to help encourage our family to have devotions more and teach my daughter how important they are.
I would love the Psalms series. I am starting a Bible study in Psalms and we could do it together.
These look like must have books- thank you!
Another great Giveaway!
I would love to have a set of the defending the faith books.
The Light for my Path book looks great.
We love apologia!
any and all of them because I don’t have any!
How do we know Right from Wrong would be a good resource for us right now!
The Defender series
A Light for my Path
Psalms to Learn Early
Who is God
Who am I
Who are my Neighbors
All these books look wonderful!
Psalms to know early would be a great book to share with my kiddos
These look great!
What an awesome giveaway! The Defenders series looks really good!
We love everything we have from Apologia. My own faith has grown through their science books.
The “how do we know” series look good.
good morning god
We have In The Beginning, and we love it. I wish I’d had How Do We Know God Is Really There? a couple years ago, when I had a child answering this question a lot! I’ll look for it for the younger siblings.
Who is God CD for my struggling reader!
I would love The Defenders series!
Looking forward to teaching a grade one student next year. This would be great!
The Who is God ones would be great for my littles.
Good Morning, God and A light for my Path look like wonderful books for the kids
I would like the Good Morning God coloring book! So cool!
How to know right from wrong.
How do we know God created life? Would be great, since there are many people who attempt to use science to deny God. A strong background in using science to show that God exists can help children hold firm to their faith amidst a secular world. It would also work well with our current science lessons.
I like all the books in the Young Defenders series.
A Light For My Path!
They all look great, I would love How do we know God is really there? Thank you!
Ummm . . . all of them? 🙂 I have quite a crowd of little people in my house, and we are readers!!
These books all sound wonderful. I think I would pick good morning God.
How do we know God is really there?
This looks like an awesome book for my preschooler. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
A Light for Path seems like just what I’ve been looking for! I have small children and it can be difficult to simplify some things and then the discussion questions would help them understand, too!
They all look so good! I think if just choosing one I would go with How do we know God is really there?
In the Beginning- The First Seven Days looks awesome!
My husband and I are facilitating an apologetics class at our church. I am always on the lookout for materials I can use with our children. So many kids ultimately leave their faith because they had no idea how to defend it or that it was even defensible at all. Too much importance cannot be placed on teaching our children why our faith is not blind in a world of moral and spiritual relativism.
What a great giveaway! My kids and I would love this!!
I think all would be suitable.
These books look very interesting, especially for younger children. We’ve been going through Defending the Faith with our older ones.
HOW DO WE KNOW GOD IS REALLY THERE? looks like it would be fantastic!
I would love to read these to my kids and also utilize them with my Sunday school children!
This whole series would be wonderful to have. I think their book Good Morning, God would be great for daily family devotionals as well!
A Light For My Path
What a wonderful resource to have!! I would love to win this package as a tool to not only teach my kidz but my kidz I serve at our church! Thank you!!
All the books look amazing! A Light for My Path looks like something my youngest would enjoy.
I would love the light for my path book for my boys!!
I’ve been interested in many of their books but the young defender series seems like it would be the most helpful to our family in setting a firm foundation.
A light for my path-ABC book looks great and perfect for my little guy.
I would love to look at the Young Defenders series!
The entire little defenders series would be an amazing addition to our little library! I really think my 5 yr old would enjoy the is God really there? Book
How do we know God is really there
The ABC book would be perfect reinforcement for my 4yo learning her letters
All of them!
“How Do We Know Right From Wrong”