I was in a Clubhouse room today where we were discussing creative ways to teach the Bible to your kids, and the ideas were so helpful, I wanted to share them here.
As a mom, it is one of my biggest prayers that my children would come to know and love Jesus. It also feels slightly intimidating to know where to start with such a lofty goal, and how to do so when the day to day of raising kids (especially little ones) is so draining. Maybe you can relate.
I was really encouraged by our conversation, though, because as one mom pointed out–we don’t seek to teach the Bible to our kids FOR God; instead, we get to do it WITH God, out of the overflow of what He is already doing inside of us. So my first point of encouragement would be that if you’re feeling bogged down with feelings of guilt or must-dos, or the never-ending selection of devotional books you could read to your kids, I want to encourage you to take a breath, and simply share with your kids out of the overflow of what you are already hearing from the Lord in His Word. It doesn’t have to be lofty or perfectly planned, or come from a devotional, but can be simply out of your hearing. So I suppose my second point of encouragement would be that before you can teach your kids Scripture, you need to be regularly in the Word, mama. Otherwise, I think this will feel like a chore. A have-to, rather than a get-to. Scripture says “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).” Let’s fill our hearts with God’s Word, and see how it reaps dividends in the lives of our kids.
The other encouragement I’ll add before we discuss creative ways to teach the Bible, is to compliment the strengths and weaknesses of your spouse. If one of you is more structured and the other is less structured, that’s great! Don’t worry about trying to imitate how your spouse might teach your kids about God, but simply be who God created you to be, and out of your own personality, share the beauty of God’s Word with your kids. They will learn differently from you than they do from your spouse, and that is a gift. Okay, without further ado:
Creative Ways to Teach the Bible to Your Kids
Music: this seems obvious, but I forget that putting on worship music, or even singing some Bible songs together is a great option in addition to our usual Daniel Tiger or Cocomelon Playlist. Listening to Seeds Family Worship on Spotify, or even playing a couple of Bible songs for the kids and doing hand motions, is a great way to get God’s Word stuck in their minds (and hopefully their hearts as well!) One mama even added melody to Scripture verses with her kids, so that they can sing the Scriptures and let them get stuck in their heads–talk about creative!
Nature: Simply stepping outside and pointing out God’s creation to our children is a great way to get them thinking about our Creator and His bigness. Pointing out the beauty of a flower, or the uniqueness of a bug on the ground or even different trees that you see can help our children to visualize God’s beauty and understand that He truly is real. We may not be able to see Him physically, but we can see His creation all around us.
Bathtub Bible time: One of the moms shared about how the only time she could get her kids to sit still and be contained when they were young was in the bath. Having 2 little boys, I can definitely relate. She chose to use those 10 minutes of bath time to tell a Bible story to her kids and talk about God while they played and bathed. This idea was new to me and one that I definitely want to try!
The Jesus Storybook Bible: This book breaks the Bible down into story format in a way that kids can understand, while retaining its truth and beauty. Try placing it on the table and reading one story to your kids after a meal.
Play: One of the big things we discussed for teaching kids the Bible was to keep it fun and engaging, so rather than letting this time become mundane or one-sided, try to teach the Bible through play. One of the moms suggested that if you keep 4 specific toys easily accessible for play, they can almost always be used to talk about a Bible story– a basket, a doll, building blocks, and some small animals. I can think of a bunch of Bible stories that incorporate one or more of those items, and it becomes a great way to engage with what your child is already doing by entering into their play and simply bringing discussion about God into it.
Coloring books: Try getting some coloring books that illustrate different Bible passages. You and your kids can color together as you discuss the stories and even questions they might have about the scene they are coloring.
Be vocal about your prayer life: If you are driving, and see an accident, pray out loud for the people involved. If you hear of a need or loss for a friend, pray out loud for them in front of your kids. If you all hear a child get hurt on the playground, say a quiet prayer for them. In these moments, talking with God becomes natural for you and for your kids as they see you model your own dependence on the Lord, and learn to do the same.
In the everyday moments: The big takeaway is not to wait until you feel spiritually prepared, or you have the right book, or the proper amount of time, but to start now in small ways to talk about God in the big and small moments. Let it be a natural overflow of what God is doing inside of you, and trust Him to bring about the fruit from the seeds that you plant, knowing that only God can bring the fruit, so we can be free to scatter the seed as imperfectly as we can.
There you have it, mama–some creative ways to teach your kids Scripture! I’m grateful for the wisdom that many older and wiser moms passed down on that Clubhouse call, and I’m excited to imperfectly continue to scatter the seeds of God’s Word in the hearts of our kids. I hope you are too!
