Learning the Word by Heart

To know something so well you can recite it without struggling, without hesitation or pause.

It's taken into your soul.

It becomes a part of you.

Some call it memorization; my grandparents' generation called it learning by heart. 

Teaching the Word at Home

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. ~2 Timothy 3:15-16 

Read Aloud Bibles

Great for toddlers  The Rhyme Bible . They love the sing song language of rhyme, and how quickly rhyme can be memorized.

Read Aloud Bible Stories are filled with huge, oversized, simplistic illustrations, perfect for little eyes. 

When the boys were four, two, and one year, we used the Read and Share Bible for our family devotion around the dinner table. The text was just long enough, the pictures were captivating, and each reading ends with a question. This Bible fit our crazy season and allowed us to have a short family devotion regularly without being overwhelmed. With over 200 Bible stories, there is a breadth of Biblical events and characters introduced to small children.

Our experience with watching the Read and Share DVDs has been amazing. The boys have learned a lot! 

The next Bible we transitioned to was The 365 Day Children's Bible Storybook. During this season, our daily family Bible reading happened right before bed.

When my oldest entered Kindergarten, I decided to try the highly recommended Child's Story Bible for our daily read aloud.  I think it's the BEST "retelling" of the Bible chronologically. It's a well done timeline of biblical history. It also gives children an "if you were there" perspective. It's written in easy to understand language without dumbing down the stories. Lastly, this children's Bible allows you to see Jesus in the Old Testament reminding children that God has always had a plan.  

Coloring Books

The best thing I can do when reading aloud to my boys is keep their hands busy - coloring, legos, puzzles. Our Bible time is during breakfast now, so I try to have the coloring pages on the table waiting for them. While they eat and color, mom reads.

The Big Picture Bible Timeline Book

I used The Big Picture Bible Timeline coloring book when we started reading from The Child's Story Bible. Each day the boys colored the illustration while I read. 

Really Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages

When we started using Veritas Press Bible timeline cards for our chronological Bible study (see below) I began using pages from the Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages.

Chronological Bible Study Resource

The Child Story Bible is still our read aloud Bible of choice. We use it with the Veritas Press Bible Timeline Cards as the boys and I work our way through the Bible chronologically at a slower pace. Last year we studied Genesis-Joshua, and this year we are working our way through the Judges and Kings. We focus on one card/event a week. Mixing the cards up and having the boys regularly practice lining them up in order really helps with mastery of the timeline. I know homeschool and non-homeschool families who have found these to be a helpful tool in setting the pace for chronological Bible study. 

"My Own Bible"

        To take to church. To open it. To mark it. 

"[T]hey received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11

We read the Bible because there is a God who has revealed Himself. 

And He has revealed Himself in a form you can read!

Read with Me Bible

My Kindergartner is an advanced reader and just finished the Read with Me Bible which he started last spring. It's a special moment to mark a child's first reading through their whole Bible. 

Jesus Storybook Bible

Family Bible

Our family Bible is filled with tags from the Child Training Bible. 

Free Printable Resources

I use the site biblefunforkids.com quite often to find free printables on topics we are wanting to study more in-depth. Simply enter a key word into the search, and there are a wide range of hands on activities. For example, last year we focused on the tabernacle, and I found an easy lap book printable and colorful posters. This year my oldest is memorizing the books of the Bible, and I found a write the room printable.

Bible Story DVDs

My older boys really enjoy the NEST Family Entertainment videos, and fortunately, a local church library carries a great selection of these quality films. I also mentioned above that the little guys have learned a lot from the Read and Share dvd series.

Trust the word of God, and it's promise to not return empty. 

Let the Bible speak for itself. 

Let the connections be made for themselves. 

Trust that overtime you're laying a strong foundation.

Rest.