8 Ways to Get Kids Excited About the Bible
Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates."
Deuteronomy 6:7-9, MSG
We usually talk about Sunday school on this website. Still, as so many are teaching kids from home or are trying to focus on the responsibility of sharing Jesus with our kids, I have this one question for you: How on EARTH do you get kids excited about the Bible?
We've all seen kids that are glued to their phones. It's hard for them to put it down, and they're always updating social media with what is going on in their lives. This leads us into a time when we need to be more involved than ever before as parents of young children or else we will be raising little ones who will grow up using these type devices for things not-so-spiritual.
If you're a Sunday school teacher, church pastor, or someone who teaches at Bible school, this article will be great (and you can probably add to it), but if you are a mom or dad, this is perfect for you! We've got eight ways to make the Bible even more exciting than you already know it IS, with these simple ideas below. I'm going to give you some ideas as to how to reroute their daily routine to Jesus. This post will provide you with some of the best tips for getting your kids interested in God's word and all that it has to offer, like great stories, lessons on life, and even a little bit of humour. Let's get started!
Start reading the Bible with your kids at a young age
The best way to provide spiritual guidance and instil faith in your children is by teaching them about God's word from early on. Start reading the Bible with your kids as soon as they are old enough to listen so that it becomes part of their everyday lives-a regular thing like brushing teeth! If possible, read together each evening either before sleep or during snuggle time, then discuss what has just been learned over breakfast tomorrow morning when everyone needs more energy than usual!
To help establish this habit, make sure there is always somewhere available where family members can sit down comfortably. If you ever need to move to another house, let that be the first thing you do so the whole family understands it's importance.
Find out what topics interest them
and talk about how those are found in the Bible.
What various matters of life engage your children? If you are a parent, you probably already know. If not, ask! Or, if you teach Bible class, make sure you have time to discuss (or write) interests and talk about those at various times.
For example, if your child (or a student!) is currently interested in space exploration, you might find a passage of scripture that talks about the stars so you can ask how many constellations they have seen from Earth. You might be surprised at who else is interested and how their eyes light up. Here is a fun (free!) activity about creation!
Or for a child who you KNOW love to sing: Teaching kids to sing scripture is an excellent way for them to learn and connect with God's word. It also helps children memorize verses, which will be very beneficial in their spiritual growth in the long run. Teaching our young ones the importance of knowing scriptures can help them build an unshakeable foundation that they can rely on when faced with difficult choices later in life. Check out how this girl does scripture-song memorization as a part of life!
Sports? Use sports in every day activities as an opportunity to talk about Jesus' love which conquers sin & evil. Like David and Goliath and those "giants" that stand before us today (such as schoolwork)! Consider what the Bible says about sports!
Make it fun by drawing pictures of favourite stories
or making up silly voices for characters!
Get creative! One way to make Bible stories more fun is by drawing pictures of ones your kids like or making up silly voices for the characters. Another idea would be to challenge them to create a comic strip retelling their favourite story!
One simple trick to make reading and studying scripture less monotonous (I know it's not, but...kids...) is through visual aids such as drawings. Drawings can help us remember specific details about Biblical events; they also often evoke feelings from within when we see them again later on down the line. Furthermore, pictograms can give those who haven't learned to read an opportunity for the beginnings of spiritual understanding because many people rely solely on images instead of words. Here is a fun activity about using social media to tell Bible stories and it has a fun section on comic strips!
The most popular Bible stories are Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, David and Goliath. If you know a child's favourite account from the scriptures, why not draw pictures of their favourites or (without being sacrilegious) make up silly voices for the main characters in these Biblical tales!
Get the whole family involved!
Parents can help with daily routines and schedules while older siblings can teach younger ones about their favourite characters or stories from the Bible. Sharing is caring - that's why it pays for families to get involved in daily routines like cooking or tidying up and helping one another with what they do best. Sharing responsibility can help strengthen familial bonds, so make sure you involve everyone when setting new rules and take time out of your day just for fun because memories are created by laughing along too!
Create a family schedule where parents teach the older siblings how to share responsibilities with their younger ones while enjoying each other's company. Have them read stories from the Bible together, play games and even cook (check out our fantastic recipe for Scripture Cake which is an awesome family activity and infuses scripture into something we all love. Cake!
All your children will have God for their teacher—
what a mentor for your children!
You’ll be built solid, grounded in righteousness,
far from any trouble—nothing to fear!
Isaiah 54:13-14, MSG
Have a family game night with Bible trivia
or other games related to biblical stories.
Start your evening with a prayer for the night ahead. Grab some popcorn and chips, put on those PJs you've been dying to wear all day long, sit back in front of the fire (if that's an option) ... and get ready for family game time! Some favourite games from my childhood are games my dad made up in the car, like a Bible Trivia Game called "Who Said That?" - guess who said what quote from scripture. Another one you can find online is a Bible Trivia Challenge App you can play anytime with family (or friends!).
It's such a great way to teach your kids about the Bible's stories with a family game night. The best games to play are trivia or charades related to biblical stories.
Act out stories together
& use props to help kids
understand the Bible stories
Be creative! One way to include the whole family in reading Bible stories is by turning your living room into a makeshift theatre. All you need are chairs for seating, paper pages with illustrations on them (scanned or drawn), and some light sources so people can see what they're doing.
This idea has many benefits for getting children involved in readings from the Bible; it is an activity that provides entertainment and encourages bonding among members of one's household or class through storytelling time together!
Your kids probably know some good Bible stories already and want to make up their own skit, but Bible Patterns for Young Readers is a great resource! Here is my favourite: An Evening with Daniel: The Lion's Den Theatre // Also see our Supercharged Sunday school store's script page!
Give them time to process what they've learned in the Bible
by drawing or writing about it later on their own
Doing this will allow them time and space to truly explore everything presented so far before moving onto new material. It also gives them opportunities for reflection while taking note of any newfound connections between concepts in different lessons!
This is different from #3 in that it is more of a JOURNALING excercize. Processing will allow for silent reflection and contemplation of past teachings. Then ask for a family show-and-tell with all of their creations, writings, or thoughts.
Read the Bible in a way that is relevant to kids
It is important to note that it isn't always easy for kids and adults alike to make connections between the Bible's ancient stories with their own lives today, so to get them more interested, you should try making inferences. One way of doing this is by asking questions about what biblical people might do if they were alive now or how a situation described in scripture would play out differently on our in a movie or T. V. screen instead of back then! We recommend a great resource here at The Scripture Scout Christian Resources: books like "The Story", which tells bible passages through life-like narrative portraits.
Another way to make stories more relevant is to read the story of Moses together and then build a tabernacle as a family! The previous link is a way to do just that; it is a tried and true resource I've been using for years OR make Noah's ark relevant in attempting to build a small one and collecting animal miniatures to board it (good luck that that! lol).
"Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us."
II Timothy 3:14-15, MSG
We hope you were inspired by these ways to make a scripture-infused life even more exciting with these simple ideas. Remember, we have plenty of resources available at the store for free, and our recipe for Scripture Cake is below! Check them out today and show us how you used some of these tips in a comment or on social media.
A lot of people think that getting kids interested in the Bible is like pulling teeth. It's really not. It just takes a little creativity, a genuine spirit and a great attitude to get them excited about it.
Have a fabulous day!
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