Faith in the News Christian News
What’s the one thing you wish most for your children? Maybe it’s that they are happy. Maybe it’s that they will have fulfilling careers, or great, Godly friends, or that they will be healthy and live long lives. Or maybe, it’s that they will love Christ and follow Him. I know, I know, that’s the “Sunday School answer,” right? That’s what I’m supposed to say, it’s what we’re all supposed to feel. But really, what more could we ask for? If we truly want what’s best for our kids, then Christ has to be the priority. Our children’s relationship with Christ has to be at the top of our wish list (which, really, is more like a prayer list). It can seem so daunting though, to make the necessary time to really engage our kids in the Bible, to really make the Bible come alive for them. But it doesn’t have to be. I’d like to explore three ways I’ve found to make the Bible come alive for children.
The Right Bible
The first, and most important thing I think you can do to make the Bible come alive for your children is to start with the RIGHT Bible. Kids need a special Bible all their own. Your beautiful leather bound red letter edition isn’t going to catch their eye and make them want to learn more about Jesus. But The Adventure Bible will! It has all kinds of ways to really engage your kids in what they are reading. Lots of color, lots of special pages with book introductions, a closer look at some of the famous people of the Bible, loads of info on life in Bible times, activities to help you apply Biblical lessons to daily life, and a lot more. If you start with a fun Bible, your kids are a lot more likely to engage in what they are learning! One of the hardest things about the Bible, even for us as adults, has to be understanding the vast differences between their culture and ours. I find it really helpful when our pastor goes into a little more detail about what a certain word would have meant In Bible times, or what one of Jesus’s parables really meant to the people He was speaking to. So I LOVE that The Adventure Bible has all of these fun, informative sections that go beyond the actual words of the Bible to really explain life back then, or the person we are reading about. It makes the Bible so much more personable too. The Adventure Bible is a great place to start on your quest to engage your kids and make the Bible come alive!
Technology Is Your Friend
In addition to the right Bible, there are a lot of resources out there to help make the Bible come alive for our kids! Remember the phrase “work smarter, not harder?” This applies to teaching your kids about Jesus too. You don’t have to come up with all the ideas! The Adventure Bible gives you a great start, and if you want to add more to engage your kids, think about what they enjoy doing, and then look for resources related to that! For example, my kids love watching their Ipads and love singing and dancing, so one day I thought, let’s see if I can find a short little video to go with our Bible story. Bingo! My kids were immediately engaged and said they really liked “seeing” what we’d just read about in the Bible. Every kid is different, but this helps mine a lot. Or what about music? There are all kinds of fun songs that relate to various Bible stories. We often find a song to listen to after our story. You Tube can be your friend here! Take 5 minutes of your time before Bible story time to look up a video and/or song that relates to what you’re going to be reading so you’re prepared. Along with all the color photos and extra fun sections in The Adventure Bible, videos or music can help your kids understand the Bible reading more. Mine look forward to Bible story time every night! Use what your kids love to help them engage in the Bible stories!
Engagement throughout the Week
One of the best ways I’ve found to make the Bible come alive for my kids is to focus on the same topic or passage all week long, and find ways to engage them in that topic throughout the week, not just during our devotion time. When we learn a verse, I ask them randomly throughout the week if they remember it. When we are faced with a situation related to our lesson, I make a point to bring it up. For example, when my child is scared of something and crying, I ask if they remember what we learned about fear last week (goodbye fear, God is here!) There is plenty of “material” to stay on the same topic or Bible story for a week thanks to all the extra stuff The Adventure Bible shares! Combine the stories and an Activity from The Adventure Bible with a video, a song, and a memory verse, and you’ve easily got a week’s worth of material. Spending a week on the same thing really seems to help my kids better understand and remember what they’ve learned, and I think going a bit deeper than just the Bible story is more fun for them too!
Not so Daunting After all
When you start with the right Bible and utilize all the awesome material right there in front of you, you’ve got a great basis to build on. Add in some technology and activities your kids love, and use moments throughout the week to remind them of what they are learning. It’s really that simple. You don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself – there are a lot of resources to help you! You’ve got this mom and dad!
Julie McConnell
Julie is a life-long Hoosier, wife, and mother of two. When she is not working in her pharmacy, she spends her time with her husband and daughters in Indianapolis. She is a member of Geist Christian Church and enjoys playing outside with her girls, finding fun things to do in Indy, watching football, and reading bedtime stories.