You love the Word of God. You’ve developed a habit of reading it daily, because you know you’ll grow in understanding God and his ways.
How do you communicate this love for the Word to your children, who may not even be able to read yet?
First, provide a children’s Bible story book appropriate to the age of your child. Read from their “Bible” to them on a regular basis, and refer to what you’ve read as you do life together.
One caveat about children’s Bible story books — they are not the whole Bible, nor can they take the place of an accurate translation.
Christians often make the mistake of treating Bible stories as stand-alone pieces with a hero and a moral lesson — in other words, we treat the Bible the same way we treat Aesop’s fables.
(You know, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Goose Who Laid the Golden Eggs, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse…)
Here’s the thing: Moral lessons are not the point of the Bible. Its only hero is Jesus, and its point is the gospel.
The Bible is the over-arching story of God, in which people (who are broken and flawed) are bit players pointing to the love and grace of their Savior.
With that in mind, choose a Bible story book that weaves the theme of the gospel into every story. Here are two I like to recommend:
- The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
- The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm
Beyond reading Bible stories together, let your children see you reading your own Bible. Although you may want to have quiet time alone with God at least some of the time, allow for times of reading in front of your kids.
Discipleship begins with providing an example.
The cool thing is, kids are curious, and sooner or later, they’ll want to know about what you are reading. This creates an opportunity for you to draw them into the Word, one slice at a time.
Recently, my four-year-old grandson has shown an interest in his Mommy’s Bible reading. Since she is working through Proverbs, Amanda decided to include Reuel by reading him one proverb at a time and then explaining it, then another proverb, and so on.
When his attention drifts, she lets him go play.
This is a great strategy. It’s an invitational, natural approach flowing from a family life centered around the gospel.
This is how you segue to getting your children to read the actual Bible. Since it’s not simple reading (and it’s not exactly G-rated), begin by inviting your child to learn Scripture passages he or she can relate to.
As mentioned, Proverbs is a great place to start. It’s filled with practical wisdom. You can read one maxim, or a whole chapter. You can remind your child of the principle they just learned as situations come up.
Along with Proverbs, take them to the Sermon on the Mount, the parables of Jesus, or sections of the epistles.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” — Ephesians 6:1
Now there’s a great verse for them to learn!
This all weaves together in your daily life: You read them Bible stories, you read your own Bible in front of them, you talk about the things you learn from God’s Word, consistently.
By the time your children can read their own Bible, they’ll have a great jump-start to knowing the Word of God — and you’ll be surprised at the wisdom they express!
Photo Credit: Amanda Maynes
