Helping Foster Children Explore Their Faith Through Reading
Faith can offer comfort, connection, or confusion for children in care. In this blog, we explore how reading together can help foster children gently explore their beliefs, ask questions, and understand what faith means to them—all within a safe, open environment led by curiosity, care, and mutual respect.
Faith means something different for everyone. For children in care, it may give them a sense of belonging and hope for the future, but it could also trigger painful memories or confusion as they try to make sense of their experiences.
Either way, part of your role as a foster parent is helping the children you care for explore their faith, so they can work out what it means to them.
You may already celebrate religious festivals together, take them to services, or help them connect with community groups. But what if there were a way to help a child explore their faith in a low-pressure way – something you could do together, where they can ask questions without fear of judgment?
The good news is, there already is – reading! In this article, we’ll take a closer look at why a child’s faith matters, how books can support their faith journey, and give you some tips to get started.
Why nurturing a child’s faith matters
Imagine you’re a child, and in your birth home, religion was a big part of your life. You said your daily prayers, went to religious meetings, and spent time with people who shared the same faith. Whether you truly understood the meaning or not, it became routine and something that you could rely on, no matter what you were going through.
Then, you move into care, and your relationship with your faith changes. Maybe you rely on it more than ever to help you cope. Perhaps you feel lost or confused because your faith didn’t stop the experiences that led you into care. Or you may even start to feel disconnected from it because you never fully understood it, or because your foster family doesn’t share the same faith or practices it differently.
Whatever the case, when religion has been a huge part of your life, it becomes part of who you are, shaping the way you view the world and how you see yourself.
When children move into care, they have to let go of so much – family, friends, school, belongings, and their community. Keeping their faith alive can help them stay connected with who they are and give them the strength to move forward. It can also help them discover what their faith really means to them.
That’s why it’s so important to nurture a foster child’s faith. It gives them the chance to explore their religion, ask questions and build their own relationship with it in a safe and nurturing environment.
How reading can support a child’s faith journey
If you read a sentence from a religious text to a child about faith, grace, sin, or salvation, they’d probably find it difficult to understand. But when these ideas are transformed into colourful illustrations, rhymes, and everyday language, it not only makes their faith more accessible but also brings it to life.
For example, if you wanted to teach a child about forgiveness, reading a story about two children their age falling out could make the idea more relatable because they may have experienced it themselves. It also demonstrates that faith isn’t just about religious buildings and sacred places; it’s a guide that can help them navigate relationships, choices, and challenges that come their way.
Stories spark curiosity
When you read stories to your foster child about miracles, prophets, or heaven, it will likely spark their curiosity and invite them to ask questions. This gives them a chance to make sense of their religion and begin their journey of discovering what faith means to them.
For a foster child trying to process their experiences, understand who they are, and where they belong, stories about a loving Higher Power who accepts them just as they are could bring them comfort, reassurance, and hope.
But it could also mean they struggle with their faith. They may wonder why a loving Higher Power didn’t stop what happened to them. When you read and talk about their religion together, you can remind them that they’re still deeply loved, haven’t been forgotten about, and their story isn’t over.
Over time, this could help them heal, rediscover their faith, and imagine a brighter future.
Tips to help nurture a child’s faith through reading
If you’d like to start reading to the child in your care about their faith, here are some tips to help you get your started:
Let them take the lead
As we’ve already mentioned, faith is personal to each individual. So it’s important to keep this in mind and let your foster child take the lead when you begin introducing books about their faith at story time.
You could start by selecting one or two books and asking them if they’d like to read them. If they say no, reassure them that it’s okay and let them know the books are there if they want to read it in the future.
Make it routine
If you haven’t already, make shared reading part of your daily routine. You’ll both look forward to story time, where the distractions of daily life melt away and it’s just you, your foster child and a story.
Not only will this help strengthen your bond, but if reading about their faith becomes as routine as daily prayers or other rituals, it will help them make the connection between what they read and how they live.
As time goes on, faith will become something they don’t just read about, but something they experience in the loving, trusting, and quiet moments you share together.
Bring the story to life
No matter how interesting a story may seem, children sometimes get bored. But there are creative ways you can bring a story to life and make it more captivating. Here are some examples:
- Use different voices for each character in the book. They could all have distinct accents or silly voices, whatever fits the story’s theme.
- Show the character’s emotions in your facial expressions. Whether they’re sad, surprised, angry, or happy, let your foster child see it on your face.
- Pick some props that help you tell the story, such as their favourite toys, which could become the characters in the book.
- Dress up, so your outfit matches the theme of the book.
- Add some sound effects using saucepans, instruments, or whatever else you have around to mimic thunder, rain, or howling wind.
Give them time for reflection
Give your foster child time and space to reflect on the stories you’ve read together.
If they’re young, you could ask them to draw a picture of how the story made them feel. If they’re a bit older, you could buy them a journal where they can write about their faith journey and what it means to them.
Religion encourages us to think about the big things in life, such as love, loss, forgiveness, and purpose, and a child may need time for these ideas to sink in. Reflection doesn’t just help them process the story, but also their own thoughts, feelings and questions that are stirred up as they begin to connect their faith with their experiences.
Choose age-appropriate books
Make sure the books you read about faith with the child in your care are suitable for their age and understanding. Many children in care have had their education disrupted, and their trauma can affect the way they learn or retain information. This means some foster children may need to read books designed for younger children.
If you’re stuck for ideas, here are some links to faith-based online bookshops where you’ll find huge collections of stories for children of all ages that will help them learn about their faith:
- Muslim Children’s Books
- Eden Christian Books
- Lehmanns – books for Jewish children
- The Written Message – books for Sikh children
Remember: You don’t have to buy books; you can also visit your local library. If they don’t have the books you’re looking for, some libraries will order them in for you, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Lean on support
Here at ACS, our support for foster parents includes links to local mosques, synagogues, churches and other community groups who can help you nurture your foster child’s faith.
We also organise regular peer group meetings, where you’ll share your experiences with other foster parents. They’ll be able to offer you their advice and guidance on how to engage your foster child in learning about their faith and also provide their book recommendations.
You can always talk to your supervising social worker or call our out-of-hours hotline. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, we’re here for you 24/7.
