Here are a few helpful tips and resources for studying the Bible together as a family.
by Tim Pollard
1. Start early.
You can begin studying the Bible together as a family the moment your child is born.
Will she understand? No. But she will grow in understanding as you spend this special time together. Your kids spend more time with you than anyone else. You get to see who your kids really are—not the ones that show up when you’re in public and make you wonder, Who is that kid and where did she come from?
When your kids grow and get older, they will be able to draw from the memories of your family spending time with God. And they too will understand the importance of allocating that time to Him.
2. Decide on an approach.
Decide how you will study Scripture.
There are many ways you can approach this study, so choose the one that works best for you and your family. You can study the Bible in its book order, find a chronological study plan, an intentional discipleship plan or pick a topic from the Bible and study various Scriptures that relate to that topic. The best solution is the one that makes you most comfortable and leads to telling your kids about Jesus.
3. Use helps.
You don’t have to be some super know-it-all about the Bible to lead your family to study God’s Word. Many resources give helpful advice about telling Bible stories or giving additional background for passages.
4. Follow up.
Each week at church, your child most likely receives some communication that helps you know what she learned during Bible study. Use this resource as a starting point for re-telling and reviewing the Bible story your child learned that week.
If the curriculum comes with a take-home page, use that page as part of your devotional time to reinforce a learning activity with which she would already be familiar. If your child does not bring home a take-home page, ask your child’s teacher or ministry leader if something is available.
5. Don’t sweat it.
Your kids are going to benefit from a time of togetherness and Bible study. I remember my dad sitting us down every night and sharing from the Bible.
Don’t worry about using eloquent words; just be faithful to share. God’s Spirit will impress upon your child’s heart the truths he needs to hear.
6. Be consistent.
Kids love routine, and it fits well into their little worlds. Find a time and place that will work for you and be consistent. Be sensitive to the time needs of your child and don’t overwhelm him unnecessarily, but do something every day. Change up the order of your devotion frequently to add freshness to the daily routine. Ask an older child to lead part of the devotional time. Guide by helping whenever you can.
7. Have fun.
Think about ways to add some fun elements into your Bible study. Use Bible study tools to find interesting facts about your topic or little-known stories that might make an impact on your child. Play games. Sing silly, fun songs. Figure out what makes your child excited and use some of that to keep things lively.
8. Be you.
Most importantly, be the only one you can be—you. Don’t try to be someone other than who you are. You will do the best job by just being you. You may not know the answer to every question your child poses, but that’s OK. Take time to discover together the answers to the questions.
God gifted you with a child to shepherd. By taking time each day to start a routine, you are helping to teach your child about Christ and, at the same time, instilling the importance of a daily quiet time with God.
