You live it with them first, then explain it as you go. Kids learn the faith by breathing it in, through what they see you do, what happens at church, and the rhythms you keep at home.
That’s the short answer. But I know you’re asking because you want to know what to say when your six-year-old asks why we kiss icons or your teenager wants to know why we can’t just read the Bible and figure everything out ourselves. Fair questions. Here’s how to think about it.
Start Where They Are
A three-year-old and a thirteen-year-old need different things. Your preschooler needs simple, concrete language. God loves us. Jesus is God who became a person like us. The church is God’s family. Prayer is talking to God. That’s enough. Don’t overcomplicate it.
Elementary kids can handle a bit more. You can start explaining why we do things. Why do we baptize babies? Because God wants them in His family right away. Why do we receive Communion? Because Jesus gives us Himself. Why do we have icons? Because they’re like windows that help us see heaven and remember the saints who are alive with Christ.
Teenagers need something different, they need the bigger picture and they need honesty about the hard parts. They’re old enough to understand theosis, to grasp why we don’t believe in “once saved, always saved,” to wrestle with why Orthodoxy claims to be the Church Christ founded. Don’t dodge those conversations. If you don’t know the answer, say so and find out together.
Make It Tangible
Orthodoxy isn’t a set of ideas you download into your kid’s brain. It’s a life. So make the life visible at home.
Set up an icon corner. Let them see you cross yourself and kiss the icons in the morning. Teach them short prayers, mealtime prayers, the Jesus Prayer in a form they can handle. (“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” works fine for a five-year-old.) Light a candle on feast days. Bake something special for St. Nicholas or the Theotokos. Kids remember the smell of prosphora baking and the taste of koliva way longer than they remember a lecture about the Dormition.
Tell them saint stories. Not the sanitized versions, the real ones. St. Nicholas punched a heretic at the council. St. Mary of Egypt lived in the desert for forty-seven years eating three loaves of bread. Kids love this stuff. It makes holiness real and a little bit wild, which it is.
And take them to Liturgy. Every week if you can manage it. Yes, even when they’re squirmy. Especially when they’re squirmy. They’re learning the shape of worship in their bones before they can articulate it. Whisper short explanations during the service if it helps. “Now we’re getting ready to receive Jesus.” “We’re asking the Theotokos to pray for us.” “Listen, the priest is saying the words Jesus said at the Last Supper.”
Answer the Protestant Questions
If you’re in Southeast Texas, your kids are going to hear things at school or from cousins. “Why do you pray to Mary?” “Why do you worship statues?” “Are you even Christian?”
Here’s how to help them answer.
We don’t pray to Mary, we ask her to pray for us. Just like you’d ask Grandma to pray for you when you’re sick. Mary’s alive with Jesus, so we ask her prayers too. She’s the Theotokos, the one who gave birth to God in the flesh. That’s a big deal.
We don’t worship icons. We honor the person shown in the icon. When you kiss a picture of your mom, you’re not kissing paper, you’re showing love for your mom. Same thing. Icons are windows to heaven. The Seventh Ecumenical Council settled this back in 787, and we’ve been venerating icons ever since.
And yes, we’re Christian. We’re the Church the apostles founded. We’ve kept the same faith, the same worship, the same mysteries (sacraments) for two thousand years. We don’t think we’re better than other Christians as people, but we do believe the Orthodox Church is the Church Christ established. That’s not arrogance. It’s what we actually believe, and your kids need to hear you say it with confidence.
Use the Resources
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The Antiochian Archdiocese has a Department of Christian Education with 480 lesson plans you can use at home or adapt for family discussions. Ancient Faith has activity books and a whole kids’ section with videos and podcasts, Orthodox Pebbles offers free printable lessons and crafts for younger kids. The OCA has focus units on major feasts that walk you through scripture, theology, and activities for different ages.
I’m not saying you need to turn your living room into a classroom. But if your kid asks a question you can’t answer, these resources can help. And sometimes it’s good to sit down with an activity book or a saint story video and make it a family thing.
The Real Secret
Here’s what I’ve seen work. Kids learn Orthodoxy when they see it matter to you. If you’re just going through motions, they’ll know. But if they see you actually pray, if they hear you ask the saints for help, if they watch you fast and feast and bring the rhythm of the church year into your home, they’ll absorb it.
You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to be honest and keep showing up. Orthodoxy isn’t fragile. It’s survived two thousand years of empires and heresies and terrible catechesis. It’ll survive your imperfect attempts to explain it to your kids.
So start simple. Pray with them. Take them to church. Tell them about the saints. Answer their questions as best you can. And when you don’t know something, learn it together. That’s how the faith gets passed down, one generation living it with the next.
