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Grace City Articles

Reading the Bible With Children

  / October 14, 2022

1. Consider why: Our biggest need is the gospel, that is the good news of salvation through Jesus. This is the biggest need for us as adults, then it means it is the biggest need for children. The way we learn about the gospel is through the bible. Therefore it is critical that we read the bible with children. 

2. Daily routine: The key is to build regular bible reading into the daily routine. So for children, this can be most effective in the evening routine. After dinner and bath, children often read stories before going to bed. Think about reading the bible first before other stories. That way you are likely to have the maximum focus of the children. A daily routine will help opening God’s word to become a habit rather than a goal. 

3. Range of bibles: Children’s bibles are all adaptations of the full bible and only include a selection of stories. Therefore it is important to read a variety of children’s bibles so that children can engage with as much of the bible as possible. As children grow older, read a translation of the full bible like the CEV (Contemporary English Version) or ICB (International Children’s Bible) because the language is more accessible.

4. What to read: For younger children start at the beginning with the story of creation and read through sequentially. Repetition is fine, young children often want to hear the same story over and over again. For older children should choose a book of the bible and read through it sequentially. Like adults it is good for children to read a variety of books so perhaps alternate between Old Testament book, gospel and New Testament letter. 

5. Application: It can feel intimidating for adults to read the bible with children. Parents often feel worried that they don’t know enough about the bible or won’t be able to answer their children’s questions. A good way to apply a bible passage to the lives of children is to ask one question. ‘What do you like about that story?’ All you’re doing is taking the child to the bible and helping them to see the wonder of who God is in the story. It is important for the adult to also answer this question. This models to children that reading the bible is for everyone.

Suggested Children’s Bibles

Please note that some ideas in this article have been adapted from material written by Kidswise (Sandy Galea).

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