Asking questions and providing short, simple answers is an effective teaching method that has been used for centuries.

The questions and answers in this book introduce basic Christian beliefs.

Tool 1 is useful for teaching very young children. It provides a strong foundation for further instruction as they grow.

Tool 2 is useful for teaching children and new converts. The answers given are short explanations that create opportunities for further discussion and learning. This teaching is like the frame of a house: It is not complete by itself, but it provides a structure on which to build the details of the Christian faith.

To properly use either of these resources, the answers to each question should be memorized exactly as written. Answers should not be summarized or paraphrased. Instead, the exact words should be recited. Memorizing the exact words helps with long-term memory and helps students learn to be precise.

Set aside 10 minutes every day to review questions and answers from this book. Some families find that mealtimes, when everyone is present, are the best times to study.

Only the person leading the teaching time should have this book in hand. The leader should read the question and then say the answer while the others listen, then say it together.

Repeat the reading of the question and the answer, having the young child follow along. The adult should continue repeating the question. Gradually (over a period of days) the adult should stop saying the answer as the child memorizes the words and can say them without help. The adult asks, the child answers—this is the essence of question-and-answer learning.

Additional Instructions for Tool 2

Add each new question when everyone has nearly memorized the previous answer.

Keep moving down the list, always reviewing, reviewing, reviewing, slowly adding questions when most of the words of the last question-and-answer have been memorized.

When an entire section of questions can be said together, repeat the whole section once a week to help move the answers from short-term memory to long-term memory.

Slowly add new items and continue repetition—these two methods will produce amazing results among students who spend just a little time following the leadership of an interested teacher, friend, or parent. Make the learning session fun and celebrate the student’s success.

You could include questions and answers as a part of daily family worship. You might use them in children’s church services, with competition between groups of children. You could develop additional explanations and illustrations to help the students understand.