How do I help my child love the Bible?
I don't want my kids to read the Bible because I make them. I want them to read the Bible because they love it!
There are a couple of things I'm intentional about, but I have to remember that ultimately, I can't change my kids' hearts. Only God can do that.
4 Ways I Help My Kids Love the Bible:
1. I let my kids see how much I love God's Word.
For our family Bible time, we read through the Bible one section at a time and talk about it. This has worked for us ever since my kids were young and using storybook Bibles. Now that they're older and have "grown-up" Bibles, we usually read one chapter at a time. As we read together and discuss, my kids see me get excited about the connections we make and new facts we discover. And excitement is contagious!
2. I help them discover rather than preaching.
The great thing about discussions is that my kids don't see me as teaching or preaching. (They're plenty smart enough to see that I'm guiding though.) I ask big questions that challenge them and make them think, such as, "If God is kind, why did He tell the Israelites to kill everyone in a village, including women and children?" That's a tough one. We have to dive deep and consider God's character and plan to understand why He made certain choices and commands. This keeps us jumping around and making connections throughout the Bible. When the kids figure something out themselves (with my subtle guidance), they take ownership of that belief. And the Bible becomes personal to them.
3. We study what interests them.
We do read straight through the Bible, but there are so many ways you can direct the teaching from a passage of Scripture. For example, five pastors could preach on the same chapter of the Bible and each highlight something totally different—they wouldn't all preach the same sermon. I do go into our Bible times with a certain direction in mind, but if my kids want to take the discussion in a different direction, I go with it! So much learning takes place when I follow them down rabbit holes! And they enjoy it.
4. We make time for the Bible.
Our days are crazy sometimes, but Bible time is a priority. It doesn't happen at the same time each day or for the same amount of time, and some days we don't get to it. But it happens. Consistently. Kids won't learn to love the Bible if they don't read it!
What if I want to discuss the Bible but don't have time to plan?
We've got you covered! We have discussion guides for several books of the Bible, starting with Genesis. And why wouldn't you start in Genesis? That's where we meet God and see His plan start to unfold. Genesis is the foundation upon which the rest of the Bible is built. It's essential. And it's fun!
- Creation: All the science that goes with it
- The Fall: Why we need Jesus
- The Flood: Which animals got on the ark, how they fit, how they were fed, how the flood reshaped the earth
- The Tower of Babel: New languages, genetics, why we look different but racism doesn't make sense (we all come from one family—Noah's)
- Abraham's Family: God's big promises that set the stage for the rest of the Bible
- The 12 Tribes: How Joseph ended up in Egypt to save them from starvation (which could lead to an interesting study on ancient Egypt)
So much fun stuff in Genesis to discuss! If you don't have time to research and plan for the exciting things in Genesis, our Bible study has everything you need—discussions, optional activities, and additional books and articles in case you want to go down rabbit holes with your kids!
