Helping Your Kiddos Navigate The Bible

A BACK TO BASICS foundation we want our kids to learn is how to navigate the Bible.  We want them to fall in love with God’s word so that it becomes a natural part of their life. Navigating the Bible helps kids understand that the Bible is real and true.  Here are a few activities you can do at home:

·       Be sure that your child has their own Bible to hold and love. 

·       For little ones as you are reading books to them, include Bible stories.  You can purchase some great Bible story books with pictures and words for them.

·       Call the Bible, “God’s Word” and let the children know that the words in the Bible are true. Let them touch the words in the Bible or Bible story book as you read. It makes the Bible real and valuable to them.

·       The Bible is one big story.  It is God’s story, and it helps the kids see the Big Story if we teach kids the chronology of the Bible.   You don’t have to lay out an extensive timeline of human history alongside a biblical timeline.  But it helps kids to see the Bible as a Big story when the Bible story is in its appropriate chronological context.  Helping kids understand what was happening in time or what happened in the stories before the story you are reading paints a chronological picture for them. They can begin to see where they fit into the Big Story.

·       As you tell a Bible story or learn scripture, help kids find it in their Bible or in your Bible.  Point to the words for non-readers. Let readers find it and read from their Bible.

·       Show kids how to use the table of contents in the Bible to find a location of a story or verse.

·       As a family learn the books of the Bible.  You don’t have to learn them all at one time.  Break them into groups or have specific time of the week you work on saying them.  There are Books of the Bible songs on itunes and you tube that are great fun for kids to watch and listen to. Choose a style of music that best fits your family and begin practicing.  The car is a great place to sing the Books of the Bible.  Even now as an adult, if you learned a Book of the Bible song as a kid, you can admit with me that we sometimes have to sing the song as we are looking for scripture.  If you as a parent don’t know the books of the Bible, you will have fun learning them with your children. We want our kids to learn how to say the Books of the Bible and how to use the concordance to find them.

·       Help your kids understand that each verse has an address; a chapter and a verse.  It helps them learn how to look up things for themselves as they become more familiar with the Bible. As navigation of the Bible becomes easier for children, they can begin to do it themselves.

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to let your children see you reading your Bible.  Let them know you love being in God’s word.