Bible study with children

Every morning the children & I study the Bible together. Here is what we do..

Preparation

I begin by preparing the night before. I get as much of the breakfast ready as possible, depending on what we are going to be eating. I set the table, put out our Bible & Bible Atlas, plus the girls Bible Notebooks, coloured pencils & sketching paper.

Bible time

We are currently reading straight through our Bible. Here is a good Bible reading plan to use with children. I will read a few verses, then talk with the children about what is happening, sometimes asking E (5 yrs) to narrate the story so far. The talking really helps to 'flesh out' our study, we can relate personal experiences, thoughts etc. I eat as the children talk ;) I continue to read, until I have finished passage. I tend to break stories down into very managable chunks, so it can take a few days to get through each story. We do not read through the 'whole' Bible, as I think some stories are unsuitable for little ones.

If the girls want to say something whilst i am reading, they have to put up their hand. This saves my frustration from constant interuptions related to toast/jam/kiwi fruit & the like.

Bible Notebooks

Once we have read our portion for the day, the girls help me to clear the table, then they sit back down & draw a picture of the day's reading. I see this as a visual narration. Sometimes E will copy a title or scripture onto the page. These pictures are then filled away into their personal Bible Notebooks. 

Book of Centuries

We have just begun a Book of Centuries (a timeline in book format) so, new people & events that we read about as we study god's Word are added into the Book of Centuries, either there & then, or later in the day, as time allows.

Minimising Interuptions

The girls generally sit very nicely through Bible Study, they have a genuine interest & enjoy the time. I do remember a time when it was not so easy! Here are some ideas i found to make the time work better for us:

~Have everything we need for breakfast at the table *all at the same time* no running back to the kitchen for fruit, juice, or whatever.

~If the children wish to speak, they need to raise their hands first.

~ If needed keep a small toy on the table for little ones.

~Include little ones in the discussion.

~Encourage discussion about the story, allow them to think for themselves. Try to encourage the child to draw the moral from the story & to see God at work.

~Take things slowly, reading small amounts to begin with.

~Pray each morning before you begin for God to 'open our ears & open our hearts, to His Word'