Talking with kids about the Holy Spirit can be challenging, so many church leaders avoid it as much as they can. One summer at CentriKid Camps, we focused on the truths that God is with us from creation, He is with us in the person of Jesus Christ, and He is with us through the Holy Spirit, and our response is that we follow Him. We felt it was important to give kids age-appropriate lessons with some tangible object lessons so they could grow in their understanding of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some passages and illustrations from CentriKid to help you teach kids about the Holy Spirit:
- Revelation 21:3 – “God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. Define sanctuary, and help kids know that when we give God control of our lives, He makes our body a holy or sacred place.
- Acts 2:1-3 – Appearance as flaming tongues of fire. Illustration: Gas can (we suggest an empty one, since most folks at your facility might be upset if you started a fire in the children’s department).
- John 3:8 – The wind that blows where it pleases. Illustration: Box fan. Turn it on, have a child with long hair stand in front of it and you’ll be able to quickly illustrate seeing the effects of the wind, but not seeing the wind itself.
- 1 Kings 19:11-12 – Soft whisper. Illustration: Piece of rope that gently tugs at your heart.
As you teach kids about the Holy Spirit, move them to a point of understanding that God calls them to a response. You can feel the Spirit’s power, you can sense His presence, or even feel the tugging at your heart, but you have to make a commitment to follow Jesus in order for the Spirit of God to dwell within you.