What do kids need to know about the Bible? When do they need to know it? Let’s look at age appropriate Bible study!
As a Sunday School teacher, 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 and that we have seen work for over 20 years with families, churches, and schools around the world. It is not a magic formula but an outline that I encourage you to add to and modify to fit the needs of your class or family.
What Preschool kids need to know about the Bible?
Preschool is the perfect age to introduce children to the importance of learning the Bible. Children ages 4 to 5 can learn the most familiar Bible and the fact that God wants a relationship with them.
- 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 Bible stories by reading to them directly from the Bible so that they learn to identify the Word of God.
Like preschool children, kindergarten children can take the next step in growing their faith.
What Kindergarten kids need to know about the Bible?
In addition to what you teach at the preschool level you can add a few additional things as you teach students in Kindergarten.
- Biblical Accounts: Continue to teach them the main biblical accounts. Repetition is encouraged while adding more information.
- Character: Introduce character qualities and the fruit of the Spirit as you discuss various biblical characters.
Once Kindergarten children learn the major characters and events of the Bible and have confidence to pray to the Lord, they will be ready to move to the next level
What grades 1-3 need to know about the Bible?
Between Kindergarten and the early elementary grades children begin to understand time, so this is the perfect time to teach the chronology of the Bible.
- 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 complete verses and basic facts.
During the early elementary years, teaching and memorizing the Bible timeline as well as biblical facts will give students a solid foundation to build on in the years to come.
What grades 4 to 6 need to know about the Bible?
In addition to the things above, children in grades 4 to 6 are at the perfect age to help students learn when and where the Bible took place.
- Bible Versions: At this age, we recommend reading the stories from a couple of different
- Geography: Teach basic Bible geography when applicable.
- Dates: Adding dates to your lesson helps students see the Bible in the context of history. (The Annals of World History is a good resource.)
Whether you have students who know their Bibles well or students new to the Bible, these things will grow their confidence.
What grades 7 to 8 need to know about the Bible?
Building on the skills they have learned to this point, we begin to teach students how to study the Bible on their own. If you have students new to the Bible, we do recommend helping them learn the major characters and events before teaching them to study on their own.
- Bible Study Tools: Introduce inductive Bible study skills and teach them to use a
- Concordance
- Bible Dictionary
- Topical Bible
- Bible Atlas
As parents, it was at this age that we began to consider our teens’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. If you are working with youth, try to find experiences that will
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:
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- 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.
3 Thing a Teacher Can Do
Now that we have an outline for our students, what is our responsibility as teachers?
- Live a genuine Christian life both in private and public.
- Teach our students to ask questions and help them learn to find the answers.
- Learn with and from our students.
These are the things we recommend that children know about the Bible. As a teacher, you will add things to your list for your students or children. Our prayer is that we, as teachers, can give each student a solid biblical foundation to equip them to be ready to teach the next generation. I am glad you are joining us at Grapevine to raise up a biblically literate generation of Christians.
