Teaching Children to Love God’s Word
“And you shall teach them (the scripture) diligently unto thy children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Dt. 6:6
- Make it a Priority
- Applies to both Dad and Mom.
- God’s Word will “lead, keep and talk” with them. Pr. 6:22
(Especially after they’re grown)
- Establish Bible Reading Habits
- Habits make or break us.
- Pre-school age: Read to them daily. Reserve favorite blanket or location for Bible time.
Elementary age: Read with them daily. Encourage them to read to younger siblings.
Teens: Don’t be concerned if it seems ritualistic. Rewards work well for completed chapters. (Ps. 19:11) - Church classes don’t take the parents’ place.
- Church teaches; parents train.
- Keep it Short
- Psychologists say children’s attention span matches their age.
- Read Bible stories with pictures.
- Act it out. (Let Dad be Goliath)
- Keep it Repetitive
- Put a scripture-for-the-week on the refrigerator. Make everyone say it before they open it.
- Courage Cards – Our kids kept a weekly list of scriptures in the car and read them out loud during our drive to school. By Friday, they had memorized the last one without trying.
- Training is repetitive. Stick with it.
- Keep it Personal
- Purchase their own age appropriate Bible and let them put their name on it.
- Reinforce this: God speaks to them through His Word. What did He say today?
