What do you picture when you hear the phrase “Bible Study?”
Maybe you picture highlighters, piles of commentaries & notebooks full of profound thoughts you’ve jotted down.
Maybe you envision a group of friends, sitting with cups of coffee and discussing what they’re learning.
Whatever you picture, most of us don’t envision children or families diving into the Bible together.
When we think about Bible reading – or on a deeper level – Bible study with our families – most pictures are of chaos, arguments (why do they always seem to happen when we’re trying to do something spiritual!?) and frustration.
While Bible reading can seem like an impossible task with our families, I believe it is an important and influential experience for our kids.
People have been reading and studying God’s Word with their families for thousands of years – and I believe that we can too.
Perhaps it’s not the practice, but our approach to it that makes it feel impossible.
Check out these words from Deuteronomy 6:
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
When God first shared these commands with the Israelites, they weren’t just meant for the “grown-ups.”
God commanded the people to share these commands with their children.
Notice that God doesn’t ask them to share the commands with them by sitting down with highlighters and commentaries – but by making God’s words a part of their everyday life.
When it comes to Bible study, perhaps the best thing we can do for our children is to make it part of our everyday life.
Here are some practical suggestions:
- Read the Bible daily! Find a Bible that works for your family, and integrate it into your daily routine. Consider doing it in the morning at the breakfast table, at dinner, or as your kids go to bed. If you’re looking for a great Bible, here are some of my favorites:
– Laugh & Grow Bible from Phil Vischer
– Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible
– The Spark Story Bible
– NIV Adventure Bible: Polar Edition (This is the Bible I give out in my ministries!) - Work the Bible into daily conversation. Don’t make worksheets or activity sheets the way your kids always study the Bible. This can work for some kids and some learning styles, but the best way to dive into the Bible together is to talk about it! Help your kids discuss the Bible together by using questions like “What was your favorite part of that story today?” or looking for things that remind you of the passage you’ve read and bringing them up. Be honest with them! For example, if you’re reading Matthew 6 and Jesus’ command of “do not worry!”, share with your kids a moment where you feel anxious during the day, and how you’re trying to listen to Jesus’ voice and not worry!
- Do it together! Especially if you have older kids or teens, there are so many methods of formal Bible study that might be beneficial. Make it a special routine that you can do together. Bible Study seems so much more appealing when it becomes something special you do as a family (especially if there’s hot chocolate, a snack or exclusive “parent time” involved). Our free Inductive Bible Study Guide is meant to introduce a simple, surefire method of Bible study for parents & older kids. There are also some great family Bible reading plans on the YouVersion app that could really help make study a part of your plan.
- Don’t shy away from questions. Kids will ask hard questions about the Bible – some of which you might know the answer too! And that’s okay. I actually think it’s an important part of building a lifelong, foundational faith. Let kids ask their questions, and search out answers together! I am a firm believer when it comes to Bible study, kids don’t need leaders and parents who have all the answers, as much as ones who are willing to hold their questions and help them find answers. If you’re looking for some high quality resources to help you explore questions, I recommend:
- I love the “Curious Kids’ Guide” series for elementary age and even middle school kids! They are wonderfully illustrated and have such great information inside! Check them out here.
- This book is getting a little harder to find, but I love this Illustrated Bible Dictionary. It’s a great way for kids to learn about the history and roots of words, places or people in the Bible.
- “If I Could Ask God Anything” by Kathryn Slattery is a great book to have on hand for all those tough Bible and faith questions!
- Integrate technology! It’s no secret that our kids are digital natives – and we can use that to our advantage. There are some great digital tools that exist for helping kids study the Bible! Helping them become familiar with those tools is a great way to use technology to your advantage. To start, I highly recommend checking out the resources at Minno (especially What’s in the Bible!), Mr.Phil TV, family reading plans on the YouVersion App, and of course the favourite Bible App for Kids for your littles!
I hope that these tools can help you & your families dive into God’s Word this year.
To help make Bible reading and study a part of your everyday life, we’ve created a brand new resource called “Let’s Talk About It!’ This resource includes questions in 4 categories – “Understand” “Think” “Reflect” & “Do” – meant to help families have meaningful conversations about the Bible!
