Discipleship with children is a bit different than with adults, but it can be a lot of fun and very rewarding for parents and kids alike! Go with your child’s developmental stages in order to bring the Bible to life for them!
0–1 Years
While you hold your baby, speak to her in positive ways about God’s Word. She is picking up on your tone and attitude as well as the words you say right now. Use short, simple phrases to convey how special the Bible is to you.
- “The Bible tells us about Jesus.”
- “Everything we read in the Bible is true.”
- “The Bible is a special book.”
1–2 Years
Toddlers begin showing interest in books during this stage of development. Be sure to include a Bible in the group of books your child looks at each day. It’s a good idea to use one with biblical pictures as you talk with your toddler about the Bible stories. This helps him visualize the events as you share the details.
3–5 Years
Middle and older preschoolers get a kick out of acting things out. Use this fun way of teaching them the Bible stories:
1st — Tell the Bible story, using your open Bible as you speak. This helps your child know the story you’re telling him is from the Bible, and that it is true!
2nd — Ask your child to listen for key words (such as Noah, animals, Joseph, water, etc.) to help him remember the story details.
3rd — Take turns acting out the storyline. If you have props handy to bring the story to life, all the better!
6–8 Years
Children in this age group are still trying to grasp all the facts. They need repetition of: learn-reviewing-learn-reviewing in order to get it firmly planted in their memory. A fun way to get kids this age more involved (and knowledgeable) with the Bible is to play games around its content.
You can find Bible trivia games at local stores and online, or make up your own set of questions and rewards! There are also Bible trivia devotion books to help children review their biblical facts each day of the year as part of developing a quiet time with God.
9–12 Years
As your child is now entering the preteen zone, he may start shutting down in the amount of verbal conversation with you. Because of this developmental change, having discussions with him about the Bible can become a real challenge! It may be time for him to go to the next level. A Bible journal is a great next step for this age child to grow in spiritual maturity. Most of these journals for (pre)teens have question prompts following the Bible content—for filling in the blanks or listing questions to research further.
