Catechism for Kids, a Baptist Catechism to Use at Home

A catechism for kids is a short set of questions and answers that teaches the main truths of the faith, and Baptist families have a catechism of their own. You can use it in family worship by taking one question and answer a week, saying it together each day and connecting it to the Scripture you read.

The word catechism sounds heavy. In practice a parent asks, a child answers, and the answer is a sentence that gathers what the Bible teaches on one point. Here is what a catechism is, which one Baptists use, how to teach it a week at a time and where it stops, because it is a help to the Bible and never a replacement for it.

What a catechism is

A catechism teaches by question and answer. Paul told Timothy, “Hold the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). A good catechism gives children a pattern of sound words that they can carry in their minds, so that when they are older they have a clear shape for what they believe.

The Baptist Catechism

The Baptist Catechism, often called Keach's Catechism, was published in the 1690s, and it follows the pattern of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, with changes that reflect Baptist beliefs about baptism and the church. Charles Spurgeon published a catechism of his own in 1855, called A Puritan Catechism, drawn from the Westminster and Baptist catechisms. Both are in the public domain, and many editions online include Scripture proofs.

Among the early questions is one about the purpose of our lives, and the answer is that we exist to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Paul puts the first half this way, “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

How to use a catechism for kids, one question a week

1. On Monday, ask the question and give the answer aloud. Ask the children to say it back.
2. From Tuesday to Friday, repeat it at the end of family worship, and ask what a word in it means.
3. On the weekend, see if the children can say it from memory, and thank God for what it teaches.
4. Find a verse in your Bible reading that fits the answer, and read it with them.

If you are reading the session for Titus chapter 2, where Paul speaks of sound doctrine, a catechism answer gives your children a way to remember what the chapter taught.

Connect each answer to the Bible

A catechism answer is a summary, and the Bible is the source. After you say the answer, open your Bible to a verse that supports it, and read it. Children learn that these answers rest on God's Word. If a question is too hard for a young child, wait and come back in a year.

What a catechism cannot do

A child who knows the whole catechism by heart has learned a great deal, and has not for that reason been born again. Words recited from memory can sit beside a cold heart. The catechism teaches the gospel, and the gospel calls every one of us to turn from sin and trust in Christ, who died for sinners and rose again. So we teach the answers, we pray that the Lord would use them, and we call each child to believe.

Questions parents ask

At what age can children begin a catechism?

A family can begin with the simplest questions at about age four or five, and repeat them often. A catechism suits school-age children well, and can be taken up again at any age.

Which catechism should we use?

Ask your pastor which one your church uses, and follow his advice.

Pick a question this week and say the answer together after you read the Bible. The worship page has a session for every chapter, and you can give here if you would like to help other families teach the faith to their children. May the Lord give your children a firm hold on the truth.