Whether your church practices Child Dedications or Infant Baptisms, one of the biggest questions we often hear is: What should I get for the kids and families coming for the dedication or baptism? We’ve seen lots of great ideas throughout the years, but these are some of our favorites!
1. Dedication / Baptism Certificate
Your church or denomination might already have a certificate template you use for this, or you might be on the hunt for a template you can customize. If you are looking for a template to use for a certificate, search “Baby Dedication Certificate”, “Child Dedication Certificate”, or “Infant Baptism Certificate” on a place like Etsy. You’ll find lots of styles and options you can use in your church.
We like to put the certificate in a stiff envelope to help avoid the paper being bent during the busyness of a Sunday morning. We found a woman in our church who loves calligraphy, and she comes in to the church office to write the names of the kids onto each separate envelope.
These are the envelopes we have used for our certificates: Teal Envelopes.
Whatever envelopes you use, make sure they are large enough to fit the certificate. Typically a 9″ x 12″ size works.
2. Storybook Bible
One of my goals for families when they choose to bring their child(ren) for this special event is to encourage them to start reading the stories of Scripture together. Sometimes churches hand out small New Testament Bibles to families, however, these mostly go unused on a shelf rather than being a book the child can interact with to discover the God who loves them and created them.
There are many, many storybook Bibles out on the market, and it can be a little bit overwhelming to search for one your families will love! We like to give families the storybook Bible we keep in our Nursery and Preschool rooms. This way, when kids come to church, they can see a familiar book they know well and connect what they are discovering at church with what they have discovered at home through that same storybook Bible.
Here are some of our favorite storybook Bibles we would recommend:
Frolic First Bible
One of our absolute favorite storybook Bibles is the Frolic First Bible. This board book storybook Bible is one of our kids’ favorites as well. The artwork is fantastic, with wide-eyed characters that accurately depict Jesus and other biblical figures as they might have looked at the time period and from the world area where these stories take place. The Frolic First Bible also is one of those storybook Bibles that doesn’t try to do “fancy footwork” with the Bible stories, but tells them in a straightforward way that keeps the stories appropriate for the age group.
This one is perfect for kids in the 0-2 age range!
Frolic Preschool Bible
A companion to the Frolic First Bible, the Frolic Preschool Bible, contains 40 stories from Scripture, 20 from the Old Testament and 20 from the New Testament. This is a hardcover book with paper pages and goes a little more in depth on each story than the Frolic First Bible does. The artwork is well done again, and while there are more details, the stories are always told in an age-appropriate way while sharing the stories of Scripture!
This storybook Bible is perfect for kids in the 3-5 age range!
I Will Follow Jesus Bible Storybook
We have often given the I Will Follow Jesus Bible Storybook to families with older kids who are coming to be dedicated or baptized. This storybook Bible has a lot more words than either of the Frolic ones, so it’s perfect for beginning readers or kids who want to listen to a longer telling of the stories from the Bible.
The artwork in this one is more whimsical, and sometimes you will turn the book sideways to keep reading, such as in the story of Jesus calling Zacchaeus, adding a fun, interactive element to the book!
This storybook Bible is perfect for kids in the 6-9 age range!
3. Devotional Book for Parents / Caregivers
One of the best ways to partner with parents / caregivers as they share the love of God with their kids is by encouraging them! We love to give the parents / caregivers a devotional book that is directly for them as parents / caregivers. Raising kids is a journey, and any help we can give as Children’s Pastors and Leaders is a must! So here a couple of our favorite devotionals to give parents / caregivers.
Oh Baby: Devotions for New Parents
Oh Baby: Devotions for New Parents is a fun, lighthearted, but encouraging devotional specifically for brand new parents / caregivers. We like to give this one to families with a first child being brought. Parents have remarked how the simple encouragement, Scripture, and prayers have really been a light to them during those good and tough days.
Set up as a daily devotional, this one takes new parents along the journey of parenting as they seek to show the love of God to their child!
Perfect for brand new parents / caregivers!
To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents
This book, To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents is a wonderful collection of prayers parents / caregivers can pray for their kids. We like to give this one to families who may be bringing multiple kids or who are bringing a second or third child.
This is a perfect book for families who follow the liturgical calendar and take part in church seasons such as Lent or Advent. This book also has prayers for all kinds of situations including everything from starting a new day at school to prayers for when a child hears sees something scary on the news.
These are some of families’ favorite church events when they see a child brought before God for a dedication or baptism. These are a few simple ways to encourage the kids and parents / caregivers in your church on these special occasions! Whatever you gift to the kids / families, the key is to find something that will encourage them in their faith as they discover the God who calls them, loves them, and created them!