Teaching Kids to Read & Love Their Bibles
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I long for my kids to love the Bible. I grew up in a Jesus loving home, but I didn’t start a regular habit of reading the Bible until I was an adult and it was HARD! Can you imagine the incredible outcome that would ensue if our kids built this habit now? The word of God is active and alive and will train them to hear from Him and to truly love being in His presence. I am still working out how to do this in our home, but I truly believe that when we give our kids the support they need to regularly read the Bible, they will grow closer to Him and want to read it!
We are sharing the things that work for us and the amazing advice we’ve learned from trusted mentors and friends.
Start Them Young
At my last MOPS Speaking event, I met a mom at one of the tables who shared how her 5 year old reads his Bible every single morning, even though he’s not reading entirely on his own yet. She said that they had built in a little routine and it worked well for everyone in her home.
Each night, she puts his special sippy cup of milk in the fridge. Each morning he wakes up, gets dressed, makes his bed, and grabs the sippy cup of milk and his picture book Bible. He looks through the pages while drinking his milk. I love this idea so much.
In my home, I was helping my oldest kids to read their Bibles regularly, but I wasn’t doing anything for the little ones. But what if we started younger? What if we helped our kids build their Bible reading habit as early as possible so that when they are our age, reading it each day is just what you do, like brushing your teeth! Here are a few ways to help our kids of all ages to read and love their Bibles:
Include them in your Bible Reading Time
In our home, I try to wake up before my kids so that I can spend time reading my Bible, journaling, and praying before camp is in session. (It feels like summer camp is in session whether I like it or not the second the four kids come bobbing down the stairs!) Inevitably, at least half the time, one of them interrupts my Bible reading time by waking up early. I used to feel so cheated out of my alone time and annoyed that they were even awake, but God has completely changed my heart on this. Steph has taught me how special it is to just let them curl up on your lap and share what God has been teaching you. When her kids interrupt her Bible reading time, she will do Lectio Divina reading with them or another Bible reading or prayer exercise. So now, when someone wakes up early and comes down the stairs, I take it as a sign from the Holy Spirit. I pull up a chair for that kid or let him climb up on my lap and I just keep reading. Then, I just speak from the heart and share what God has been teaching me through His word. If I still want to have some more alone time— journaling, praying, or starting my workout, I let the awake kids watch Right Now Media while I finish up. Right Now media is kind of like Netfix for Bible and Christian shows. It has awesome kid ‘s shows and also has great sermon series and bible studies for adults and right now, it is totally free!
Help them Set Up a Routine
First and foremost, our kids need to want to read the Bible. Explain to them how God speaks through the Bible and how exciting it is to hear from Him! The more you read the Bible, the closer you get to Jesus and the better you get at discerning God’s voice! Share your own experiences with reading the Bible and remind your kids that this is one of the most amazing ways that God talks to His kids.
At first, my oldest was just reading the Bible now and then and here and there. When we chatted about goals for being 8, he shared that he wanted to read the Bible more regularly. I knew that I needed to give him tools to help achieve his goal, so we set up a little routine for him. When he wakes up in the morning, he can watch a Right Now Media show before we do breakfast and morning jobs, but first he gets to enjoy a cup of milk and read at least a verse or two from his Bible. He usually ends up reading more because he gets sucked into what he’s reading. Also, at night after we do our tuck-ins, he can keep reading his Bible with his reading light! So he reads a little each morning and sometimes at night too.
I have not had a routine yet for the youngest kids, but we’re going to start letting them flip through their kid Bibles as well. Sometimes I read to them from the Jesus Storybook Bible so that my oldest can do his devotions on his own.
Give Them A Bible They Enjoy
There are so many incredible Bibles for kids. My son is just loving reading the Action Bible. The author, Sergio Cariello, has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and the illustrations are just epic, as my son would say! The Epic Bible is similar and is made for 12-18 year olds. This Bible is stunning and makes God’s word come alive for kids and grown ups too!
The whole family love the Jesus Storybook Bible. I still cry when I read this out loud! We were recently gifted this large storybook version and it is so beautiful and fun to gather around and read together.
We also have a couple of kid’s picture Bibles from the dollar store that my 2 and 4 year old just adore.
You can read more about our favorite Bible picks for kids here.
Draw Through the Bible
Here’s an idea for you that works really well in our family. Buy each child a cheap notebook or composition book. Set out markers or crayons and have them draw or write what stands out from each day’s reading. A friend recommended this to me and now this is how we start our homeschool days. If I’ve accidentally slept through my Bible reading time, I just read wherever I left off in the Bible. Or you might want to read something separate and special with your kids. You could go through the Jesus Storybook Bible or you could pick an exciting book of the Bible like Joshua, Ruth, or Daniel. Or from the New Testament you may want to pick any of the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. They are full of the amazing stories of Jesus’ healings and miracles and His death and resurrection. I just tell my kids to listen carefully to what God might be showing them through the text and then to draw or write about it! It’s so fun to see what they come up with.
Set An Example
Setting the example, of course, is the most important thing you can do. If you don’t do anything else, focus on your own relationship with Jesus first. Our kids are watching and learning and listening. I remember watching my mom go upstairs to her “prayer chair” all the time when I was little. It reminds me now to stop and pray in all circumstances. My two youngest kids “play” Bible Study. They have a little journal with tabs on it and pretend they are praying for people because they see mommy and daddy doing it! Research shows us time and time again that when parents are reading their Bibles and talking to Jesus, kids are more likely to keep their faith when they grow up. So read your Bible and read it often. Read it in front of your kids. Recite scripture through breath prayers in front of your kids. Leave your Bible on the kitchen table and pick it up again and again. Your relationship with Him will be contagious to those around you, but it won’t be overnight. Don’t worry! Be obedient to read His word and then let God do the rest. Remember, He loves our kids way more than we do!