Have you ever wondered how to read the bible with your kids? You want to do it, but just aren’t sure how or where to start? Here a few simple tips on how to read the Bible with your kids!
First, know this; you don’t have to be perfect! You don’t have to know all the answers to do this! My motto is this “do the best you can, when you can!” and that applies here too! Also, if you feel like your kiddo isn’t paying attention or is playing with a toy or is distracted during this, don’t worry! Kids pick up more than you realize. And, we’re not about being perfect here, we’re just about establishing time together with God’s word!
Let’s get started!
Now, let’s get onto the where to start. You can start wherever you would like. I am personally working through reading the story of Esther with my children. They are 8 and 9 years old and they’re so into this story it’s amazing! But, Genesis is a great place to start as well, or maybe a Gospel. If you would like to see more about which books of the Bible are what, check out this post here.
Read one chapter at a time. I love using the Adventure Bible for Kids. It’s easy to read and easy for the kids to understand. You can find a link for that here. If your child can read, maybe take turns reading a handful of verses. If not, you can just read it to them. Keep it short and sweet. I do one chapter at a time unless my kids beg for more. We sometimes do two to three depending. But, the goal is one at a time.
Summarize
After we’ve read the chapter or chapters we want to read for our time together, we recap. Sometimes my kids are excellent at summarizing what we just read. Other times, I help them out. We try to keep it short and concise and put what we read about into just 2-3 sentences. This helps us all retain and internalize what we just read.
Context
It’s never too early to start talking about context of scripture with your kids. In order to properly read and understand the Bible, we need to learn how to investigate context. Ask your kids who they think this was originally written to? Do you think they believed in God? What do you think those original hearers might have heard reading this? You and your kids may not have all the answers to this, but it doesn’t mean we don’t start asking the questions. They’re things to think about as you continue to read, learn and study together!
Affirmations of God
It’s also never too early to start talking about the character of who God is with our children! Ask them what they can learn about who God is from this scripture? Is he powerful? All knowing? Does he give peace? What do we see God doing in this text? These are all great questions to start asking. Again, keep it simple! One or two are awesome to point out depending on the ages of your kids and what you’re reading. The point of this is to get them comfortable in searching for God and what he reveals to us about himself through scripture.
Application
The last step is application. Ask you kiddos how it might apply to them. Remind them and ourselves, the Bible is not about us – it’s about God. But, how can we apply this to our own lives. Maybe give them an example of your own, telling them how God gifted you peace or showed you his faithfulness. Maybe God didn’t change your circumstances but he changed your heart. Whatever the case, our kids love to hear from us. They’re always listening and watching, aren’t they?
This is again, gets our minds working as we read the Bible with kids. We don’t always have to have all of the answers and it most certainly doesn’t need to look perfect. But these simple steps and questions equips us and our children to turn our eyes and hearts to Jesus as we read his word.
Closing Prayer
Lastly, we close in prayer. Here is a simple prayer you can pray with your kids. Of course feel free to change it up as it fits your needs.
“Lord Jesus, Your word is holy & true, it never returns void. We thank you and praise you for your love. Lord God, let the truth of who you are in your holy word take deep root in our heart now. We trust you, we love you. In Jesus name, Amen”
God never asks us to be perfect, but my heart is assured that as we plant these small seeds of spending time together in God’s word, God will meet us. He will grow truth in our hearts and connect us together as “Adelphio” which is greek for a bond of brotherly and sisterly love, rooted in Christ.
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