How to Talk to Your Kids About the Trinity

The Trinity is something that most adults can't even grasp the concept of, let alone kids. So how do we, as parents, navigate all the questions from our kids about the Trinity, when we may not eve understand it all ourselves?

Children are insatiably curious. They ask the most incredible questions and, let’s be honest, sometimes they stump us.

The concept of the Trinity – that there is one God who exists eternally as three Persons – is a particularly tricky one. The truth is that we, as adults, have a hard time wrapping our minds around it, don’t we? So, how are we supposed to explain to our children that we worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but that, in doing so, we worship only one God?

When your kids ask about the Trinity, here are a few ideas you can use when talking with them: 

A little mystery is okay!

First, teach your children that when it comes to God, there is a lot we do know and can understand about Him because He’s revealed it to us in the Bible. For example, we know that He is loving (1 John 4:8), He is forgiving (Romans 4:5), He is just (Romans 3:26).

But because God is so much bigger than we are, there are going to be things we don’t quite understand about Him. The Trinity is one of those things. We can believe it without fully comprehending it – and that’s okay. There are a lot of things we believe, but don’t fully understand.  We may not fully understand how one God exists in three Persons, but we know that we have a Father who loves us, a Savior who died for us, and a Spirit who leads and guides us– and it’s all the same God. We don’t need to have it all figured out to believe it. So, start by getting them comfortable with a bit of mystery when it comes to God.

Use an analogy!

Second, there are a handful of analogies you can use. They aren’t always perfect, but they are helpful when talking with children.  

One good analogy to use when talking about the Trinity is water. Water can exist in three different states – liquid, solid, and steam. But it’s all water. It’s one thing.

Another is an egg. An egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and the whites. But it’s one thing. It’s an egg.

A third one is a candle. It’s wax, a wick, and a flame. For a candle to do what it’s meant to do, you need all three parts, but it’s still one thing.

Of course, all of these analogies fall short of capturing an infinite God. But they can help as you begin speaking to your kids about this aspect of our amazing God!

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