The decision for when your child begins to take communion is yours and yours alone, as the parent and/or guardian. Be prayerful about it, seeking the Holy Spirit. No one knows your child better than you, and when it comes to a decision like this, trust the Lord’s guidance and your discernment as a parent.
COMMUNION
What is Communion?
Make sure they understand what communion is and what communion isn’t. I recommend starting with Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22. Talk about what Jesus was teaching when He spoke to His disciples and how we continue to remember Jesus’ broken body and shed blood. Be sure to explain that what we are doing is symbolic and not literal. We are not literally drinking Jesus’ blood and eating His body. Communion is not magical.
Why Do We Take Communion?
Teach your child that we take communion because Jesus instructed us to take it and it’s a way of remembering and celebrating what He did for us. 1 Corinthians 11:26 tells us that as often as we eat of the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again.
How Do We Take Communion?
Coach your child through the logistics and the spirit of taking communion. Communion is done differently at every church, so coach them on the proper way to receive and the proper time to partake of the bread and juice. Also, help and encourage them to be in the right mindset. 1 Corinthians 11 gives personal instructions for taking communion and tells a believer to “examine himself” before eating and drinking.