How do you teach Bible? My guys are only 1st and 2nd so we do small verses and go over many of Jesus stories, and "classics" of the OT. However, I want to start thinking about the future and what/how I will teach them. I know I want them to be well-versesd in theology. Any one run into this problem or love the way they do it? Thank you in advance.
I decide on a focus for the year and then find resources that will suit my children. For instance last year we focused on the life of Jesus and the book of Acts. We read a Bible story book, watched the visual Bible series, and I bought them a dramatized reading of the NT for them to listen to as they go to sleep. This school year our focus is on missions and basic teachings about God. I am reading several biographies of missionaries and I have a mission curriculum that I took bits and pieces from so they learn about the need for missions and how they can be involved. We are also learning about the different people groups through prayer cards and reading a book. The basic teachings about God is also done with a book that I had - like God is all powerful, God is everywhere, etc. In addition to that I throw in some time to enjoy praise and worship music, some practice looking up texts in the Bible, and some memory work. We don't do that everyday. We rotate. So today we are reading one chapter in a biography and practicing looking up texts in the Bible. My guys don't like doing the same thing everyday so it works for us.
We do AWANAS. I figured out long ago that this was enough Bible. It concentrates on doctrine and memorization.
I always used Rod & Staff Reading which was a pretty good Bible class in and of itself. Then we do a daily devotional for kids. Once in middle/high school I liked BJU, but I didn't do it completely - it took an hour and a half just for Bible! But I loved the content and would have the kids do a lesson every other day. The comments we did together as time allowed.... It's really a wonderful course, and I always thought I'd love to take it from beginning to end!
My focus for the past 2 years (and for another year) is/will be a timeline approach. I want my kids to have a firm foundation of the events of the Bible in the order of the Bible (not necessarily chronological yet, because I know there's a slight variance there). I want them to be able to find most of the major people and events without help. At the same time they were learning things like "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", I was also singing the Bible books to them. Both knew all 66 books by the time they were 18 months just like they knew any other song we constantly sang around the house. At age 3, I start adding chronological(ish) stories to that. Last year, we very briefly went through the Old Testament and Jesus. This year, we've started over, going much more in depth with the stories, and we'll continue through the epistles and possibly Revelation. After they have a good foundation, we'll move on to topical studies. Infant/Toddler - Learned the books of the Bible and a gazillion other Bible songs (Jesus Loves Me, etc.) Age 3 - Went through the "Rainbow Lessons" series by Jane Britnell, and for each story (one week per story, although some stories were condensed), we made a little "book" with two (and on rare occasions, three) pages of construction paper folded in half and stapled along the spine. I put the title and memory verse on the front, and then used the remaining 7 pages to write the story and draw stickman-type pictures. Age 4 - Started using a couple of different sites: http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm (mostly just the easy stuff and coloring... will go back and pick up the other pages later) and http://www.bibleclassbooks.com/bible-curriculum.html (for older kids, which we'll repeat again in more detail in a few years) Age 6-7 - When we get into our topical study, it will be on evidences for creation, authenticity of the Bible, and God's plan for salvation. My understanding of the Bible says that each person makes up his own mind when he's ready to obey God and be baptized. It's not something done for infants, and it's not just a spoken, "I take Christ..." sort of thing. When the boys are old enough to really understand right from wrong and God's plan for baptism (around 9-11), I want them to be ready, which is why I've chosen the plan I have for teaching them.
I have used Lifepac Bible (many levels), CLE (only the 1st and 2nd grades of the Sunrise Edition), Christian Liberty (several levels), Keys for Kids devotionals, the Calvary Chapel ones, and Rod&Staff reading (2nd grade only, so far) and 5th and 6th grade Bible courses.
I made up my own Bible "curriculum" this year. We begin our new year on January 31st and Grace will be a 3rd grader. I have chosen two OT and two NT stories for each week. I figure we will do OT on Mondays and Wednesdays and NT on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will read the chosen stories while she colors the corresponding Bible coloring page I have printed. I spent all day Sunday choosing the stories and printing the pages to go with them. On Fridays we will read together a missionary story from Missonary Stories with the Millers. I figure with the Bible readings and missionary stories she will get a solid foundation. We will also be finding a church home this year so she may go to Sunday school.
Thank you all for your input. You all have given me much more direction than I previously had. I will probably ask more questions later about this topic since it is so crucial especially in todays world.
We used a book called Leading Little Ones to God last year for dd (1st grade) it was a great book for ealy elementary. This year I am using BJU's Bible Truth and it is giving dd some basic experience in using the Bible which is what I wanted. Next year I think I may be using Explorer's Bible series for her.
We have always read the Bible to the girls each night since they were little. I have them memorize verses, (but not much this yr. bad me) We do devotionals, they go to Sunday School, and this yr we are just taking a brake from Bible Curr. since I could not find anything I wanted.
I started out pulling things together on my own, but I am really not good at doing that where anything is concerned lol... Last year we used "Devotions for Girls, God and Me" and "A Childs Book of Character Building" along with different Bible lapbooks I got off the internet. This year I started out with LifePac Bible, but I am not crazy about it. I bought the CLE Bible 100 and we just started with it last week...so far its pretty good. I wish I were more creative, but I find I need to rely on boxed curriculum for just about every area now that we are past the preschool-Kindergarten years.
I incorporate Bible into our daily unit study, so it is usually thematic. We just finished up with Stewardship and we are moving into Respecting Authority/Obedience. I use many of the Keys for Kids lessons from Calvary Chapel for a daily jumping-off point to our scripture reading.
You might take a look at Discipleland's curriculum. They have their syllabus as well as samples available online. It's an EXCELLENT program. http://www.discipleland.com
Keys for Kids lessons from Calvary Chapel?? Keys for Kids devotionals are from Children's Bible Hour ministries in Grand Rapids, MI, which started in 1942. Calvary Chapel was started in 1965 in Costa Mesa, CA, and the lessons they have on the internet are their Sunday School curriculum. The two ministries have nothing to do with each other.
I use Keys for Kids devotionals with my kids. I use the Calvary Chapel stuff at Sunday School. Both are free, both are very good. My only "complaint" with the Keys for Kids is that I can't use it well with the kids at church. These kids are unchurched for the most part. They are from one-parent homes, that parent usually doesn't attend church with the child, 95% are Black. So, while Keys are racially diverse, most of the devotionals deal with loving two-parent, middle-to-upper class families.
