It is our culture that we Filipinos are known to be prayerful. And as a proud Filipino parent, it is important to help our children gradually grow into being able to pray and read their Bibles independently. We start by praying for them, then encourage them to say some of the prayer themselves, giving hints and ideas about how to pray, until eventually they are capable of having a private prayer and Bible study time of their own. However, even after children can pray independently, it is still important to pray and read the Bible together as a family.
Teaching our children to pray is an important job for us parents. Even very young children just like my little one can be taught the rudiments of prayer, such as bowing their heads, closing their eyes and speaking to God in simple phrases. One great example is to teach them to pray for blessings on food to thank God for providing sustenance and to ask His blessings both on the food and on those who share it.
I would like to encourage all dads and my fellow moms out there to begin teaching their children to love Jesus right now, no matter what their age. It is never too late, never too early. Even the littlest ones can love Jesus, and we should never assume that they are too young to learn about Him.