Reading the Bible with Your Kids - Blog

Reading the Bible with your kids is the most foundational component to discipling your children. In John 6:35 Jesus said “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not hunger,” and in Matthew 4:4 Jesus teaches his disciples that food alone isn’t enough to sustain them – they need the very words of God! Here are some practical ideas to encourage you as you lead your children to Christ on a daily basis.

• Choose an appropriate Bible – Choose a bible that suits your child’s age and development. Because of the range of our children’s ages, we use about 4 different bibles with our kids on a regular basis. We take a few minutes to read through the toddler bible we have on hand (the one given to us from the TMC Kids nursery when your child graduates, The Beginners Bible by Zonderkidz) and our toddler & 2 year old love to look at the pictures and enjoy the rhythm of the texts. We then regularly work through David Helm’s The Big Picture Story Bible which is a favorite for our 4 year old as it so
  wonderfully ties together the Old Testament promises to The New Testament. We also read through the gospels in a copy of the New Living Translation, which is considered an “adult” bible, but easy enough for kids to understand on a first read. Another great resource is The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.
• Be consistent – Pick a time of day that works best for your family and make it a natural rhythm in your schedule, like brushing your teeth. Some families enjoy reading just before bed and others take time before the day begins or at family dinner. I personally enjoy the morning when breakfast has just been served and my kid’s mouths are full – it’s much easier to get their attention and keep them quiet! 
• Don’t be a perfectionist – It’s easy to get hung up on thinking you have to have the perfect devotional tools, take an equipping class or at least develop an integrated plan with Awana and Sunday School before you start reading the bible with your kids. Instead, I encourage you to read a portion from the Old Testament and another portion from the New Testament every day, and then pick up where you left off the next day. Once you’ve read, feel free to ask questions, take time to elaborate as the Spirit leads or just lead your kids in prayer. Or, as often in my case, pray quickly and hope the second cup of spilled milk didn’t completely destroy your bible!

Each bible reading session won’t go as planned or be seemingly life changing, but what you are doing is building in to your children regular habits of treasuring God’s word and pausing long enough to hear Him speak. Even our youngest children will be given a framework to build their understanding and knowledge of God’s character, learn about the story of redemptive history and get insights on how to live their daily lives.