Jesus said so! "Suffer the little children to come to Me, for of such is the Kingdom of heaved”. This is something that must not be overlooked. The child not only needs spiritual instruction; it can also have a spiritual experience. School authorities would agree with the former, but would frown on the latter, particularly if it was encouraged in the schools.
Teachers are therefore asked not to teach dogma. One appreciates that this is a sensitive point, especially if denominational dogma is taught. An experienced Christian teacher however will know how far to take a child, and irrespective of what happens in the classroom, the child can come to Christ.
The question of age always comes into the subject of child conversion, usually with the comment, "Do they know what they are doing?" That is a fair question, and no one should try to introduce a child into something for which they are not prepared.
The same question of course could be asked of some adults! Most children will respond favourably to things which seem right, and they sometimes give answers that they know will please the questioner. Not many young children will answer negatively when asked if they love Jesus. Of course they do, they also love mummy and daddy, their teddy bear and hot dogs!
An affirmative reply is therefore not the final criterion in the matter. This should not deter us, but cause us rather to approach them sensitively, because there are thousands of people who received Christ at a very early age.
There is need not only to counsel them how to come to Christ, but most importantly to help them to grow in grace, because they will be wanting to receive baptism in water and the communion elements.
I have generally regarded the age of 12 as a reasonable time for either ordinance, but where there is a doubtless work of grace in a younger child, that must be considered, and in such cases some consultation between the parents and the Church leadership would be required. The parents are in the best position to know the reality of the child's experience.
One must be ready to be confronted by friends of such children who have not come to a spiritual experience. Children like to do things together with their friends, and a refusal may raise difficulties. One must be realistic, and such cases must be dealt with very carefully.
A child has the capacity to receive spiritual truths when it is converted, so we must not limit their instruction to just Bible stories. We must bring to bear the great themes of Scriptures.
In one discussion I had with children I asked them to give their reasons why they thought God created the world, and the responses showed that they had the capacity to consider serious issues.
Let us not forget that children are not just the Church of tomorrow, they are also the Church of today!