“Children are naturally curious about the really profound mysteries and deeply appreciative of universal and enduring values,” writes Edith Hunter in Conversations With Children. For 5 to 8 year olds, this curiosity manifests in lots of questions about what is real, what is true, and what is fair. They want to know “why” about everything. One psychologist has called this age “the bookkeeper stage.” Children of this age want to keep track of everything and find out for themselves. This is an ideal age to “do” religious education at home. Listen for questions from your children about why you go to church, or celebrate certain holidays, or what happens to people when they die. If your children are not particularly talkative, you may need to initiate the discussion yourself when some event—like the death of a relative, or your town’s holiday tree lighting—triggers a teachable moment.

Questions in the Middle Childhood section might also be pertinent to your child.