The bible is full of stories, parables, and scripture intended to make us wise. As Christian parents we want to teach our children about God. We understand that all scripture was inspired by God and intended to make us wise (2 Timothy 3:16). The more our children can retain, the more the Lord has something to bring into their spirit in their time of need. Before we can teach our children about God, we must first set the atmosphere for God. Did you know that you must Teach Your Children How To Pray? We begin by praying with them and for them. When we are done praying, we continue welcoming God into our place of worship, through praise and worship. I believe A Child’s Love For God, Begins With Worship. During praise and worship, they can worship God in their own way. The atmosphere has been set, time to teach your child about God, through the bible. How can we make the bible stories memorable to kids?
- Repetition– The longer we spend on a bible story with our kids, the more they are exposed to it, and will remember it. Plan to spend a least a week on the same bible story with your child. I know that may seem like a long time to spend with one story. If you get creative with how you present the bible story to them, then they will enjoy the time you spend on it. Kids love to do the same thing multiple times. Think about it, how many times has your child watched a movie until they knew all the words, characters, and songs? They seemly never get tired of that movie, toy, or game. Repeating the same bible story for a week does require some creativity on your end, simply reading from the bible will not hold their attention. Here are a few tips for getting through a whole week on one bible story.
- Use an age-appropriate bible– there are multiple bibles available for different age groups. These bibles are designed to withstand the attention span of their targeted age group.
- Print off a coloring page related to the bible story– Have your child color the coloring page, while you read to them the bible story, or while you tell them the bible story in your own words. If your child is still coloring when you are done with the bible story, then ask them questions about the story to see how much they remember.
- Let them act out the bible story– Give your child the chance to select a character from the bible story and let them act out the characters part in the story.
- Create sequences cards– Make your own sequence cards about the bible story. Have your child put the sequence cards in order while you are reading the story or once you are done reading the story.
- Let your child draw a picture– Give your child a blank piece of paper. Let them draw a picture about the bible story. It may be best to use this on the last day of spending time on that bible story. Allowing your child to draw a picture about the story will show you how much they learned and will give them a chance to share what they learned.
- Engross them in the word– Find different ways to expose your child to the bible story. Focus on what they learned from the story like the character trait demonstrated in the story. Use your local library to find books about that character trait, watch a Christian movie about that story, talk to them about it at the dinner table, or have them tell your spouse what they learned about in devotions that day. The more you can have your child spend time recalling, learning, or reading about the bible story, the more likely they are able to understand it and remember it.
CHRISTIANHOMESCHOOLHQ.COM CHALLENGE: Select a new story from the bible. Spend a week teaching your child about this bible story in creative ways. Have your child tell you what they learned about the bible story at the end of the week.