Quick Summary: Things to Teach Your Kids About Purity
Teaching your kids about purity is more than a one-time “talk.” It’s about guiding them to honor God with their hearts, minds, and bodies in everyday life. The four most important things to teach your kids about purity include:
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Physical purity in relationships
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Emotional purity in relationships
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Purity in dress
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Purity of mind
When parents start these conversations early and weave them into daily life, kids gain a biblical foundation that helps them stand strong against cultural pressures.
How do you teach your children about purity? For many parents, this can feel awkward or intimidating—but it’s one of the most important conversations you’ll ever have. Teaching your kids about purity isn’t just about “the talk”; it’s about laying a biblical foundation that helps them honor God with their hearts, minds, and bodies. In my earlier post, Keeping Your Kids Pure, I shared why purity matters. In this follow-up, we’ll look at what the Bible says about purity and four key truths you can begin teaching from a young age to guide your children in God’s ways.
How do you teach kids about purity?
1. PHYSICAL PURITY IN RELATIONSHIPS
We need to start teaching our kids from a young age the importance of not touching/no physical contact with the opposite gender. Teach them that other than hugging and kissing their parents, they should save their hugs and kisses for the person they are going to marry. Those are privileges of marriage and are reserved for your spouse.
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“It is impossible to maintain a pure mind without maintaining a high standard of physical restraint. In USA Today – 85% of single 17 year-olds admitted to having already lost their purity. If Christian young people insist on following the dating standards of the world, then they will live with the results of those standards. On the other hand, 100% of young people who institute a personal no-touch rule and enfore it arrive at the marriage altar morally pure. 100%! ~7 Royal Laws of Courtship
2. EMOTIONAL PURITY IN RELATIONSHIPS
Parents should start planting little seeds when their kids are young. Mention often that God has a special person for them, and encourage them to save their heart for that person.
As they get a little older, encourage them to be emotionally faithful to their future spouse by saving their emotions for that person.
“I saw that I had been involved in the dating scene for purely selfish reasons, without at all considering my future husband or my boyfriends’ future wives. By flirting and spending time with boys, and thus drawing their attention and affections to me, I was actually giving away something meant only for my husband. I had upheld a commitment to abstinence, but I had not understood true purity. I began to see that true purity was rooted in the heart; it meant that every thought, attitude, or emotion I allowed in must be honoring to my future husband and pleasing to God.” -Leslie Ludy
What is the importance of purity? It is very important that you start teaching both aspects of purity in relationships when your kids are young. You want them to understand this before emotional attachments or physical involvement take place.
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3. PURITY IN DRESS
We need to teach our daughters to dress modestly so that they do not cause young men to have impure thoughts.
“Parents need to screen their children’s clothing. Men are responsible to help their wives and daughters understand why this is so important.” – The Purity Principle
Along with this, we need to teach our boys to turn their gaze away when they see inappropriate things. We taught our kids that they couldn’t always control what came into their sight. They could, however, look away rather than continue to gaze or look back at it again. We called this ‘the law of the second glance.’ They may not be able to help seeing it the first time, but they can turn their eyes away and avoid that second glance.
4. PURITY OF MIND
We need to guard what goes into our children’s minds through their eyes and ears. The battle for purity is fought in our minds, and what we are taking into our brains. What’s in our brains is what we allow in through our senses. Images and words will be in our minds from what we see and hear.
Be aware of what your kids are watching on TV, what they are doing on the internet, and what they are reading. Set safeguards and boundaries, and give lots of instruction in this area.
Quick Takeaways: 4 Things to Teach Your Kids About Purity
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Physical purity: Teach healthy boundaries and the importance of saving physical affection for marriage.
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Emotional purity: Encourage saving their hearts and emotions for their future spouse.
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Purity in dress: Model and teach modesty, and help kids guard their eyes.
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Purity of mind: Protect what goes into their minds through media and conversations.
When you consistently guide your kids in these areas, you’ll not only help them stay pure—you’ll equip them to live a life that honors God.
Parents, the battle is real. These 4 important things to teach your kids about purity will take some time and effort on your part, but protecting their purity is worth it!
Even more important than teaching them these principles of purity is encouraging them to have a heart that wants to please God. When they love God, they will desire to please Him with their thoughts and actions.
More Resources About Purity For Kids
Talking To Your Kids About Sex
3 Opinions God Has About Dating
