Find a childhood picture of yourself and bring it with you to your child’s bedtime.  Ask your child to guess who it is in the picture and give hints if necessary.
 
Reveal that it is you in the picture, and ask your child what they think life was like for you at that time.  Let them describe your home, playtime, school, etc. as they picture it.  Then tell them the real story.  Be honest, but positive, in your details.  (This is not the time to share major dysfunctions from your childhood.)
 
Talk about what kinds of things you liked to do as a child, trying to find both similarities and differences from your own child’s current life.  
 
Ask your child if they think you would have been friends if you were both little kids together.  Talk about some of the friends you had growing up and what you liked about them.  (Try to point out some of the traits of your friends that you would like to see in your own children.)  Ask your child what things they like about some of their friends.  Help them identify traits they value.  For example, if your child says they like Suzie because she shares her stuff at school, then say, “So you like it when people are kind and generous.”
 
Tell them how God was or was not a part of your life growing up.  Explain why you think God is important now and why you want them to learn as much about God as possible.  Explain what you want them to learn about God and their own faith.  Discuss how you might do things different from your own parents.  (Again, being as positive as possible.  This is not the time to bash your parents.)
 
Ask your child if they enjoyed hearing some of your stories.  Tell them that maybe you can start doing this on a regular basis.  (It’s important for your children to hear your faith stories and your lessons from life.  This allows them to see you as human, fallible and real to them.  And you can show them how God has been at work in your life.)