Teaching the bible...where to start?

[TwoToSchool]

For our 2nd year home educating, I'd like to introduce a few new subjects, one being a morning bible study. Half of our curriculum is non christian and the other is. We've been doing R&S Spelling, but my children have never had a formal 'bible teaching' so surely small bits and pieces of religious study in other subjects isn't enough (in my own humble opinion) So...my question is; Where do I begin? I have 5th, 3rd and kindy students next year, with a handful of much smaller ones ( 4 smaller ones to be exact) I'm having a hard time either finding a good bible study curriculum or simply reading through the bible ourselves (which I'm not entirely comfortable with seeing as I have nooo clue where to start!) Thanks again:)

[alisoncooks]

I'm going to be reading Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God with my 2 girls. It has 4 days of reading (going chronilogically through the Bible) and a day of a Psalm or Proverb. It's a year and a half of reading/discussion all laid out, surveying the Old Testament. They are scheduled to release Old Story New in October, I believe, which covers the New Testament in 1.5 years.

 

I plan on adding in my own drill-work (books of the Bible, etc) and scripture memorization.

 

If you want something more curriculum-like, there's Bible Study Guide for All Ages (BSGFAA) or you could go with a workbook approach with CLE or R&S (or other programs).

[ByGrace3]

I think there are many options and you have to determine what your goals are. Are you looking for an overview? Chronological study? devotional? in depth?

 

I have not used Long Story Short, but have heard wonderful things about it. I actually just downloaded the Kindle version and plan to look it over and possibly use it for evening family worship.

 

We have a done several different things that we enjoyed. Last year I put my own together and we did a character study of major people in the Bible. I found some inexpensive coloring/sticker books on major people: Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, David, Paul, Jonah etc and we took one person a week and studied their life. We had such a great time with it when I ran out of books I just started printing coloring pages for more people and we continued with that. After that we did a few lapbooks on Easter, the 10 Commandments, Psalm 23. Just overview. We had fun, but this year I wanted something a little more systematic and planned out for me.

 

We are using Bible Study Guide for All ages. I absolutely love it. So simple to use, yet my kids love it and they are retaining TONS. It has application, which I like, but really focuses on the Bible knowledge. There are tons of drills and lists to memorize and I love the foundational knowledge they are getting.

 

If you do choose to read through the Bible without curriculum, I would choose a good children's Bible (Egermeier's is one we like) and maybe print some coloring pages to go along with it for the little ones.

 

Hope that helps! :)

[mommy5]

Last year I just read through The Children's Story Bible (Vos) which my 1st grader loved and we have read through from the beginning and got to the book of Joshua -- a little each day or 3 x a week. I'm going to be adding in God's Great Covenant to this ... but you probably wouldn't need anything else but the Story Bible (it is more a paraphrase but not a "story book" Bible - if that makes sense).

[besroma]

Have you looked at Rod and Staff's Bible-based reading program? It starts in grade 1 with Creation. I can't remember exactly how it is divided up, but I believe grade 2 begins with Noah's Ark and covers part of the OT. Grade 3 continues the OT and covers part of the NT. Grade 4 finishes the NT.

 

The Bible stories are in narrative form at grade level reading. The workbooks introduce new vocabulary words, reading comprehension, and some grammar. Grade 3 includes some mapwork to help them understand the geography of the lands about which they are learning.

 

This was something I ordered thinking I would use it until I figured out "what I really wanted to do." I had no idea what a blessing it would be to our family. The children's retention of what they are learning is excellent. Because R&S has such a strong English program, the grammar portions of the workbook are excellent.

 

We start every day with "Bible work." It gets done every day, then math, etc. Another nice thing about it is if we have something that cuts our day short, since they have done their Bible lesson, not only have they learned about the Bible, they have also learned some English and sometimes some geography as well.

 

We love this curriculum!:001_wub:

 

Note: Though you can find it used occasionally, it is harder to find than R&S English. R&S is currently offering 10% off curricula.

 

ETA: Depending on how much your 5th grader knows about the Bible, I do not think the 4th grade reading curriculum would be too easy because it is so meaty. Another nice thing is that they know what they need to do each day and it truly is open and go. The TM offers discussion ideas, which are great, but I love that they can work on this first thing in the morning and I can work with my three littles at their level.

Edited March 30, 2012 by besroma
ETA: Info regarding grade levels

[Meriwether]

I read through the Vos Story Bible in K and 1st for each kid. Dd8 has heard parts of it 5 times. It gives a very good basic understanding of Bible time periods (preflood-patriarchical-judges-etc.), and I like that all the stories of, say, David are collected together.

[TwoToSchool]

I think there are many options and you have to determine what your goals are. Are you looking for an overview? Chronological study? devotional? in depth?

 

I have not used Long Story Short, but have heard wonderful things about it. I actually just downloaded the Kindle version and plan to look it over and possibly use it for evening family worship.

 

We have a done several different things that we enjoyed. Last year I put my own together and we did a character study of major people in the Bible. I found some inexpensive coloring/sticker books on major people: Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, David, Paul, Jonah etc and we took one person a week and studied their life. We had such a great time with it when I ran out of books I just started printing coloring pages for more people and we continued with that. After that we did a few lapbooks on Easter, the 10 Commandments, Psalm 23. Just overview. We had fun, but this year I wanted something a little more systematic and planned out for me.

 

We are using Bible Study Guide for All ages. I absolutely love it. So simple to use, yet my kids love it and they are retaining TONS. It has application, which I like, but really focuses on the Bible knowledge. There are tons of drills and lists to memorize and I love the foundational knowledge they are getting.

 

If you do choose to read through the Bible without curriculum, I would choose a good children's Bible (Egermeier's is one we like) and maybe print some coloring pages to go along with it for the little ones.

 

Hope that helps! :)

In short, I want my children to be able to grasp a solid understanding of both the Old and New Testament. I want them to understand the teachings in a way that they can relate them to their own personal struggles and lives. I want them to use verses as a way to encourage and develop their own character. Obviously this isn't something that happens overnight, but it's important that it happens before they become adults (atleast to me it is:) I'd like this time in the morning to be similar to their other subjects. I'd like them to read, but also relate, whether it be through copy work or memorization

[TwoToSchool]

In short, I want my children to be able to grasp a solid understanding of both the Old and New Testament. I want them to understand the teachings in a way that they can relate them to their own personal struggles and lives. I want them to use verses as a way to encourage and develop their own character. Obviously this isn't something that happens overnight, but it's important that it happens before they become adults (atleast to me it is:) I'd like this time in the morning to be similar to their other subjects. I'd like them to read, but also relate, whether it be through copy work or memorization

 

To add a bit more; my eldest children are familiar with very basic bible stories and verses. My younger kids have little knowledge and we'd need to start in the very beginning. I went to a parochial school and while I am very comfortable with the bible, it's stories, characters and teachings...I wouldn't have a clue where to begin to teach. I've looked at Sonlight, and it seems they have a 'bible' study able to be purchased outside of their core curriculum areas. I just wasnt sure this was the way to go.

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

When I had 2 and 3 children we used High Chair devotions with scripture and a cute song, then we read through a few Children's Bible's getting a good overview.

 

A man who gives out tracts, had given me The Golden Children's Bible and I used it some.

Beginner's Bible movies are good too to supplement and we had Sky Angel then too, so we discussed these shows.

 

I also used WORD & Song Bible and that went well : way back then.

 

We have always tried to do Scripture Memory and Family Devotions after supper: led by my husband.

 

We have used the Advent Jessie Devotions for the past 5 years, and probably will switch to something different this year. It has been good for us.

 

Memoria Press has Bible studies to go with the Golden Children's Bible, but I only used the first part and we did not finish it.

 

I too have been busy having babies and now our 8th is on the way.

We have had tons of Baby Bibles, and some Phonics Bibles.

 

My dd8 whom I have had a struggle teaching to read is finally, this week, making more progress and she came to me wanting to read out of her Rocket Phonics Bible!

 

We have taken the 10 commandments to memorize and our church is using that now with the young children too.

 

If we are pressed for time, I will read a Psalm and a Proverb.

 

I am using most mornings the shorter catechism: Teaching Hearts, Training Minds, and so far so good.

 

I encourage my readers to read their own Bible every day, although I am not sure how much they really do.

 

We have had the Beginner Bible Cards ( Set) and read them after meals, asking questions to each child.

 

We have worn out some other good devotional books at the kitchen table over the years, and some were used ones I found on Ebay.

 

We pray for sick people, and draw names as we leave church so we pray for people each week in our church too.

 

My ds10 came to me in tears recently wanting a new Bible because the one I got free for him at a thrift store ( I did not inspect) had wrong information in it and it was more of a story Bible.

So, I used a coupon a few weeks ago and got him a NEW Adventure Bible NIV 1984 edition, and he Loves it!

 

FYI : we tried listening to Stephen Johnson on CD when our preacher challenged us all to read the entire Bible one year, but our kids could not stand his voice.

 

We do have some Wee Sing Bible songs we listen to, and The Bible A to Z.

[ALB]

I think just reading through a good story Bible is a great place to start! You might also add in a verse to memorize each week or month, whichever you prefer. We're doing the Vos Child's Story Bible, and really love it! It doesn't have pictures, though, and I'm not sure how the under 4 crowd would do with it.

 

Ones we have used in the past and really enjoyed, in order from easiest to more difficult:

 

The Jesus Storybook Bible (every story whispers His name)

Taylor's Family-Time Bible

101 Favorite Stories from the Bible

 

The Long Story Short is a great book, too. I think it is ideal for mid-elementary up. Leading Little Ones to God is a great devotional/ kids theology book which also gives recommendations for verses to memorize. My ABC Bible Verses is a fun, gentle devotional focused around memorizing verses in alphabetical order.

[SilverMoon]

TwoToSchool said:

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by SilverMoon

[Heathermomster]

For reading the Bible and understanding it in context, Victor Journey through the Bible is fabulous. If you spread one lesson out for a week it will last you a couple school years.

 

For more of a "this is what we believe" approach, Training Hearts, Teaching Minds is a great way to do a catechism study with your family.

I love the Meade book. Also, Memoria Press has good materials.

[KDoty]

I am using the I Can Study Alone With God Series...currently the book of Ruth. It has daily studies M-Sat and they can be used as a read aloud or independent. They can be used for family study as well. I am very pleased with this series. It goes verse by verse through which ever book you are studying. It offers questions for each daily study (I have a preker so I read aloud), and also various facts that go along with what you're learning about (definitions of Biblical names, customs, etc.). The studies are short but good. I don't know how I stumbled upon this series but I'm glad I did. I hope you find what you're looking for.

[Candid]

The long term studies of teens show that reading the Bible itself is the way to go.There is no correlation to a child staying in church as a young adult with devotionals or studies just Bible reading.

 

With yours I'd start with stories. So read a gospel, then go back and read Genesis. Then read another gospel and then exodus.

 

When you get to long bits of law, etc, skip. The OT has lots of stories. IN NT you have the gospels, Acts, and Revelation. Once you've covered stories well then you can sneak in some other things: psalms, short prophecy books (Daniel has some story and some prophecy so a good first there). Paul's letter to Philemon and so forth. Since there is more in the OT don't hesitate to come back and reread the NT, especially the gospels.

 

AND have the oldest read some and work to have following children read out loud too.

[laughing lioness]

In agreement with reading through the Bible. If your kids "get" the main stories and everything, I'd just go with NKJV and read. We've also used MP Christian Studies and liked them. There are maps, memory work, dates, people, etc along with grasping the meaning of the text. In fact, this year we'll be doing Christian Studies IV as a quick overview again before my 12ds delves into more church history.

[dsmama]

We are doing God's Great Covenant after reading a recommendation on this board. It starts with Genesis. My older one does the workbook pages, as she likes that sort of thing. My younger two listen and color/play.

 

I like that it is a historical as well as biblical approach. It also has a weekly memory verse.

 

http://classicalacademicpress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=90

[Greta]

A friend on these boards gave me this advice a couple of years ago when my dd and I were first becoming Christians: read the gospels aloud to her daily. Then reread the gospels aloud to her daily. Then reread the gospels aloud to her daily. :001_smile: There was true wisdom in that advice! I am so glad that this is the approach we have taken. I can't seem to find a way to verbalize all the benefits of doing this, so I will just quote another wise and godly person that I know: 'the rest of the Bible can only be understood through the light of Christ'. Start with Christ, and plant the knowledge of His teachings and His miracles in your children's hearts. Then go from there.

[SnMomof7]

The first thing we do is read through story Bibles to get a good, comprehensive flow of the Bible overall. Then we normally do some more devotional-type materials like Leading Little Ones to God. Vos is a good Bible (we've done it twice) - we have actually read quite a few geared to the ages of our children (we have 9, 6, 3, 1 here), but the first place we start is establishing familiarity with the Bible through child-friendly chronologically arranged stories.

 

Then when our children are reading independently, they read the Bible and narrate to us daily as part of their school work - reinforcing, and adding depth to their previous knowledge.

[KDoty]

The long term studies of teens show that reading the Bible itself is the way to go.There is no correlation to a child staying in church as a young adult with devotionals or studies just Bible reading.

 

With yours I'd start with stories. So read a gospel, then go back and read Genesis. Then read another gospel and then exodus.

 

When you get to long bits of law, etc, skip. The OT has lots of stories. IN NT you have the gospels, Acts, and Revelation. Once you've covered stories well then you can sneak in some other things: psalms, short prophecy books (Daniel has some story and some prophecy so a good first there). Paul's letter to Philemon and so forth. Since there is more in the OT don't hesitate to come back and reread the NT, especially the gospels.

 

AND have the oldest read some and work to have following children read out loud too.

 

In agreement with reading through the Bible. If your kids "get" the main stories and everything, I'd just go with NKJV and read. We've also used MP Christian Studies and liked them. There are maps, memory work, dates, people, etc along with grasping the meaning of the text. In fact, this year we'll be doing Christian Studies IV as a quick overview again before my 12ds delves into more church history.

 

A friend on these boards gave me this advice a couple of years ago when my dd and I were first becoming Christians: read the gospels aloud to her daily. Then reread the gospels aloud to her daily. Then reread the gospels aloud to her daily. :001_smile: There was true wisdom in that advice! I am so glad that this is the approach we have taken. I can't seem to find a way to verbalize all the benefits of doing this, so I will just quote another wise and godly person that I know: 'the rest of the Bible can only be understood through the light of Christ'. Start with Christ, and plant the knowledge of His teachings and His miracles in your children's hearts. Then go from there.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[twoxcell]

I would get a good Children's story Bible and start reading it together. We are going through the Jesus Story Book Bible right now and it is excellent. It holds all of my kids attention even my 8 year old. I will probably get a harder one next like the VOS one. For memory verses there are some good lists like ABC Bible verses that would work or you can just pick your own. As far as were to start I would say at teh very beginning.;)

[lillehei]

We do Awana from September to May (which I resisted until last year and now love) and do a unit study in the summer. I think we are going to to Kids of Integrity this summer. It's free. We are definitely big on memorization. It allows them to learn God's word so they can use i when they need it in their hearts.

 

http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/

[MerryAtHope]

In short, I want my children to be able to grasp a solid understanding of both the Old and New Testament. I want them to understand the teachings in a way that they can relate them to their own personal struggles and lives. I want them to use verses as a way to encourage and develop their own character. Obviously this isn't something that happens overnight, but it's important that it happens before they become adults (atleast to me it is:) I'd like this time in the morning to be similar to their other subjects. I'd like them to read, but also relate, whether it be through copy work or memorization

 

When my kids were about K-2nd grade, I read (and re-read!) the Egermeier's Story Bible to them. This gave a general outline of stories (and some that aren't told as often) from the Bible. The following year I started reading straight from the Bible. They were 3rd & 1st grades, and we were studying ancient history, so I read a chapter a day from the OT, interspersed with Psalms between books of the Bible for a change of pace, and doing a Gospel. The next year we were using Mystery of History 2, and we read almost all of the NT to go along with the studies of Paul's life and the early missionary journeys. Then it occurred to me to keep a record of what we read, so I started a list of Books of the Bible and marking them off as we read them. When I'm not specifically coordinating with World History, I try to do a mix of OT history, NT letters, a Gospel, some Wisdom literature, and some Prophecy.

 

It's VERY fun to do an indepth world history with a jr. high or high school aged student, when you can really talk about the civilizations in depth (we even did a side study on how the 10 plagues were each designed to rebut certain Egyptian gods--very interesting!).

 

Since we only do a chapter a day, it doesn't take too long. I let the kids take turns reading a few verses, then I finish reading the rest (or dh and I, when dh can join--if you can do this as a family, it's all the better). Then we discuss. The kids like to look up their maps, or say if their Bible highlights a memory verse (some Bibles for 8-12 yo's do this), or read a note. Sometimes we look in other books for more information, but many times we simply talk about the scriptures, what it meant to the people then, what it means to us now--and how God blesses or convicts or feeds our soul or instructs or comforts or teaches us through his Word. I really feel that it's these personal interactions when the kids gain the most--knowledge is good, but it's not all about knowledge. It's important for our kids to see our faith, to see that the Word is living and active and impacts us today, that it's different from other books because this is God speaking to us.

 

After we read and discuss, we pray, sometimes we sing, and so on.

 

I really encourage you to just read the Bible with your kids, and interact with God's word together. You will learn a lot together over time.

 

Merry :-)

[mudboots]

The long term studies of teens show that reading the Bible itself is the way to go.There is no correlation to a child staying in church as a young adult with devotionals or studies just Bible reading.

 

Thank you for posting this. I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do with my kids next year, too, and this helps.

[EMS83]

A friend on these boards gave me this advice a couple of years ago when my dd and I were first becoming Christians: read the gospels aloud to her daily. Then reread the gospels aloud to her daily. Then reread the gospels aloud to her daily. :001_smile: There was true wisdom in that advice! I am so glad that this is the approach we have taken. I can't seem to find a way to verbalize all the benefits of doing this, so I will just quote another wise and godly person that I know: 'the rest of the Bible can only be understood through the light of Christ'. Start with Christ, and plant the knowledge of His teachings and His miracles in your children's hearts. Then go from there.

 

When I was still teetering on the edge of faith, DH would say, (BF at the time): "Read and pray. Read and pray. Don't ask my opinion. Just read and pray." That was what I did!

 

Right now, we aim for:

a chapter of Proverbs a day (ch. 1 on the 1st, etc.; skipping the adultery bits for now)

a section of Luke a day (after which we'll move on to John, then Matthew, then Mark)

 

We will add in a section of OT per day later on when their attention spans are a little more mature (and the OT will be beginning to end).

When we're done with the gospels we'll start on the epistles.

Once we've gotten all that done, we'll start a 365-day reading plan and keep up the daily Proverbs reading (I think it's 2 OT chapters and 1 NT chapter per day will get you through in roughly a year, but don't quote me on that). Rinse & repeat.

 

There is this, but I've not used the kids stuff yet. It is on my list if I ever want to add in a structured Bible study for them. I've been going to their adult Bible study for several years and it is a-m-a-z-i-n-g. It will take you through one book in 30 weeks. The attention to scriptural detail is awesome. And there's 0 commentary in the daily questions. Just read, pay attention, answer. It's a time commitment, though.

[julikins]

I have to share my favorite resource for understanding the Bible as a whole for children. It's called The Lamb and published by Goodseed Publishing. Here's the link http://www.goodseed.com/products/lamb-eng-book/. It is the most beautifully illustrated book and explains God's plan of salvation from Genesis to Revelation very simply for small children to understand but everyone enjoys. We used it with both of our children and continue to use it in Portuguese as a Bible study resource for the people we work with. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's based loosely on their adult resource called The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus which I also highly recommend.

 

What we do for Bible is the following:

 

Baby years--Baby Picture Bibles with short little lessons, lots of singing together

 

Toddler Years: The Bible in Little Pictures--start memorizing just parts of verses like "God is love", etc., more singing together

 

Preschool: Read Egermeier's Story Bible with a good Bible Coloring book--a little bit more advanced verses like Eph. 6:1 Children Obey your parents, etc. There are these wonderful CD's by Steve Green for children that are Scripture verses put to music. We listen to them all the time and the kids will just spontaneously burst into these songs at random times. It's wonderful!

 

Kindergarten or even earlier: The Lamb, start working through ABC Memory Verses

 

1st Grade+: We give the children their own Bible (we use the NIrV) when they start learning to read. Daily we read from the Gospels. We also have a daily devotional, led by daddy, no matter what age with Bible reading, a devotional thought, memorizing a verse, song, a prayers for missionaries and family/friends.

 

Starting in 3rd Grade: We told our daughter she needed to start reading the Bible for herself, on her own time. I have given her guidance of how much to read and where to start. We gave her a little diary to write whatever she wants in it related to what's going on in the passage--favorite verse, draw a picture of what happened, a prayer. This is private and I only look at it if she shows it to me. She told me yesterday that it's her favorite part of the day and that she feels so much better when she's read the Bible and prayed. We also read the Bible as part of our curriculum (MFW) and discuss it together with mom and the two kids. We really enjoy this time together and always start our day with it. We have also really enjoyed missionary/Great Christian biographies. They have challenged me tremendously since I wasn't familiar with them and the kids are really enjoying them/processing them.

 

I totally agree that children need to be reading the actual words of the Lord, but I also think it's very important when we don't know how to explain something, to turn to the guidance of a well-respected, truth-based devotional or Bible study. In my personal life there have been times when I just read the Scripture and pray and have been truly blessed through my time in God's Word, but there have also been times when I needed the direction and input from others leading me in my Scriptural study and personal growth.

 

The most important part in leading our children to the Living Waters of knowing God is that we are drinking from them ourselves. Otherwise, how can we show them the way?

[tomandlorih]

http://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/children/bible-reading/xtb

 

I like these xtb Bible studies. and so does dd8.. I like them because you use a real Bible and look up verses and read directly from Scripture which gets them used to that(as opposed to a Bible storybook) and they are daily, which gets them used to daily time with God and they are short and FUN which keeps them interested and reaching for their Bible first thing in the morning!!

[Hunter]

I tutor a student who is going through a revival experience of sorts :-0

 

I'm going to be using bits of these with her over the next few weeks, but obviously beefing it up for an adult. But these kiddie resources are just so EFFICIENT, and she likes to teach her nieces and nephews after I teach her, so doesn't mind.

 

Bible Timeline Bundle by the author of Considering God's Creation. The game TEACHES, rather than quizzes and complements the lessons. There are scripture references to do more than draw and play. There are 48 major events, with 6 main points, which will be my focus instead of the game.

 

The Great Adventure Kids Bible Timeline There are 12 color coded time periods, that you can fit the above 48 event cards into.

 

NIrV 3 volume audio set is about 16 hours long and an excellent overview in the easiest to understand translation. The children's voices can be off-putting to adults, but...it's so efficient some don't care when committed to wanting to be spoon fed. Your children should LOVE it though.

 

I've got some of the old classic beginner pages and other stuff for BSGFAA and will use a bit of that too, but mostly the above. I'm planning a one month blitz overview, because she is SO hungry to have the big picture. Lots of visuals and audio are helpful when in a rush to get the big picture.

Edited April 1, 2012 by Hunter

[Greta]

When I was still teetering on the edge of faith, DH would say, (BF at the time): "Read and pray. Read and pray. Don't ask my opinion. Just read and pray." That was what I did!

 

What a wise DH you have there! :001_smile:

 

We're still reading the gospels, and adding in the Psalms. Next up: epistles.

[Terabith]

I've been reading children's Bibles to the girls their entire lives, and Egermiers is my favorite, also. They have a good knowledge of the stories. But my 8 year old says that she wants us to read the whole Bible, that has all the Bible in it, not just stories. On the one hand, I'm glad that she wants to do this. On the other hand, part of me wants to say, "But the entire Bible isn't entirely appropriate for kids........"

[SnMomof7]

That is exactly what happened with us Terabith. My DD (7 at the time) had been through so many story Bibles and she was starting to get mad with the ones that didn't include all of the details, so she asked for the full Bible. And I gave it to her - NIrV to make it easier to read. She's in Exodus now, narrates to me daily, and we go over any of the tricky bits together after she mentions them to me.

 

Parents have been sharing God's word directly with their children for thousands of years (except for the Song of Songs maybe), so I'm good with it :).

[Lucy]

I don't ever mention my books, but I wrote a children's bible that is being marketed through MOPS and Revell. It's called "My Favorite Bible" and it's good for the littles. It's gospel centered throughout (everything points to Jesus) and has a discussion page and fun activities after each story. My kids love it - even the older ones following along. You can see a very large sample on Amazon if you click the "click to look inside"

http://www.amazon.com/My-Favorite-Bible-Best-Loved-Stories/dp/0800719565/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333551076&sr=8-1

Many of my fellow homeschoolers use it for their k-1 Bible curriculum. Not trying to self advertise, truly I'm not, just sharing.

 

One of my other favorite bibles for kids is The Big Picture. http://www.amazon.com/The-Picture-Story-Bible-Book/dp/1433523914/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333551503&sr=1-1 It is very simple to read and it's goal is for the child to see the big picture of the bible - how it connects old testament to new. but it shares the harder stories and even includes the sacrificial system of the OT, so I didn't read it to my tiny ones, but to the middle ones.

 

Also, if you havn't heard it, the audio for the Jesus Story book Bible, is AMAZING! I love the guys voice - and he makes it so fun to listen to. Get the CD package if you get that book!

 

Overall, we all sit together and my hubby read the actual Bible to us - we let the little ones draw, but it's a good way to discuss with the older kids, teach the middles, and introduce the littles to scripture.

[Lucy]

For those of you who are more reformed, John Piper has Sunday School curriculum that they sell on childrendesiringgod.org that is really good. Very expensive, but great stuff. Cheaper if you do the downloads. I especially like the ABCs of God. It teaches an attribute of God for each letter of the alphabet. My kids absolutely loved that year! (we did it once a week) Couldn't afford to do it again, but it was worth it for that year.

[beth83]

I came across the Child Training Bible last night and thought about this thread.

 

http://www.childtrainingbible.com/

 

I love that it is not another book you have to buy, but an easy way to transform your own Bible. We do Bible studies, memorization, and Awanas at church, but I think this helps drive home how approachable the Bible is in everyday situations. Talk about a quick reference tool!

 

From the creator's "about" page...

 

"There are many moments throughout the day that I want to speak a word of truth to direct my children. I have tried biblical child training charts, verses on notecards plastered on the refrigerator and Bible memorization. In all my efforts it seemed that something was missing, something that I now realize is absolutely essential.

 

I must give my children a physical experience with the Holy Word of God.

 

They must see the Bible. Open the Bible. Become familiar with the text of the Bible.

 

Whenever there is a problem, I want to train my children to immediately run to the Lord, seek His Words, and allow His truth to saturate the situation.

 

Going to the Scripture chart on the fridge is…good. Using Scripture notecards in my pocket during the day is…good. Bible memorization is also very good.

 

Opening the very Word of God is…the best!"

[alisoncooks]

I came across the Child Training Bible last night and thought about this thread.

 

http://www.childtrainingbible.com/

That is really neat! (But boy, so visually busy.)

I like the idea, though...and the reasoning behind it.

[WIS0320]

Long Story Short

 

or

 

Greenleaf Guide to the Old Testament

 

[SorrelZG]

That is really neat! (But boy, so visually busy.)

I like the idea, though...and the reasoning behind it.

 

I agree .. although I would say "pretty" instead of "busy". :lol: Going to have to check this out later.

 

 

Slight tangent, am I the only one who has been tempted, just by the thread title, to respond, "Genesis". :tongue_smilie::D But seriously, I'm glad I finally clicked on it and read .. there have been some great, encouraging thoughts and suggestions! I'll merely share what our group daily Bible reading has been like of late in case it's helpful. We read from the NT daily (frequently reading through a Gospel) and the OT and Psalm each day (although the Psalm is from the KJV with a secondary purpose of exposing the children to the language so they don't grow up to think it foreign or difficult). I have been flirting with altering my OT readings with them a little to read chronologically rather than straight through. I REALLY appreciated the time I did that for myself.