Teaching Your Kids To Love The Bible
"Teach these words of mine to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:19
A love for God's Word is a precious gift we can pass on to our children. With the omnipresence of technology, how can we instill this love in the hearts of our young ones? Here are some practical steps you can take to guide your children towards a lifelong love for the Bible.
Regular Bible Reading
It's often said that a love for God’s Word is more caught than taught. Allow your children to see you engaged with the Bible every day. At bedtime, read Scriptures that pique their interest. It might be beneficial to start with a children's Bible that has pictures and easy-to-follow stories.
Take Action: Make Bible reading a regular part of your family routine – not just during Christmas or Easter, but every day. Start your morning off with reading God’s Word, modeling the importance of starting your day spending time with Jesus! For your kids, The Action Bible is a great Bible that is written in cartoon form, which makes it easier to understand.
Narrating Bible Stories
Stories captivate young minds, and the Bible is full of them. Share different biblical stories each day and make it engaging by reading with emotion from modern translations. As they grow, encourage them to read the stories aloud.
Take Action: From the ark of Noah to the resurrection of Christ, engage your kids with a variety of compelling Bible stories.
Memorizing Scripture
Children's memory skills are phenomenal. Help them utilize this skill by memorizing one verse together each week. This not only improves their recall, but also aids in applying God’s truths in their lives. Begin with verses that outline God’s plan of salvation such as Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, and Romans 10:13.
Take Action: Create a fun and interactive memorization plan for learning scriptures. Develop a reward system for when they successfully memorize verses. Repetition and incentives can effectively motivate learning. You could print a blank calendar from the web and put a star sticker on every day they practice their verse. Or even have them call grandparents or family friends to share their verses. This is a great way to show what they’ve learned and receive encouragement. And make sure your kids are a part of FC Kids on Sundays, where they will be learning and memorizing scripture as well!
Begin Now
The best time to start instilling a love for God’s Word in your kids is today! Whether they are newborns or 10 years old, it is never too early to give them this foundation for their lives.
Take Action: This week, start taking concrete steps to help your children develop a love for the Scriptures. You can start tonight! Read a Bible story together before bedtime and point out one thing that you learned from the story. Then simply pray together.
Nurturing a love for the Bible in your kids sets them on a rewarding path of spiritual growth and understanding. Helping them develop these habits will give them a strong foundation to build their lives on