Thinking about my book review yesterday, I wanted to follow up with some of my opinions on how to help your kids learn and love the Bible.
At home, I'm a far less formal bible teacher than I imagine many of my friends even know because my free time is spent creating Bible literacy activities for the children from birth through elementary age at our local church. It's also spent giving parents fun, engaging, hands-on ideas to enhance the passages we learn about as a family on Sunday mornings in an intentional book by book of the Bible study. I also love discovering resources to enhance my thinking, learning about important events from the Bible in our local church and in homes. I was disappointed that this book read more like a textbook than it did a book for lay parents to be motivated, feel equipped, and cheered on in the overwhelming consideration as to how to help our children LOVE His word.
First and foremost, as a parent, you need to love and be in the Word. I've had to learn to say to my kids (especially when I'm using an app, my iPad, or my iPhone) that this is Mom's quiet time to be in the Word of God or I'm doing my Bible Study while you ____. But to mention that while they may not see me reading the Word (as my goal is that it is a quiet time- and that happens when they are asleep or not around) so that they know. I learned otherwise they have no idea. So I mention what I'm reading, or that I'm studying. As well as talking about my wonders, my learning, etc.
We attend church consistently as a family. When I serve in our little church during the message time, my kids know that I watch it at home during the week, and I take notes in each of our book studies, in a scripture book journal. That's how I learn. I've asked my kids to share what they learned from the message, in the car as we were talking about note-taking and studying- and with two kids- together they had all the main points- and they didn't take notes! But that was my point, in their lives they will reach a point where they need to take notes on something, as their brother in college was learning this past year. So we talk about the messages together. We serve together. We help each other when we are teaching children in our growing deeper opportunities. I memorize verses or passages to help me dig deeper and process them. I don't do it every day, but in different life seasons, this has kept me healthy, and when I memorize I write (yes I'm consistent) and I often write the verse on my bathroom mirror and review it by copying it or writing from memory on my shower wall that disappears as I shower. So they see it. This helps them know I value it and commit time to it. It works for me- others have different methods- make it your own- just make it known subtly.
Thinking about ways that help my kids develop biblical literacy and love the Word- here are some responses that I wish were in my most recent book review.
Kids love and learn by observing other people- so they can appreciate and learn the Word at home AND it can be reinforced and taught fresh in the local church, in para-church organizations, in small group gatherings, in other families' homes. I believe we need each other to learn, grow, and be accountable, and so do our kids!
Many of these skills- our local church accomplishes in our AWANA program and our Growing Deeper Learning Time (often known as Sunday School).
Our local church children's ministry team also has chosen to spend our summers learning about bible translation, Christian life habits, and disciplines like prayer, giving, sharing the gospel, our testimony, what missionaries do, how we are missionaries no matter where we live, and serving the Lord. We spend the school year teaching the under 8-year-olds a full view of the Old Testament and New Testament Events seeing Jesus in all of the Bible, then seeing who God is in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, and seeing how His character, attributes, and intention in the lives of human beings and how He has given us the Holy Spirit, and how the Holy Spirit helps us once we believe. Our older kids then go through and learn specific doctrine through Bible study and small group discussion.
This is why my children have all participated in Growing Deeper and AWANA clubs, seen both parents volunteer and lead this ministry, and have awards to show their efforts. Our third child, our only girl, got to a point where AWANA was not fun, and she did not enjoy it, so she did not go beyond 3rd grade. But she was able to join a girl-only peer group that focuses on her age in a smaller setting, and it's filled in the hole very well. And this fall, she will be old enough to help at AWANA an area that she looks forward to participating in, as she will be able to be sure children enjoy the club time and control aspects that made her want to quit for other kids.
When your children are little, my thinking is that you read the Word from a child developmentally leveled storybook or storybook Bible that is accurate, expands their knowledge of more and more events from the Bible, and helps them to see who God is and who Jesus is throughout His word. I've also learned that in the past 20 years, it's now possible to have quite an amazing home library of books that enhance biblical literacy, a view of who God is, teach the gospel, prophecy, missions, bible translation, Christian worldview, etc in fun age-appropriate ways that will appeal to children of all learning styles. With rhyme, poetry, visuals, motions, repetition, metaphor, symbols, etc. And that as a parent it's my job to keep these resources around and create readers in my home. My home library of bible storybooks, individual events, holiday fun activities to celebrate advent or count down to Easter when the world is paying a lot of their attention on the secular holiday- we are investing in the real reasons to celebrate.
Part of their DVD or streaming options were biblically fun programs- my daughter ironically enough loved Bibleman, my boys loved Veggietales, The Pond, Boz, and (the unforgettable) Roach Approach. When we talked about being loving and kind to your siblings, we discussed what the Bible had to say about love and how to love others. We still read aloud and count down to Advent as a family with different options and books each year, and repeat the same favorites! So many simple, well-done materials are available in 2021- use them. I stopped buying regular children's books and started purchasing a biblical theme or influenced books, and we go to the library to check out fiction regularly.
I find there are many, many ways to help our kids develop biblical literacy. As a lover of learning, and educator, it's my joy to create biblical education play. I now seek out and purchase play materials that support our learning and remembering what happened in each bible event. So recently, I acquired a stuffed Jesus (like a stuffed animal). I've even been making sure to wear a looped scarf when I teach the gospel, so I can so that Jesus is with me and the center of the Good News. I've purchased soft golden crowns that velcro to different sizes to discuss Jesus as Our King- and my desire to be king of me, because my sin nature wants to disobey, to have my way, to take things, etc. I've laminated images of bible figures- including Jesus- and the world- so we can march and chant or sing about how much Jesus loves me- and the world- or to emphasize I need to share Jesus with the world! It's amazing the power of something visual and a little movement has to get children to remember, to smile, to laugh, and to beg their parents to spend time with Mrs. Poling!
I recently shared the new slideshow I made and laminated to teach the gospel in images to our under 6 kids at church. I don't think I've mentioned that to review and reinforce we put the laminated images on the floor and toss bean bags to them, and share what the image means when our bean bag lands on it. And the kids after reading the different gospel books we have and reviewing- can tell the Good News- and repeat it. I pray that we are helping to mentally tattoo these concepts into their long-term memory. So that they can comfortably share how they know Jesus, and how they have His helper, part of God, the Holy Spirit, living in them, helping them bring glory to God.
This is what whispering the Word to our children looks like for me... how do you whisper the Word to your kids, to your church family, etc.
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