How to Get Your Kids Involved in Bible Reading

Why You Want To Expose Bible Reading to your Kids

You want them to know the Word of God

• It is so wonderful when your children can grow up knowing and learning God’s word.
• It gives parents comfort, I think, to know that they have those words in their hearts and on their lips.
• When my child is a teenager and faced with a difficult choice and situation, I want him to have the Word of God in their heart to help them discern what is right.
• I know when I am in the Word, I think twice about doing certain things that I should not be doing in the first place.

You Want Them to understand what a relationship with God consists of

• For me, Bible reading is key to being in a relationship with God.
• They see you reading the Bible, it makes more sense for them to do it, too.
• God speaks to us through the pages in the Bible
• What a great thing for them to be able to connect with God through reading the Bible

You Want them to get excited about Bible Reading

• This could be a habit of a lifetime for them!
• You want them to seek the wisdom in the pages, to get that it still applies to their lives, no matter how young and how old they are.
• There are also amazing stories and miracles in the Bible, what’s not exciting about that?
• Your kids need to know that the Bible is relevant to them, too (to reiterate my earlier point)

I’m sure there are a ton of reasons why Bible reading is beneficial for kids, but I wanted to just point out some that came to mind as I was writing this.

A Crafty Bible Reading Circle

I’ve talked about the “why”; now let’s get to the “what”. What in the world could make your child actually excited to read the Bible? There are several different ways, but today I want to introduce you to the Family Scripture Spin-to-Read!

what is it:

The Family Scripture Spin-To-Read is a craft/activity that can help facilitate your Bible reading time with your kids. It creates a physical and visual representation of parts of the Bible, which you can spin and have an easy choice for Bible reading with your kids.

how to make it:

It consists of an 8.5 by 11 page of a circle, to which you attach an arrow to spin. You attach different labels to the section you want to place them in. The choices include:

• Old Testament
• New Testament
• Psalm
• Gospel
• First Reading
• Second Reading

The printable kit includes a tutorial video so you can see how easily it can fit together with just a few materials, most of which you probably already have in your house.

how to use it:

Once you get your spin circle created, you can use it to help figure out what part of the Bible/reading you should be. A person will spin the arrow, and whatever section it lands on is the section of the Bible you choose your reading from. I have a bunch of Bible reading resources in the packet.

where you can get it:

Funny you should ask! I just launched the product in my store last week! I have made it available to you for $3.

With the kit you receive:

• Directions and put-together tutorial
• Ideas for how to to use the circle
• Scripture sources on how to facilitate within your home (like technology vs no technology)
• A blank circle if you want to create your own, or
• A circle that is already filled out with all the options to save time
• The arrow and all the Bible section labels listed above.
• A page of questions to engage you and your kids in the reading

Check out the product in my store!

Tips for Using the Family Scripture Spin-to-Read

Tip 1: Take Turns

Have each of your kids take turns spinning so they don’t feel left out. Better yet, assign a night or nights of the week for them if you are doing it daily. And of course, this will depend on how many children you have, so get creative and make it as fair as possible.

If your child is old enough to read, give them a chance and turn to read the Scripture. This will help them stay engaged and interested longer.

Tip 2: Protect the Circle

I know how distracting a spinning circle can be for many children. I would be distracted, too!

Put your reading circle inside a folder or the Bible that way it doesn’t become a distraction during the reading itself.

Tip 3: Pre-Reading Questions

If your child does well with asking questions beforehand to get them to focus, it might be a great idea to give them a question (verbally or visually based on how they learn) to think about while they are listening to the reading.

Coming from a teaching background, I see the benefits of engaging the child before he/she is getting the information. This way they know what is expected of them.

Some examples include:

• What words stick out to you?
• What message is God telling you in this reading?
• Can you imagine yourself in this scene? (great for the Gospel and Old Testament readings)

Tip 4: Timing is Everything

Keep in mind the age of your children and their current state. Are they tired? Or worse, are they hungry? Are they wound up? Are they sitting in really uncomfortable seats? These situations might make for a less-than-desirable family Bible reading time, so try to make it fun, relaxing, and also at a good time for everyone.

Maybe you will spend time reading after the dinner meal, or once a week during your family meeting time.

Tip 5: Transfer knowledge

Use the questions provided in the packet to facilitate conversation from Sunday Mass, too. Maybe your kids will come to expect the questions and you can test their knowledge and memory afterward!

Just be sure to do it in a kind, fun way. Don’t make it mandatory and don’t make it something they might dread.

Ready to Start Your Family Bible Reading Now?

I understand that life is super busy and crazy, especially with children. But if we don’t sit down and teach them how to read the Bible and gain wisdom from its pages, who will? We are responsible for foster a love of the Lord, his Church, and His Word in our children.

We have discussed the why, the what, the how. All you need to do now is take action and slowly implement it into your lives. You will never ever regret spending time with God in his Word!

How do you like to read the Bible with your family?