01 Jul Teaching Bible to Your Children – July 13

By Maria Tanudjaja

Q: Why do we need to teach bible to our children?

A: Teaching children the Word of God is the way of introducing them to the values that they are going to carry throughout their lives. It’s not merely knowing the bible stories, but also realizing how the truth of the Bible form part of their everyday lives.

It is important for the children to have the fear of the Lord and the love of God from a young age.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6.

Q: How do we teach the bible to our children?

A: Teaching children can be both challenging and fun. Children learn in so many different ways and each child is different.

Below are few tips on how parents can teach bible to the children:

• Read bible stories to the children.

Parents can start by teaching the characters in the bible. Be enthusiastic! Use your imagination and live the story as you tell it. Let your children participate as much as possible.

• Use the words that the children can understand.

There are some stories that the concept may be too hard for children to grasp and therefore they may not fully understand them. In this case, parents can try to teach the kids in the simple way they can comprehend;  yet stay true to the bible (not diluting the meaning of the story).

• Use visual object / craft.

Give the children the opportunity to do something with what you just taught them. For example, they can do some colouring of the scene when David uses his slingshot to beat Goliath or they can create a simple Noah’s ark from a piece of paper.

• Scripture Memory Verse.

There are many bible translation available, parents can pick the version that is easy to understand and memorize. Please try to incorporate some creative activities to this scripture memory verse project and make sure to make it a fun exercise for the kids. Ultimately, the idea is not only to teach the children about God and his Word, but also to enjoy some family quality time together.

• Be a role model .

Children are excellent observer and imitator. Parents should not only  talk about the bible but also to live it. If the children see that their parents find the bible interesting and are eager to read it, there’s a good chance  they will too. Share with them how the values and guidance in the bible make a difference in your life, show the children that the bible is real to you. Be a walking advertisement!

Sources:

• Childrensministry.com
• Christian.net.com
• Dltk-kids.com
• Homeschoolingdownunder.com
• Truthforkids.com