How do I answer my child when I do not know the answer?

Say so, kindly: 'That is a wonderful question. I do not know for sure, but let us find out together.' This models honesty and shows that faith and curiosity belong together. It also keeps your child bringing questions to you rather than hiding them.

What if my child's question makes me doubt too?

That is more common than you think, and it is okay. You can seek answers alongside your child, talk with a trusted pastor or friend, and remember that honest questions have never scared God. Many parents find their own faith grows deeper as they explore with their children.

Is it bad if my child questions God?

No. Questioning is part of a living faith, not the opposite of it. Some of the deepest believers in the Bible asked hard questions. Welcoming your child's questions with love teaches them that God is big enough for their doubts and near enough to be trusted.

Faith for Families

Kids' Questions About God

Children ask big, beautiful questions about God, and you do not need every answer to answer them well. Welcome the question, keep your reply simple and honest, admit what you do not know, and always return to the one thing that is most sure: God is real, God is good, and God loves them. Curiosity is a gift, not a threat, and Jesus honoured the faith of children.

If this is you: your child keeps asking questions you feel unready for, and you are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Breathe. The fact that your child brings these questions to you is a sign of trust. You can meet each one with love, even when you cannot meet it with a full answer.

Welcome the questions

Jesus held up little children as an example of the very faith the Kingdom is built on. Their wondering is not a problem to shut down but a doorway to walk through together.

“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3

Gentle answers to common questions

‘Where is God?’ ‘God is everywhere at once. You cannot see him, but he is always with you, closer than the air.’

‘What does God look like?’ ‘God is a Spirit, so he does not have a body like us. But if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. Jesus showed us God’s kindness.’

‘Why can’t I see God?’ ‘We cannot see love or the wind either, but we know they are real by what they do. We see God in the world he made and in the way he cares for us.’

‘Does God love everyone?’ ‘Yes. God loves every single person he ever made, and there is nothing you could do to make him stop loving you.’

‘Who made God?’ ‘Nobody made God. He has always been. That is one of the things that makes God, God. It is okay that it is hard to imagine.’

Three gentle habits

It is okay not to know. ‘That is a great question. I am not sure, but let us wonder about it together’ is a wonderful answer.
Return to God’s love. Whatever the question, you can always land on the thing that is most certain: God is good and loves them.
Point to Jesus. The clearest picture of what God is like is Jesus, so many questions can end ‘look at Jesus.’

“he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

John 14:9

A next step: Answering the hard questions kids ask →

Frequently asked questions

How do I answer my child when I do not know the answer?: Say so, kindly: 'That is a wonderful question. I do not know for sure, but let us find out together.' This models honesty and shows that faith and curiosity belong together. It also keeps your child bringing questions to you rather than hiding them.
What if my child's question makes me doubt too?: That is more common than you think, and it is okay. You can seek answers alongside your child, talk with a trusted pastor or friend, and remember that honest questions have never scared God. Many parents find their own faith grows deeper as they explore with their children.
Is it bad if my child questions God?: No. Questioning is part of a living faith, not the opposite of it. Some of the deepest believers in the Bible asked hard questions. Welcoming your child's questions with love teaches them that God is big enough for their doubts and near enough to be trusted.

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Come and see, together

Your child's questions are not a test you can fail. They are an invitation to seek God together, and God loves to be sought.

You do not have to have all the answers to raise a child who loves God. The same Jesus who said ‘suffer the little children to come unto me’ welcomes you and your family just as you are. Begin small: read a little of his own story together, say a short prayer at bedtime, and let his love do the growing. A gentle place to start is the Gospel of John.

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Jesus Christ is Lord.

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