How to Read the Bible with Your Kids
I was recently listening to a parenting podcast while I was out on one of my walks, and the conversation came up about reading the Bible with your kids. Although my husband has been pretty good about reading the Bible as part of our kids’ bedtime routine over the years, I felt convicted about my lack of exposing my kids to the Word of God throughout the earlier parts of the day. As a stay-at-home mom who has chosen to homeschool, I have a lot of time and opportunity to incorporate more Bible reading and discussion into our day. But I had to admit to myself that I hadn’t been very intentional in creating a daily habit of opening the Word with my kids, and I needed to take ownership of that.
As moms, we have an amazing opportunity to share the truth of God’s Word with our children from a young age, and it’s a responsibility we should take seriously. Yes. The church will hopefully teach our kids about God’s character, His Kingdom, their identity in Christ, etc. Yes. Our husbands should ideally be leading our families spiritually. But it is also OUR job as moms to partner with God and our spouse (if we are married) to “Train up a child in the way that he should go (Proverbs 22:6). We have a powerful influence in the lives of our children, and exposing them to the truth of the Bible should be a foundational part of our parenting.
Are you wanting to create a regular habit of Bible reading with your kids and need to know where to start? This blog post will give you some practical tips and tricks to get started.
Tip #1: Make It Appealing
The first tip I have is to make Bible reading time appealing and enjoyable for your kids. This is not to manipulate your children in any way. It is simply to help your kids associate the Word of God with joy and excitement. I love what another mom shared with me about how she would give her children chocolate to eat during their Bible reading time. She wanted them to tangibly experience the sweetness of the Word of God, for the Bible says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103). This mom made Bible reading appealing to her children by bringing out a special treat they could enjoy just during their reading time. Maybe reading time would be sweet for your kids by allowing them to color, paint, or use play-doh to keep their hands busy while they listen. How could you make Bible reading time “sweet” for your children so that they find joy in studying God’s Word?
Tip #2: Make It Simple
My next tip is not over-complicate reading the Bible with your children. You don’t need a fancy-looking Bible (unless you just want one and can afford it). You don’t need to go out and buy a specific Bible study or devotional. Do you have access to a physical Bible? Great! Pull it out and read it! Do you have access to a phone? Great! Download a Bible App like YouVersion or Dwell and read from it or consider listening to the audio version. Although there are many great resources out there that can be fun to look into, if you have the Word of God, you have more than enough to get started with building a Bible reading habit in your home with your kids. Just find a Bible reading plan, pick up whatever Bible you have accessible to you, and use it!
Tip #3: Make It Routine
My third tip is to look at your daily schedule and pick a time to regularly sit down to read the Bible with your children. If you can make it routine, your kids will learn to expect it and prepare for it. For my kids and I, we have been opening the Bible together while we sit down to eat breakfast in the morning. Mealtimes are great opportunities to connect as a family and read the Word together. In fact, this idea came from the podcast I was listening to because a woman that was being interviewed shared that she remembers the Bible always being out and read during meals as she was growing up. It was so common and routine that she doesn’t remember a meal without the Word of God being read. This inspired me to build a similar habit with my kids. I want them to grow up with the Bible being talked about and read aloud throughout the day. I want it to become a foundational part of our family identity. Where in your schedule could you make Bible reading routine with your kids?
Tip #4: Make It Conversational
My fourth tip in how to read the Bible with your children is to make it engaging by allowing and encouraging good conversation. When I began incorporating Bible reading during breakfast time, I told my kids that if they had any questions, observations, or comments about anything we read, they could raise their hand at any time, and we could talk about it.
I always want my kids to know that they’re allowed to ask questions. I want them to know that their thoughts and reflections are important. I want the Bible to be talked about openly and without judgment. Even as an adult, I still have questions at times and new revelations that need to be explored. Why would I expect anything different for my children? Their curiosity is GOOD! Their questions are GOOD! This is how they grow and mature and ultimately form a faith identity of their own over time that isn’t dependent on me or their dad.
And please don’t worry if you don’t have all the answers. NONE of us have all the answers. We’re not God! And our kids don’t need us to be. They just need us to engage with them and listen to them and point them to answers when we can. They also need us to tell them that we don’t know it all and that we’re on this journey of walking with God right alongside them. We should understand and act as though we are fellow sojourners with our children. They don’t need us to be experts and holier than thou. But instead, they need us to be equals as we pursue God together even though our family roles are different.
Tip #5: Make It Realistic
My final tip is to have realistic expectations of your Bible reading time with your kids. Children will be children, and they may not be able to sit still (depending on their age and personality), fully understand what you’re reading, listen without interrupting, or always feel excited to participate. They will probably be a little wiggly especially if they’re young. They will probably ask a lot of questions. They may not even want to engage in Bible reading time at all on some days. That’s okay! Try not to get discouraged or frustrated if some days are harder than others. If you approach Bible reading expecting for you and your children to be real people with natural ups and downs and good days and hard days, you can better have grace for the interruptions, attitudes, wiggles, or lack of paying attention. At the end of the day, the Word of God is still being spoken and the routine of it will demonstrate that it’s a priority in your family even on the rough days. So my encouragement to you is to manage your expectations of yourself and all of your children. And don’t give up! You can do it!
Final Thoughts
Never forget that you are an important influence in your child’s life and one of the primary people who will lead your children to God’s truth. Reading the Bible with your kids truly doesn’t have to be complicated or hard. It can be as simple as picking a regular time, getting a Bible out, making it fun, engaging in conversation, and having grace for the process. It doesn’t require you to be a theological expert. It just requires you to be willing and available.
I hope this post has encouraged you to feel empowered to start reading the Bible more with your own kids. I believe in you!
What are some of the ways you approach reading the Bible in your families? Or how did your family read the Bible together when you were growing up? Share in the comments…
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