Explaining Baptism to a 5 year old

[HobbitintheWind]

Monday is going to be a big day for me, after 9 years of marriage we are finally having our con validation ceremony that evening. Our two daughters, age 5 and nearly 3 will also be baptized that night! My 5 year old is a smart cookie and very inquisitive, I know she’ll have a lot of questions and I want her to understand what an important and wonderful event this is in our lives. What’s the best way to tell her what baptism is and means for her in a way she will understand?

 

[Jozefo]

Monday is going to be a big day for me, after 9 years of marriage we are finally having our con validation ceremony that evening. Our two daughters, age 5 and nearly 3 will also be baptized that night! My 5 year old is a smart cookie and very inquisitive, I know she’ll have a lot of questions and I want her to understand what an important and wonderful event this is in our lives. What’s the best way to tell her what baptism is and means for her in a way she will understand?

We told our young daughter that being baptized showed the world that she was adopted into God’s family.

 

[MJJean]

Congratulations!

I always had a policy of age appropriate honestly with my kids when they were little. I liked to use words they understood and put thing in terms they could relate to. I’d probably go with something like “Baptism is joining the Christian faith. It means you are joining God’s family.” and then answer any specific questions simply.

My own kids are 19, 14, and 12. We weren’t Christian for most of their lives. Now that my husband has returned to Catholicism and I am converting, our daughter (the 14 year old) is doing RCIA and will have her Rite of Welcoming in a couple weeks. Your thread has reminded me that she will eventually be Baptized. I can’t wait! I’ll cry like a baby.