Family Bible Study Ideas {Giveaway}

A few years back our pastor decided that he would like to make some changes in our curriculum so that everyone from the babies in the nursery to the senior adults would be on the same page each Sunday. I wasn't sure at first if I would like it but after a few weeks I couldn't imagine it being any other way. 

In order to accomplish his goal we began using the same passages of Scripture for all Sunday School classes and the Sunday morning message. Of course the adult classes were much more detailed than the nursery lessons but we all studied the same portion each week. 

Not only was this a nice thing for our church family, it was also very beneficial for our personal family. Have you every been on the ride home after church and asked your little ones what they were learning in Sunday School only to have them say "I don't know."? It has happened in our family more than I would like to admit. Now with the changes it is easy to give little prompts to jog their memory that can then lead to a full-blown conversation. This is especially beneficial for Granny and Poppy. We automatically feel connected because we know what their lesson was about. Sunday lunch conversations have taken on a whole new dimension and I for one love it!

Family Bible Study

In fact we enjoyed studying the same Scripture together at church so much that we decided to try something special in our homes during the Christmas season. We chose to Celebrate Advent with the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. The two houses that had children used the Jesus Storybook Bible and the two houses that were adult only used The Story of God's Love For You. The two books contain the same words but the illustrations are different (one being for children and the other for adults). You can read more about the specifics of how we did it HERE.

Daily Devotions

That was such a wonderful experience for our extended family that we began talking about practical ways we could incorporate this same concept into our daily devotional routines. At first the task of putting together something that would not only be meaningful to the adults but also work with the different ages and stages of our kiddos was a bit daunting. As much as we liked the idea not one of us had the time or motivation to take on the work of putting together the daily devotions.

Just when I was about to give up on the notion a brilliant moment of inspiration struck. I was sitting in the rocking chair with my four-year-old grandson and we were reading our new copy of the updated The Beginner's Bible. If you are familiar with this storybook Bible you know that it is intended for toddlers to preschoolers and walks them through the highlights of the Old and New Testaments with simplified storylines. 

As we were reading through a few of the stories it occurred to me that we not only had the toddler/preschool version of The Beginner's Bible we also had the New International Reader's Version (NIrV) designed for younger readers and the King James Version (KJV) designed for adult readers of The Beginner's Bible. 

 

After talking it over with my daughter this is the plan that we came up with. We're going to use The Beginner's Bible (preschool edition) as our guide. Each story gives the Scripture reference and that will be what we use for our older kids and adult readings. 

So for example the very first story is called The Beginning and it is on Genesis 1. That story will be read aloud to the preschool and under set sometime during the morning at the usual Bible time. Then the kids that can read will read Genesis 1 aloud from The Beginner's Bible, NIrV edition during their Bible time. (We homeschool so there is a set time each day for these activities.) Then in the evening Daddy will read Genesis 1 out of The Beginner's Bible, KJV edition. Granny and Poppy will also read that same passage at their house. 

I have to tell you that I am absolutely loving this new routine. Poppy and I like to read our portion in the early morning so that we can interact with the grands during the day. I know about when their Bible times are so I enjoy either calling the little ones or sending a text to the older ones about some portion of the Scripture that stood out to me. For me it is a special way to be connected to the grands while at the same time backing up and supporting the parents.

Now . . . how about a GIVEAWAY?!! Would you like to give Family Bible Study a try like we are? We've partnered with Zonderkidz to make a way for one of our readers to get their own copies of The Beginner's Bible (preschool edition), The Beginner's Bible, NIrV edition, and The Beginner's Bible, KJV edition.

The giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will run through midnight on Wednesday, October 19, 2016. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. The winner will be contacted by email and will have forty-eight hours to claim the prize. If unclaimed, a new winner will be drawn. The winners’ entries will be verified. Please enter the contest using the Giveaway Tools form below. All entries are optional.

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Summer Boredom Busters For Kids Using Electronic Media

A couple of days ago I was visiting with my oldest grand girl and she informed me that she had been out of school for a total of three days and she was already bored. Can I insert in here that I am so thankful that it’s my turn to be the granny rather than the momma? The dog days of summer can be a nice change with the slower pace but they can also be taxing when the normal activities of the school year are no longer in play.

I began to think about what my kids used to do during the summer and ways we could update the activity to be relevant today. One of the things that all of my grands have in common is their love for anything involving electronic media. Even the two youngest ones gravitate to any smart phone that is lying in reach!
With that in mind I came up with a few ideas that worked for me and can still be useful to today’s mommas. I hope you’ll find them as helpful as I did.

1. READING – One of the first summer programs we would sign up for each year was the Summer Reading program at our local library. It’s such a fun way to keep the kids reading. Our library offered prizes and incentives that appealed to my kids. It was also a good opportunity for my kids to explore new genres and authors to expand their knowledge and imagination.

For my oldest grand girl’s recent birthday she received a Kindle of her very own. Something about reading from an eBook seems so much more interesting to her than reading a normal book. The price of eReaders has plummeted and made them very affordable. If you don’t already have one now might be the time to think about it.

Finding books for the eReader has become more affordable as well. Most local libraries have eBooks that you can download to your device and read for free for a set amount of time. You can find free and cheap eBooks from sites like The Vessel Project.

I’m very picky about what I send my grands to read. I like to stick to the classics and inspirational fiction and nonfiction. For my tween grand girl I’ve found some wonderful eBooks from the Faithgirlz line that I think you can trust for content.

2. MOVIES – For whatever reason my kids loved to watch movies in a dark closet. They would pile in pillows and then we’d use an extension cord to plug in our smallest TV and DVD player. (Okay so it was really a VCR, but that makes me sound old!)

With the use of a tablet or laptop and a streaming service like Netflix you can achieve the same result. Don’t forget to check out the selection at your local library. It’s free and a good way to introduce your kids to some classics that you loved as a child. Just add some popcorn and juice boxes and you’ve got an activity that all of your kids can enjoy together.

3. GAMING – My boys loved video games so I wasn’t really surprised when my oldest grandson started talking about them as well. We own a Wii and have enjoyed hours of entertainment with it as a family.

My grandson really likes the Wii but what has him all stirred up right now is this game called Minecraft. When he first showed it to me I just didn’t get the appeal of these squared-off pixelated characters. But then I received a copy of the Minecrafters Bible from Zonderkidz and a lightbulb went off!

If you have a Minecrafter in your midst you already know that the purpose is to build your own imaginative world using characters that you create. If I were the momma I would capitalize on that and combine the game with the Bible.

This is what my daughter is now doing with my grandson. Each morning they read a particular Bible story from the Minecrafters Bible. Then my grandson is given the laptop with Minecraft on it and allowed an extended amount of time to recreate the story. It’s an absolute delight watching him refer back to the Bible as he expands the details in the game. I think this is a brilliant way to capture the attention of your kids while solidifying Biblical truths that will last a lifetime.

Now . . . how about a GIVEAWAY?!! We are loving how the Minecrafters Bible is helping us to teach our kiddos important Biblical truth. So we've partnered with Zonderkidz to make a way for one of our readers to get their own copy.

The giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will run through midnight on Tuesday, June 14, 2016. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. The winner will be contacted by email and will have forty-eight hours to claim the prize. If unclaimed, a new winner will be drawn. The winners’ entries will be verified. Please enter the contest using the Giveaway Tools form below. All entries are optional.

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Teaching Toddlers: Begin At The Beginning {plus a GIVEAWAY}

by @Fitzysmom

We’ve all heard about the terrible twos. I’m here to tell you that it’s not the second year that will have you begging for mercy but rather years three and four. By then your little darlings will have developed the skills of a master manipulator with a killer smile to boot.

So what’s a worn out momma to do? Begin at the beginning.

For me during those turbulent years it meant running straight into the arms of Jesus. Every. Single. Day. The days I missed were the days I would sink. I love the popular advice of getting up before the kiddos to have a quiet time . . . a little bit of coffee and a whole lotta Jesus. (Cold can of Coke for me thank you very much!) The problem was that I was blessed with a boy that woke up with the first rays of light. And this night owl momma had usually gone to bed just a few hours before. Guilt was my cloak of choice. Why couldn’t I love early mornings? Why did I need an hour or so of just being before I could coherently function?

Here’s where I’m going to urge you to loosen those chains that hinder your morning meeting with Jesus. Do what you have to do to make it happen even if it is mid-morning rather than the crack of dawn. Just like you should put on your oxygen first in an airline emergency, you should also equip yourself first to face what is ahead of you. So put a DVD on, plop your little cherub in front of it and then run to Jesus. Grab your Bible and coffee and absorb His words of life-giving power.

After that mountain top experience you get the privilege of doing what you were called to do . . . train up a child!

So where should you start? Begin at the beginning.

The wonderful thing about toddlers is their insatiable curiosity. The most taxing part of a toddler is their insatiable curiosity. (And the tantrums . . . oh the tantrums!) Toddlers love to discover how things are made and how they work. Encourage that curiosity by teaching them the creation story in Genesis.

There are literally thousands of resources of books and music and coloring sheets that you can use to teach your little one what happened on those first seven days. Make it fun and enjoyable for both of you. I happen to be a brand ambassador for Zonderkidz so I have had the privilege of scouring a ton of their toddler books. One of my favorite new books is the Read With Me Bible for Little Ones. It does a nice overview of some of the main themes in the Bible.

Once you’ve conquered the creation story you can move on to many other stories that reside in the Old and New Testaments. My favorite teaching outline comes from Hebrews 11:1-39. We affectionately refer to it as the great Hall of Faith. Spend time teaching your children about each of these great men and women. It is perfectly acceptable to leave out the gruesome parts at this point. A three-year-old is probably not ready to learn about Cain killing his brother Able. But they can begin to learn about obedience to God by presenting acceptable offerings. And above all else begin teaching them about Jesus.

I’m so excited for each of you mommas as you journey this path with your little ones. You are called to this and our faithful God is equipping you for it. You can do this. There’s a great cloud of witnesses surrounding you and cheering you on. And all the grannies said . . . AMEN!

Now . . . how about a GIVEAWAY?!! We loved Read With Me Bible For Little Ones so much that we wanted to make a way for one of our readers to get their own copy. To do that we have partnered with Zonderkidz to give one of our readers a copy of the book.

The giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will run through midnight on Tuesday, May 10, 2016. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. The winner will be contacted by email and will have forty-eight hours to claim the prize. If unclaimed, a new winner will be drawn. The winners’ entries will be verified. Please enter the contest using the Giveaway Tools form below. All entries are optional.

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