Since our kids were very little, we wanted to share our faith with them, and to give them some wisdom and structure for making sense of the world. We started when our eldest, Keren was about 7, and our youngest, Abi was about 3. We did try before that, but to be honest, it was hard work and a lot of stress. Looking back, we’re glad we started when they were quite little though – they grow up so fast. If you set up a routine when they’re young, we think you’ve got a fighting chance of being able to carry it on into the teenage years. (Ask us again in a few years though!)
We slot “Bible Time” in between the main course and dessert at evening meal-time. As well as being a convenient time, this has the benefit of being able to use the promise of pudding as an incentive for good behaviour! Families are different though, find a time that works regularly for you. Before school maybe? (ha ha!)
For us, Bible time lasts for anything between 5 and 20 minutes. Start small though, and be led by the response of your children. We try to wrap up by praying. I don’t think we’re very creative in prayer, and usually we just pray a short prayer related to the things we’ve talked about.
10 things that worked for us
1. Advent Candle
Get hold of an advent candle with a name of Jesus for each day (e.g. Son of God, The Way, King of Kings, Messiah – you get the idea). Find a verse from the Bible for each of those names, and explain to the children why Jesus is called that. Our children had lots of fun trying to remember as many of the previous ones as they could.
2. Fruits of the Spirit
Read Galatians 5:22-23 together each day, helping them to remember it, and explaining one of the fruits of the Spirit each day. Sing the song! They (and you!) will never forget them, and will be able to really impress other people at church!
3. Mark’s gospel
Read through a chunk of Mark’s gospel each day. Mark is probably the easiest, as it’s short and fast-moving. Try asking a few “why” questions to help your children think through what is going on.
4. Favourite Bible verses
Get a list together of your favourite Bible verses, and read one of them each day, explaining why it’s a favourite for you. Ask them a few questions to see if they understand what it means.
E.g. John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
You could ask:
Who is the thief? (Satan) What does he steal and destroy? (Our relationship with God, our happiness, peace etc.) What sort of life does Jesus bring us? (Life for ever in heaven, and a better life on earth)
5. Jesus Storybook Bible
We’ve seen lots of Children’s Bibles and this is far-and-away our favourite for primary age. It’s beautifully written and illustrated, but the best thing is the way it weaves God’s message of redemption through Jesus into every story. As the tagline says “every story whispers his name”
Each chapter takes about 5 minutes to read through. After that, you could ask them some questions about the story, or ask them if they have any.
6. Window on the World
This is a lovely book. Each page features a different country of the world, with some stories of life from a child’s perspective. We’ve found it’s a powerful way of gently exposing children to the poverty and hardship that so many others face around the world. It also has some prayer ideas for each country, and our children have enjoyed praying for many nations recently.
It looks as though it might now be out of print, but it’s still available from a few other sellers on Amazon.
7. The Lord’s Prayer
Take 1 phrase per day, explaining what it means, and learning it as you go along.
8. Memory Verse Software
Download from here! Our children get fiercely competitive in their Bible-verse memorisation! No bad thing (probably).
9. Watch “Dangerous Journey” (Pilgrim’s Progress)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_c22M_Z9jc This is a really old 9-part animated adaption for TV. Although it’s very dated, it’s told engagingly, and our children really enjoyed the stories. They woun’t pick up all the spiritual analogies, but you probably will. Watch each episode through together (about 15 minutes) and ask them what Christians can learn about the Christian life from each one.
10. Proverbs
Talk through a proverb each day. They’re so practical and help show your children how God’s word makes sense of life. Illustrate the principle with a story from your own life, and get them to be really specific in how it applies to theirs. Here’s some to get you started: Proverbs 2:6, 3:5-6, 13:3, 15:1, 26:18-19, 26:21, 26:27, 27:6, 27:14, 31:30.
5 things that didn’t work for us
- Being too ambitious with very young children. Think about the very simplest way you can answer their questions. They will ask if they want to know more.
- Making it too long. If you feel like screaming by the end, you know it’s too long. Short and regular is better. A 2-minute Bible story from a children’s Bible is a good start. Once they’re older, and you are more used to engaging them, you can extend it out.
- Long series. We’ve found that boredom sets in after 3-4 weeks, so don’t attempt a 58-part series in Mark’s gospel in one hit. Do a bit, do something else, and come back to it. Keep it varied.
- Doing it every day without fail. Life is busy. Sometimes doing “Bible Time” will just add to your stress levels to the extent that no-one benefits. We manage about 4 times a week probably.
- Not doing it often enough! It’s easy to fall out of good habits. Make “Bible Time” part of your regular routine.