Posted by Art & SoulWorks
Sooner or later a child on your lap will ask where heaven is, who lives there, and whether they will see someone they miss. Grandparents hear it in the car. Parents hear it after lights-out. The question sounds sudden. It rarely is. Children have been turning it over for days.
The kindest way to answer is also the oldest. Open the Bible first. Tell them what Jesus said. Then, if they want a story they can see and touch, put a children’s book in their hands.
Start with what Jesus already told us
Jesus did not leave heaven as a mystery for scholars. He spoke to friends who were worried. “In my Father’s house are many rooms,” He said. “I go to prepare a place for you.” That is a sentence a six-year-old can hold. Heaven is God’s home. Jesus is getting it ready. The people who love Him will be with Him.
He also made His feelings about children unmistakable. When grown-ups tried to keep the little ones back, Jesus was indignant. “Let the children come to me.” The kingdom of heaven belongs to people who come like that—open-handed, unembarrassed, sure they are wanted.
Those two pictures are enough for a first talk with a child between 4 and 8: a real home, and a Savior who wants them near.
Keep the first talk short
One verse. One plain sentence. One question. Then stop.
You might say, “Heaven is where God lives. Jesus loves you, and He is making a place for the people who love Him.” Read John 14:2–3 or Matthew 19:14. Ask, “What do you think it would feel like to be with Jesus?” Wait longer than feels comfortable. Children fill the quiet if we let them.
Close with safety, not a test. “You can ask me again tomorrow.”
Save the hard answers for when they ask
You do not have to cover death, pets, and salvation in one sitting. When those questions do come, give the child one true line and keep the longer help for yourself.
If someone has died: “Their body stopped working. The part of them that loves you is with Jesus. It is all right to be sad.” Do not say they “went to sleep” or that “God needed another angel.” Use the person’s name. Admit you are sad too.
If they ask about a baby the family lost: “That little one is with Jesus. He loves children—even the ones we only got to hold for a little while.”
If they ask about a pet: “God loves what He made. The Bible pictures a peaceful world where animals are not afraid. We can trust Him with the animals we love.”
If they ask how someone gets to heaven: “Jesus made the way. We tell Him we are sorry, we believe He loves us, and we want to follow Him.” Invitation, not scare. John 3:16 is enough.
A fuller set of parent scripts, verses to read aloud, and a four-night reading plan lives on our guide page: How to Teach Children About Heaven from the Bible.
When they want a book they can hold
After Scripture, many children ask to see it. That is the right moment for the books Colton Burpo and his parents wrote so families would not have to invent the next sentence alone.
Heaven Is for Real for Little Ones is the board book gift set—short, bright, and made for a grandparent’s lap. Heaven Is for Real for Kids is the illustrated hardcover for ages 4–8, told kid to kid, with a letter to parents, Bible verses, a Q&A, and a prayer of salvation.
If you still have adult questions, read Heaven Is for Real by Todd Burpo yourself first. The children’s editions work best when the grown-up already knows the family story.
Colton’s account is not a substitute for the Bible. It is a doorway. Millions of families used it to start a conversation they were afraid to begin. Scripture remains the foundation. The books help a child ask for one more page.
Shop the Heaven Is for Real Store
Keep the full verse list and talking scripts nearby: the complete teaching guide. And when you are ready to put a book in a child’s hands, everything is together in the Heaven Is for Real Store.
Want the shorter version to share? Read the companion blog post.
Art & SoulWorks