How to Get Kids Engaged in Sharing the Bible
Most children do not get ecstatic when they hear it's bible study time or prayer time. You may find it difficult to get children engaged at all in the bible, much less actively share it with their peers. One of the biggest challenges is making bible stories relevant to a child's world. While they may find the bible archaic and outdated, it is possible to correlate the bible and its lessons to everyday life.
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Instructions
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Get excited about the bible yourself. Young children model their parents' excitement. If you react to the bible with drudgery, your children will as well. Kids are the most excited about action stories. Share stories like David and Goliath, or Moses parting the Red Sea. The story of the Ten Commandments can be shared as an exciting story, with valuable lessons to teach your children.
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Tell bible stories in modern settings. The sharing of the bible does not need to be formal and authoritative. Share stories with your children while you're driving in the car, or in passing conversation. The story of Job is a good story to share when children are upset about something. Explain how Job remained faithful to God even though bad things happened to him. Relate bible stories as much as possible to everyday occurrences.
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Teach children how to use the bible. It may seem to kids a formidable challenge to even open the bible. They may not know where to start. Avoid the King James Version, as children have a hard time fully understanding it. For young children, choose a bible with pictures and illustrations to begin with. Older children may grasp the New International Version.
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Explain fully what the bible is, stands for, and where it comes from. You can liken the bible to video game cheat codes. Children use cheat codes to advance through a video game quickly and successfully. Explain that the bible is like life's instruction manual, full of ideals for living, like a "cheat code" for life.
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Use props to make stories more interactive. You can reenact a story, such as Daniel and the lion, easily with props found around the house and dress-up. The more enjoyable you portray the bible, the more it will hold children's interest. If they enjoy acting out bible stories with you, they are more likely to share them with their peers.
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Encourage summer bible school, youth groups, and church activities. When children are grouped together in a fun setting, their interest in the bible is piqued. Prompt your children to share the lessons they've learned with you with other children.
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Tips & Warnings
Hold the bible as you teach lessons out of it. The story makes a stronger impression if children can read it again on their own later.
Encourage memorization of bible verses. When children experience tough times, they have bible verses already studied and memorized.
Pray with your children. The bible is not just full of fun stories; you must follow it up with action.
Don't pull children away from fun activities for bible study time. They will resent it. Instead, wait until they are bored, then present bible stories.
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