Tactics and Tools

Using Call Outs to Teach Spiritual Truths to Your Kids

Author Tim Barnett Published on 09/21/2017

If you’re like me and you have young kids, you’re always on the lookout for effective ways to help them learn. My wife and I send our girls to Innova Academy, which is a Classical Christian School that follows the trivium approach to learning.

Trivium means “three ways” and refers to the three components of classical study: grammar (mastery of knowledge), logic (ability to reason), and rhetoric (eloquent communication).

My oldest child has just entered the grammar stage. This is the stage where we lay a solid foundation that she will spend the rest of her life building upon. Kids this age have a natural ability to absorb information. Now is the time to take advantage of that. Here’s how.

If your kids are like mine, they love memorizing. One fun and effective means of helping your child memorize information is through call outs. Call outs are straightforward. The parent calls out a word or phrase, and the child responds.

We find that dessert time at the dinner table works best for running through these call outs. Keep it laid-back. Have fun. And be amazed at how your kids grow in their knowledge of God and the Christian faith.

Here are some call outs to try at home.

Call Outs on the Attributes of God

Parent: God is holy.

Student: God is altogether set apart from this world. He is perfect and there is no trace of evil in His character.

Parent: God is immutable.

Student: God does not and cannot change.

Parent: God is impeccable.

Student: God is incapable of being tempted or sinning.

Parent: God is omnipotent.

Student: God alone is all-powerful.

Parent: God is omnipresent.

Student: God alone is present everywhere.

Parent: God is omniscient.

Student: God alone is all-knowing.

Parent: God is sovereign.

Student: God orders and rules over everything.

Call Outs on the Gospel

Parent: The Gospel.

Student: The good news of Jesus Christ.

Parent: We are sinners.

Student: We deserve the eternal wrath of God.

Parent: Jesus Christ.

Student: God came to rescue us.

Parent: Crucified.

Student: Jesus took God’s wrath.

Parent: Jesus was resurrected.

Student: He defeated the death that we deserve.

Parent: I can be saved.

Student: Not by works, but by faith in Christ.