Bible curriculum..please help

[Hazelt"nut"]

I am seeing God work in the heart of my dd7. She is ready for something beyond a Bible Story type of study. Here is what I"m looking for.

 

I really want something that is God-centered and not you-centered. I like the looks of the John Piper children desiring God curricula but they are sold in bundles for classes and are therefore pretty pricey. I want to have something that reveals who God is to her. I need a trailguide and I can't create one myself,....I'm too tired and I;m already piecing together our history/culture study for next year. I know that the BIble is our ultimate guide but like I mentioned before I really don't want to be putting lessons together myself. I really want something we do together at this point. I"m not looking for a workbook stlye that she does alone.

 

Doe any of you have ideas on something we could do. She is really quiet abstract in her thinking for a 7 year old and she wants to know God..I can see that. She attempts to read her Bible but it is KJV (given by a great grandmother). She is getting a Bible that is easier for children to read for Christmas. I see the need to put more time into her spiritual life and that has been squished out by academics.

 

Help...

 

Thank you,

Sheryl

[Chris in VA]

I like the looks of Explorer's Bible Study. I know many here use it, so I thought it might be neat to order it and do the adult study side-by-side with dd. We got the Luke/Acts one, and we plan to start it next week. It starts with the Christmas story, so that was kinda nice timing.

 

But it is a workbook, and it's not colorful or exciting in any way that I can see. It does seem a little dry. I am trying to get dd into the actual scriptures, though, and really see what's in there.

 

For my own study, I love the Beth Moore Bible Studies. I know there are some kid versions--but you'd have to really look them over.

 

How about incorporating something alongside a Bible study? There are several neat ways of praying--have you introduced her to Lectio Divina? It's a method of praying thru the scriptures, a small amt at a time, and seeing what God is saying to you. It's not New Age-y or anything, it's tried and true.

What about introducing her to more worship music?

 

I think part of my desire for my own dd is that she know who God is, but more that she knows God. I want her to study what he did in the past, and come to know his character, but I also want her to develop a relationship with him, close and intimate. Bible Study, worship, prayer--these 3 really can't be separated. For us, it helps if I'm pointing out God things thru the day--I'll notice the cool shell she's found and say something about how God is always making such neat stuff, or we'll admire a sunrise and thank him for designing each day to start with beauty. (Nature rocks for showing God to our kids! Cindi Rushton's Nature Study the Easy Way is a great book to reinforce the idea that God's Glory is reflected in what he has made.) I think this is what the idea is behind teaching our kids about God "when they rise up and when they lie down..."

 

It also may help her to keep a prayer journal--a special place to keep track of his faithful answers to her prayers.

 

More than you wanted, but there it is. :D

[Harriet Vane]

Finding Bible studies for children that are actually inductive in nature can be challenging. Two years ago I wrote a review (below)--last year I looked again at what was available at the Cincinnati convention, and still stand by the opinions I wrote here.

 

For your child I would recommend either Explorer's or the Kay Arthur series for children.

 

Here's my review:

 

Posted by strider on 18:50 Mar 26

 

Hi folks,

 

A month or so ago I told folks I would be taking a look at Bible curriculum while at the Cincinnati convention.

 

When I evaluate a Bible curriculum, I look for what percentage of questions require the student to answer from the Bible text itself (I shoot for 2/3--most studies unfortunately only hit 50% or less), how factual versus opinion-based any notes are and to what degree there is denominational bias.

 

I also look for how much a good inductive process is reflected in the study--there should be factual observations, an opportunity to summarize the main point of the passage in one concise statement, and finally, application to real life.

 

I also think that younger children do well with circling the right answer, puzzles, and drawing in response to the text. However, as your child reaches fourth and fifth grades, their Bible study should include more short answer and independent work. (SWB's SOTW reflects this same progression--SOTW 1 has a lot of coloring and multiple choice on tests, whereas SOTW 4 has more short answer and not so many coloring pages.)

 

I have not found one single Bible curriculum or study anywhere, ever, that asks for a one-sentence summary of the main point of the passage. I highly advocate adding this feature in to whatever Bible study you use or teach, in any setting. A good way to do this with kids is to ask a question like, "What did you learn about God in this passage?" or "What do you think is the very most important lesson in this passage?" Keep it to one short sentence--there may be many subpoints that are good to know, but it is very valuable to be able to distinguish the main, most important point.

 

My number one pick would have to be the Explorer's Bible study, which is available at http://www.explorerbiblestudy.org. Many thanks to Jessica at Trivium Academy for recommending it. I was impressed. It has a good amount of factual observation questions, is very Bible-text focused but still includes some cultural/geographical/historical notes here and there, and has a small proportion of application questions in each unit. Information is presented from an evangelical perspective but seems more factual than opinionated. For those who may be familiar with Bible Study Fellowship or Community Bible Study, this curriculum follows the same pattern. Each unit is also laid out into five days of homework--a decently challenging but not overwhelming amount. Another key feature of this curriculum is the fact that there are corresponding adult studies as well. For a logic stage student either their older elementary OR high school study would be appropriate depending upon reading fluency and maturity.

 

I also, by the way, recommend both BSF and CBS children's programs. I evaluated both. I think the CBS program has slightly more challenging homework, but also really like the way older children and teens are led to do homiletics at the BSF meetings. (Homiletics is a process of generating an outline of the passage with a final, summary statement.) I recommend either program without reservation in addition to the Explorer's curriculum.

 

I also have used and liked Kay Arthur's Bible study series for children. My own dd has used several books in this series successfully this year. However, I would steer away from *How to Study the Bible* as it is unnecessarily wordy and proved to be quite challenging for the 4th-5th grade girls I taught. The material is not hard--the presentation of it in this book was terribly convoluted, though. If you choose to do that book, take two weeks per unit and plan on really holding your child's hand through it. The other books in the series are much easier and quite doable, though--we have been satisfied with several others in the series. These books have five or seven days of homework per unit, include both factual questions and marking things directly in biblical text, and some application.

 

After that, I consider Rod and Staff to be a decent alternative. There is a solid amount of factual questions and some good information on history/geography/culture. However, there is virtually no application, and no summary statement opportunity (none of those I reviewed include this). And, even at the older grades there is virtually no short answer--format is still multiple choice and simpler responses. There is more denominational bias in the notes but can be overcome by careful Bible study. This curriculum would be acceptable even if it's not my favorite.

 

Christian Light was a lot like Rod and Staff but not quite as challenging. I also thought Christian Liberty was middle-range--not the greatest, but not terrible either.

 

I was really NOT impressed in the least with either Abeka or AlphaOmega and would not recommend those at all. They were simplistic, passive, lacked depth and do not require much from the student at any age.

 

One final thought--for high school I would gravitate towards the Explorer's adult series or towards NavPress study guides. I also think teens should be generating their own inductive notes (observation-interpretation statement--application) rather than passively responding to a Bible study guide.

 

There may well be other wonderful resources out there. This is just what I have reviewed. I'd be happy to answer any further questions.

[siloam]

I am seeing God work in the heart of my dd7. She is ready for something beyond a Bible Story type of study. Here is what I"m looking for.

 

I really want something that is God-centered and not you-centered. I like the looks of the John Piper children desiring God curricula but they are sold in bundles for classes and are therefore pretty pricey. I want to have something that reveals who God is to her. I need a trailguide and I can't create one myself,....I'm too tired and I;m already piecing together our history/culture study for next year. I know that the BIble is our ultimate guide but like I mentioned before I really don't want to be putting lessons together myself. I really want something we do together at this point. I"m not looking for a workbook stlye that she does alone.

 

Doe any of you have ideas on something we could do. She is really quiet abstract in her thinking for a 7 year old and she wants to know God..I can see that. She attempts to read her Bible but it is KJV (given by a great grandmother). She is getting a Bible that is easier for children to read for Christmas. I see the need to put more time into her spiritual life and that has been squished out by academics.

 

Help...

 

Thank you,

Sheryl

 

Sheryl,

 

We are using Bible Study Guide for All Ages, and enjoying it.

 

This prayer journal is also a great resource to go with any program. Though it is oop. I buy used all the time, so that doesn't stop me. :D There are a lot of similar products on CBD.

 

Heather

 

Heather

 

[Dawn E]

What about purchasing just the workbook from the Piper site? I have a workbook here from the "How Majestic Is Your Name" series. It is a study of the names of God. The lessons are broken up into two pages. The first page has scripture references, a memory verse, key themes and instructions and helps to illustrating the name. The second page has a verse and space to draw the illustration. I think you could definitely use it alone filling in with your own insight as needed.

[FO4UR]

Does your church go through Sunday School material as a church? Many SBC churches, for example, use Lifeway materials across the board, and have study materials to use during the week. That could be an option, depending upon your church.

 

Simply journaling (and avoiding the feel of a school subject) might be the way to go, depending on your dd. You could teach her to section her journal into "prayer requests/praises" and "questions I have for God", and "answers from God's word."

 

I understand the want for a trailguide, BUT I will warn (as one who has worked with youth/children a LOT) when the trailguide ASKS the questions, the child gives the "Sunday School" answer and moves on. When the child reads through the Bible, with parents or alone, and ASKS the questions, and then SEEKS God for the answer that little life is forever changed!

 

Greenleaf Guide to the Old Testament is a nice resource, but only covers the OT. I have it and plan on using it along with our ancient year (which will probably take more than a year.....)

[Heather in Neverland]

For that age we used "A Faith to Grow on" by John MacArthur.