Taking the Lessons Home: Digging into the Bible

In September we have been “Digging into the Bible” with our K-5 group using cooking, stories, art and games. In the middle school class we have been discussing who wrote the Bible, canonization, different versions of the Bible and more.  I encourage you and your family to keep digging and exploring the Bible and its origins. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Memorize the books of the Bible:

I know it sounds old school, but knowing where the books are in the Bible makes it easier for all of us to find scripture easily.   Fortunately, we don’t have to take the drill sergeant approach to memorization!   Start by writing down or printing out all of the books of the Bible onto cards. Then try these games I found on scripturelady.com:

OT/NT Sort –Get 2 boxes and label one “Old Testament” and the other “New Testament”. Grab 10 or so of the Bible Book Cards and set a timer to 30 seconds. When you say, “Go”, give a child the opportunity to correctly sort the cards in their appropriate boxes. For every one he got correct, tally up the points for his team. As the children learn their books better, you will be able to give them more cards to sort.

Grab and Find – Grab a bucket and put in some Bible Book Cards. Have a child come up and pull out a card. Give him 15 seconds to find the book in the Bible. If he is successful, he gets the points on the card for his team.

See if everyone in your family can learn the books of the New Testament this month. Make it a fun challenge and let me know how it goes. And, if you find good online resources or apps, please pass them along!

Talk about what the Bible means to you:

The Bible is an amazing book because it is simple enough for children to engage with but complex enough to be studied for a lifetime. As kids get older (middle school and beyond) they begin to wonder about the Bible. How were the books chosen? How do we know if it is true?  Why are there some really awful stories in there?   As parents we should be prepared to have these difficult discussions. Kids need to know what we believe. The UMC is a wonderful resource for learning more about our denomination’s beliefs.  You will find a great resource about what the Bible is at: http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2311287/.