How to Choose a Bible Study for Kids
How do you choose a Bible study for kids? As teacher or parent, we know we should be teaching the Bible to our students and children, but where do we start? How do we choose a course of study?
It can feel overwhelming to try to fit another thing into our busy schedule. It can be discouraging when another month has gone by and we realize we have not been actively helping our students learn more about the Bible.
How do you choose a topic to study? It is easy to compare ourselves with other teachers and try to copy what they are doing. However, the Lord gave us our students and the ability to disciple them.
How to Choose a Bible Study Topic
When it comes to choosing a Bible study topic here are a few questions to start with:
- What are your interests? Is it something you can teach to your children as you learn it?
- What your children interested in? What topics are they asking about? Do they want to know more about David and Goliath, Creation, or apologetics?
- Do you need a holiday study? If it is winter, the Birth of Jesus is a great choice. Springtime is a perfect time for the Resurrection.
- Do your children need to study something specific, such as character traits?
- What is their level of biblical knowledge? Are they new to the Bible? Do they know the major characters and events?
- Looking for a summer study? A fun summer Bible study is exploring the Bible timeline and adding your own dates. The timeline helps students learn the chronology of the Bible and how people and events are related.
Once these questions are asked, you can take the next step in choosing a Bible study for your kids by looking at goals.
Setting Bible Study Goals for your Class
Setting goals for a Bible study class is very important because they serve to help us see if we are moving forward. Goals help us measure progress and encourage our students to take Bible study seriously.
Often we as teacher or parent will just “read the Bible” to our students assuming that they will understand it. We know God’s Word will not return void, but we want to do more than just read with our students. We want to disciple them so that they are equipped to comprehend, apply, and obey God’s word.
Keep your goals simple, realistic, and reachable.
Set 3 Main Goals for the Study
To do that, goals need to be simple, for example 3 main goals, such as:
- Learn the timeline for the study
- Memorize 10 verses, and
- Retell the biblical account they have studied
Set Realistic Goals as a Teacher
- What do I need to teach each week/day to reach the goal?
- Will my students be able to reach this goal?
- Will I be able to prepare and teach the materials to make sure we reach this goal?
Set Reachable Goals for students
- Can my students learn the timeline within the study time frame?
- Can my students memorize the verses each week?
- Can my students understand the story well enough to retell it?
As you think about your next Bible study, take a few minutes to jot down some goals. This will do two things; it will help you to clarify your goals and help you to succeed in reaching those goals.
How to find the right Bible study?
Now that you have an idea of what you want to teach and what goals you have, you need to choose a Bible study for your kids! But where do you go?
- Ask your friends. We often have friends who are also trying to disciple their children. Ask them what they are using, or if they have any family Bible studies that interest them.
- Ask your church leaders. Pastors, Children’s Ministry leaders, and Sunday School teachers often know of many studies that will work well for families. They are a great resource.
- If you don’t find the answers you like, online research is a great place to search, read reviews, and download samples.
When it is time to choose your next Bible study, these three steps can help you make the best choice for your family, church or school.
If you should want a personalized recommendation of which Grapevine Bible studies will work best for your setting, contact us or browse our catalog!
