I love the Training Young Hearts series for kids. These are concrete, practical, gospel-centered books that will help young children make meaningful connections.

-David Thomas

Therapist and best-selling author of Raising Emotionally Strong Boys and Are My Kids on Track?

Training Young Hearts

Board Books

These books are designed to equip parents and caregivers not only to respond to developmentally normal negative behaviors in a way that is proactive instead of reactive, but also to equip them to rehearse the truth of the gospel with their children early and often!

The Story Behind the Series


I love using what I like to call “Training Refrains” with my kids. These are repeated words and rituals that we employ consistently to help me to be proactive instead of reactive, and help them to remember what is right. his series was born out of the refrain we use in response to hitting and biting. 

I wanted to not only teach my kids the right and wrong way to use their hands (although that is important), but also to show them that in Christ, they have not only a perfect example, they have a perfect Savior—someone to run to for forgiveness when they do wrong and for help when they want to be better. I wanted my kids to understand that Jesus was a child just like them—that he lived the life they couldn’t, died so they could be forgiven, and was raised in order that they could become like him. As parents and caregivers read these books outside of discipline moments, they’ll establish a framework to reference during moments of discipline. I hope these books will serve your families, communities, and followers well.


The Purpose of the Series


The lift-the-flap board books in the Training Young Hearts series serve as engaging training tools that not only hold out examples of how our bodies should and shouldn’t be used, but also offer a framework for introducing the concepts of repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, and sanctification. Parents and caregivers can refer back to these resources when specific behaviors like biting, hitting, snatching need correcting. Children will be encouraged not only to follow Jesus as their example, but also to look to him for forgiveness when they fail and help when they long to be better. They’ll be reassured of his love for us even when we fail and be comforted by the Holy Spirit’s power to help us. 

The Books in the Series