Act Out Bible Stories With Your Kids
Feeling bored? Put down the electronics and take a few moments to act out a favorite Bible story with your kids!
Children learn in many different ways, and so finding the best way to help these Bible truths stick will vary from family to family! There are also Bible story figures that you can purchase to act out these Biblical accounts.
Teaching Gods Truth To Multiple Intelligences
We see lots of examples of how Jesus catered to different learning styles when He taught.
Jesus told stories, asked thought-provoking questions, used visuals or life-examples such as parables, allowed time for reflection, had people actively experience His power, and even used nature to teach some of His lessons.
Use activities to intentionally connect with different learning styles and further instill the weeks Bible lesson into their minds and hearts.
This insight has revolutionized the way we do childrens ministry. We intentionally select praise songs, games, crafts, and other activities to hit as many smarts as possible.
We no longer use activities like coloring pages or puzzles just to fill time, but everything we do emphasizes the Bible lesson over and over and over again by accommodating different learning styles.
This concept may seem obvious, but its amazing how easy it is to fall into a pattern of doing a craft for the sake of having something to send home, or playing a game with the kids just to get them to burn off some of their crazy energy.
Instead, why not use these activities to intentionally connect with different learning styles and further instill the weeks Bible lesson into their minds and hearts?
Teaching The Bible To Kids
The Bible is central in the lives of many families, but making it accessible to children can be challenging. After all, the Bible was written thousands of years ago and contains language that can be difficult for many adults to interpret, let alone kids. However, there are many ways that parents can learn teaching the bible to kids and help them understand key lessons that can enhance their lives at any age. Here, well explore a few tips and Christian activities that parents can use to successfully share the Bible with their children.
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Teaching Kids The Bible At Home
Teaching kids the Bible at home may seem unnecessary but as Bible knowledge declines children dont tend to learn about this topic in society like they used to. No longer do children get scripture lessons at school, many religious materials are also removed from other organisations. Even churches may focus on character themes rather than a chronological reading of the Bible.
But how do you go about teaching kids the Bible at home? Here are some ideas of how we did it as a family.
The Bible Tells One Story
Kids dont typically think big picture, so they naturally read the Bible as isolated moral lessons. In his excellent book The Biggest Story, Kevin DeYoung writes, Our kids can become acquainted with many Bible stories without ever grasping the Biggest Story that makes sense of all the others. That Biggest Story is the gospel. The gospel isnt just one of many stories in the Bible; its the ultimate story of the Bible. Our mission, then, is to;help our children understand each individual story within the context of the ultimate story.
But how do we do that? Obviously the name Jesus is not on every page. Still, as Sally Lloyd-Jones puts it, Every story whispers his name. Or as Chapell goes on to say, Our goal as Bible readers who are interpreting as Christ intends is not to try to make Jesus magically appear in every text, but to show where every text properly stands on this redemptive stage.
No passage stands alone. Each one;has a context within the gospel storywhether predicting Christ, preparing for Christ, reflecting on Christ, or resulting from Christ .;If our kids already know whator in this case, whomto look for, the Bible instantly becomes easier to understand.
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Use Actions Or Objects
Preschool children are always up to some fun. Bible time can be fun if you inject some actions or objects to help them remember a verse. Actions help them remember the key message of the Bible verse and sticks with them much longer. For example, kneeling when approaching the throne of grace; hiding behind dad to show our lives are hidden with Christ in God; pouring water into a glass to signify the living water that Jesus gives us; a globe representing the earth or nations; hugging a teddy bear to show that God will never leave or forsake us; or you lying on the couch and your child laying hands on you and praying a healing prayer.;Use any action, activity or object that you can think of that means something special to your child. The important thing when you Teach Preschool Children Bible Verses is that the message gets across to your child and they can associate the action or object with the Bible verse.;
How To Teach The Bible Without Boring Kids
If God is everywhere, is he in the bookshelf? our then-five-year-old asked.
Um, not exactly I replied, Or maybe yes, since he is everywhere? … But then again, were not pantheists, hes not in a plank of wood … You know, Ill get back to you on that!;
How had I not thought to research how Gods omnipresence intersects with pantheism before our bedtime Bible stories?!;
Family Bible times dont always go where we expect them to. To be honest, sometimes they dont even start how we intend! Someone is shoving their brother, another child only seems capable of being upside down Their attention span is suddenly so short! And yet the Bible is full of gripping true stories, entertaining illustrations, and of course is Gods life-changing word.;
So is Bible time distraction just a spiritual battle, or can we do more to help?
“When Jesus and the Old Testament prophets communicated God’s Word, they also used engaging communication methods like stories, pictures, questions, and drama.”
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Read God’s Word Regularly
If nothing else, the simplest and most efficient way to help children engage, apply, and love God’s Word is to read it with them regularly. By sitting together as a family and reading and discussing the Bible daily, you will, over time, build a familiarity with the Bible and a growing love for God through His Word.
We must remember that God promises that His Word will accomplish what He has intended for it to do: “Just as the rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do” . This promise should encourage and motivate us to make sure our children hear, read, and understand the Bible. God’s word is sufficient to save, change, and grow our children to love Him forever!
Mistake #: We Forget How Important Our Role Is As The Storyteller
Teachers have a profound impact on their listeners. Kids favorite Bible stories fall into two categories: Great Adventures and, significantly, Adventures Told by Favorite People. The kids absolutely loved to hear about the Bible when a familiar adult shared a meaningful story. Notably, almost all the kids strongly associated a Bible story with the person theyd heard it froma favorite teacher, parent, or relative. The storytellers had a profound impact on the stories they told. Kids told me all about how people like Grandpa or Miss Rhonda could make a Bible story fearful or comforting just in how they told it.
Remember:
Teachers help determine whether kids think the Bible is fact or fiction. Are Bible stories true or make-believe? I asked the kids. Unlike Dr. Suess rhymes or the Little Golden Books tales, children responded with unwavering certainty that the Bible is truthnot fiction.
Of course the stories are real, one child exclaimed to me. Thats why theyre in the Bible. I found that difficult to contradict. None of the kids I questioned had the slightest doubt as to authenticity of the Bible, despite their own propensity to add or subtract from the story in accordance with their perception of reality .
Tell it well.
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Learning About People In The Bible
We started with a childrens bible from when they could sit on our lap. Every night we read a small story from that Bible to our children. The book has fallen apart now but with four children it was well used. Our aim in those years was to teach them the main characters of the Bible. The stories are exciting and the kids find the miracles fascinating. For one child he asked to look at the water rock picture every night for about a year, .
Tell Children The Bible Stories
While some may pause at engaging the Bible because it seems so difficult, often we are surprised by how plain the Bible’s stories are. By God’s grace, His revelation to us is both simple enough that a child can engage it, yet profound enough that the most educated adult can still ponder and grow from the Bible. The Bible was written largely in historical reports, biographies, poetry, and letters to common people. It was never meant to confuse people.
Woven within all of these genres, the primary format of the Bible is storytelling. The biblical writers were committed to telling the story of God and His people. Instead of giving just data and facts, the biblical writers told vivid and wonderinducing stories. They told of a great Creator God who made all things, including us, for His glory. They told of God’s power and His faithfulness to His people. They told of God’s unending love and His justice against evil and sin. They were constantly drawing on past stories and then-modern illustrations to bring their stories to life. The Bible stories capture hearts and imaginations by engaging our sense to hear, see, taste, and feel the life experiences of people in need of God’s work to rescue them from slavery, sin, and death.
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Memorize Key Bible Verses
Kids have an incredible capacity to remember and lodge verbatim truth in their minds. We can help children encounter the Bible by encouraging and equipping them to memorize key verses in the Bible. These key verses will point them to the truth of the gospel, equip them to obey God’s commands, and enable them to live for His glory in their day-to-day lives. By memorizing Scripture, kids can take the wisdom of God’s Word and be enabled to live for God’s glory. Let’s help them learn this truth: “I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you” .
Creative Methods For Teaching Scripture To Children
January 28, 2014 by stultsmamaof4
We all know scripture memorization is important. ;If only it were also easy! ;If memorizing Bible verses proves difficult for adults, then imagine how much more difficult it can be for our young children to learn scripture.
Over my years of mothering our four kiddos and working with children at church, Ive learned that teachers of ;preschoolers in particular need to be really creative. ;Sometimes thats a real struggle for me because what works for adults doesnt always work for kids, and even more, what works for one child may not work for another.
So, for all of the purposeful parents, the homeschooling mamas, the Sunday School teachers, the toddler nursery workers, the Childrens Church volunteers, the daycare providers, the AWANA teachers, for anyone who desires to teach kids bible verses but isnt sure where to begin, here are my favorite methods for teaching scripture to children:
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Why Cant You Figure Out How To Make Learning The Books Of The Bible Fun
Try using books of the Bible games,;books of the Bible songs,;free printable books of the Bible cards, and other fun activities for learning the books of the Bible. Youll quickly discover that teaching the books of the Bible in order can actually be fun, easy, and effective!
And by the time youve completed a few of these fun activity ideas for learning the books of the Bible, your kids will be able to answer all of the questions belowand more!
- What are the books of the Bible in order?
- How many books are there in the Old Testament of the Bible?
- What are all the books of the New Testament?
Bring Your Bible To School
As Christian parents, we want to introduce our kids to Jesus and see them grow in their relationship with God. One of the best ways to do that is to encourage them to read the Bible regularly. But its more than just having your kids read the Bible its teaching them how, and where to start reading.
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Varying Our Teaching Methods
Recently, Yale has released a study that the theory of learning styles is a myth.
However, this study still recognizes that there are different kinds of instructional methods that benefit students, and these methods can and should vary based on the content being taught.
Can we do more to help kids understand and own the truths they are learning?
I have visited and consulted with many churches over the years . . . and often times, I observe children sitting in school-style classroom settings, where theyre expected to sit quietly, answer questions when asked, and regurgitate a lot of information.
Of course, there are some leaders who bring in visual aids and play games to reach kids . . . but can we do more to help kids understand and own the truths they are learning?
Tell Stories Show Them Jesus And Sing
Three of my grandchildren recently paid their annual summer visit to the sweltering Southeast. They brought their parents along as chaperones, which was nice enough.
Whenever two or three of my grandkids are gathered near me for more than 24 hours, I take the opportunity to do one of two things: practice and perform a play, or rev up Dr. Popss Summer Bible School. The oldest of the visiting grandkids turned 5 during her stay; her brothers are 2 and 9 months. Theyre a bit young for King Lear, so Dr. Popss Summer Bible School it was.
Before they left, they knew the four faces of the cherubim , an outline of the creation account, the basic structures of creation, and a summary of the book of Genesis. Next time Im with them, well move into Exodus, and Ill teach them how to offer each other as an animal sacrifice.
Ive been teaching the Bible to small childrenmostly my ownfor more than 35 years, ever since my oldest son was a toddler. Over the years, Ive learned a few tricks. Here are three.
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Make Learning The Books Of The Bible Fun
No more searching for a fun way of learning the books of the Bible. Youve found lots of ideas here! And all these activities are fun, easy, and effective.
So click around and check out these fun activities for learning the books of the Bible. Remember if you want the free printables too, all you need to do is sign up and Ill be happy to send them your way! And if you want even more ideas, be sure to grab;Gen to Rev: 10 Fun Activities to Teach Kids the Books of the Bible.
And have fun passing the faith along to your kiddoes!
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Hi, I’m Sarah!
I help Christian women successfully teach the Bible to kids using creative lesson plans, simple crafts, and unique activities.
I’m a certified Montessori teacher with a Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies, plus over 10 years of experience working with kids. And I love creating materials for teaching the Word of God to children!
If you’re frustrated with trying to find fun yet biblically sound materials for your Sunday School or children’s ministry then I’d love to share share exclusive freebies with you by email…
Please enter your name and email address below, and I’ll send your first free printable straight over to your inbox! 😀
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