What does your child need to know about the Bible? Let’s look at age appropriate bible study!
As a homeschool mother of four graduates, I know the struggles and fears that come with such a question. I want to share with you the outline that my husband and I used with our children. It is not a magic formula but an outline that I encourage you to add to and modify to fit the needs of your family.
Preschool Bible Study:
- God: Introduce them to the concept that there is a God who wants to have a relationship with them.
- Prayer: Teach them to pray and help them to identify answered prayer.
- Bible: Begin to introduce them to the main biblical accounts by reading to them directly from the Bible so that they learn to identify the Word of God.
Kindergarten Bible Study:
- Biblical Accounts: Continue to teach them the main biblical accounts. Repetition is encouraged.
- Character: Introduce character qualities and the fruit of the Spirit as you discuss various biblical characters.
Grades 1-2 Bible Study
- Bible Timeline: Introduce the biblical timeline beginning with Genesis.
- Move from basic accounts to more in-depth studies of the major characters and events.
- Memorize verses and facts.
Grades 3-4 Bible Study
- Timeline: Continue to add information to your timeline.
- Connect the Dots: Help children to start drawing connections between the Old Testament and New Testament.
- Memorize facts and Bible passages instead of just individual verses.
Grades 5-8 Bible Study
- Geography: Teach basic Bible geography.
- Bible Study Tools: Introduce inductive Bible study skills and teach them to use a concordance, Topical bible, Bible dictionary, and Bible atlas.
It was at this age that we began to consider our children’s strengths and focus our biblical training to help them fulfill their life missions. We took them to workshops, seminars, and other places that allowed them to learn from other believers.
High School Bible Study
- Encourage them to refine and practice inductive skills.
- Introduce extra-biblical writings such as: Josephus, Philo, Eusebius, writings of the Church fathers, Jewish oral history, and Church history.
- Begin deeper studies such as:
- Apologetics – the defense of their faith
- Comparative religion – learn the basic concepts of the world’s major religions
- Hermeneutics – history and study of the Bible
- Church history
- This is a great time to get your teens into Worldview training, such as Worldview Academy and Summit Ministries.
The Ultimate Bible Field Trip
When our children were teens we took them to Israel. To this day, our adult children still tell us that it was one of the most important things we did to build up their faith. I highly recommend that you go with your teens to the Holy Land. For those who can not take a trip there are many wonderful videos, books, and websites that allow you to experience the Holy Land from the comfort of your home.
Now that we have an outline for our children, what is our responsibility as parents? Our challenge as parents is to:
- Ask for wisdom to help each children apply what he are learning to their lives.
- Live a genuine Christian life before our children.
- Teach them to ask questions and help them learn to find the answers.
- Learn with and from our children.
In the Old Testament, parents were commanded to keep the biblical feasts. These feasts were specific times when parents were to teach and remind their children of the acts of God on behalf of His people. This year, I would encourage you to set aside specific times to read the Bible chronologically with your children and talk about the acts of God both in the Bible and in your family. Out of all the subjects you will study with your children, the Bible is the one book we should all strive to master.
