Children | Knowable Word

Teach Your Child to Have Devotions

June 29, 2015 By Ryan Higginbottom

As a Christian parent, one of my chief desires is for my children to come to faith in Jesus Christ. I pray frequently and fervently for God to give them new life, for without his Spirit their hearts will not change. (John 6:44, Rom 8:9)

Salvation Through the Word

Romans 10:17 teaches that there is no salvation apart from the Word of God. So as soon as your child can respond to sound, he should hear the Bible. Scripture songs, Bible stories, family worship, testimonies—let the rich story and good news of God’s salvation be the soundtrack of your home.

A child may begin the journey to faith by imitating his parents, but he must eventually confess Jesus as Lord with his own lips. Now God is sovereign over everything, including salvation, so there is no sure-fire formula. But on a human level, we can take this step of obedience: when your child is old enough to read, give him a Bible and train him to use it.

Devotions for Children

Erik Schepers (2015), Creative Commons License

My oldest daughter (eight) reads ravenously. This is a gift from God, yet my wife and I joke that we are in a small company who must discipline for too much reading. (Otherwise, her teeth might never get clean, you see.) I long to channel her love of reading toward God’s Word and to help her build a habit of private devotions, including time for both prayer and Bible study.

At Knowable Word, we maintain that personal Bible study is most profitable using the Observation-Interpretation-Application (OIA) method. But children this age may not be ready for all the OIA terms and worksheets. For my daughter, I simply want her to read and think about the Bible. So, I designed this devotions sheet for her, and I am excited to share it with you.

Explanation

The document is intentionally simple. My daughter should be able to meet with God in a meaningful way without feeling overwhelmed. Though it depends on the child, it could be used by most children between ages 6 and 10.

During “Bible Time,” my daughter reads one passage and writes down one observation and one question. She should pray about something that springs from her reading.

The “Prayer Time” portion of the sheet is also uncomplicated. The prompts follow the easy-to-remember ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) model of prayer.

The writing space is important. Writing stimulates our thinking and focus, and when my daughter records her thoughts it helps me care for her. I know she’s completed her devotions, and I can follow up in response to her answers, if needed.

Let me leave you with some advice about helping your child begin a devotional life.

Don’t be too ambitious — Whether or not you adopt this document, use something your child can complete without difficulty. Don’t pile on a heavy burden, and don’t try to impress anyone.
Use something helpful — This sheet may work for some children and not for others. Think about age-appropriate devotions, but don’t fuss too much about the tools. As your child grows in age and spiritual maturity, his devotional tools will likely change too.
Interact with your child — Don’t tuck a devotional plan between your child’s arms and expect him to scamper into the end zone. Your child needs love and guidance. Talk about the Bible with your child; teach him how to pray. Look over his responses on the sheet and pray for opportunities for heart-level conversations.
There is no magic formula — This bears repeating: salvation is of the Lord. As you press forward in faith, pray for your merciful God to be merciful to your children.

Link to Devotions Sheet

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Teach Bible Study to an 8-Year-Old

April 10, 2015 By Peter Krol

Last week, I asked my class what God had taught them so far this year through our study of Romans. Here’s what I got:

I’ve learned that I can’t please God by keeping the law, doing good deeds, or through church rituals.

I learned that Abraham was justified by faith.

Everyone is sinful and needs righteousness from Jesus.

I learned what circumcision means.

No joke. These four remarks came from a group of 3rd-to-5th grade boys in our local AWANA club class. My friend Jeff and I have had the honor of teaching these boys since the beginning of September. The AWANA program focuses on Scripture memory, and our 30-minute teaching time gave us the opportunity to develop the boys with the skills not only to memorize verses but also to read and study larger passages.

When I asked them what they’ve learned so far, I honestly had low expectations about what they’d say—and shame on me. Their answers delightfully shocked me and showed me evidence of God’s powerful work through his word.

And here’s what I’ve learned in the process.

1. Read the Bible

These kids can handle more than we brilliant adults usually think they can handle. So Jeff and I decided not to use a specialized curriculum to drive our class. We’d simply read the book of Romans and talk about it with the kids. We started at Romans 1:1. We’d read a verse, ask some questions, read the next verse, and continue week after week. It’s tempting to think these children need pre-packaged guidance from experts who have never met them. But we wanted them to get used to hearing the voice of their God who knitted them in the womb.

On the first week of class, I told the boys we’d have a special visitor with us every week. “He’s an old, old teacher. His voice breaks the oak trees in Park Forest, and he moves Mount Nittany out of his way to get here. He will speak to us in this very classroom. You can’t see him, but a silly thing like that won’t stop us from hearing him.”

Wide-eyed, they took a minute to figure out who this teacher would be. But once they realized it, they were ready to hear him. From time to time, I could quiet rowdy chatter by asking one of them to read the next verse to the class. I’d then project my voice and say, “Quiet! God is about to speak to you through [reader’s name]. You’ll want to hear this.”

2. Know the main point

Classes went well when we came prepared with a clear main point to focus on. And by “main point,” I mean the main point of the passage and not the main point of whatever we decided the children needed to hear that day. The lessons that stuck (see the first three quotes above) were the ones where they could see the main point right from the text. It made those lessons clear and memorable, and it gave the boys something to return to every time they read Romans from here on out.

3. Observe the structure

The structure of the passage gives them a summary of key lessons. The children struggled in classes when we didn’t have a clear structure, because a long verse-by-verse stream of consciousness wouldn’t hold their attention. But when we could show them, paragraph by paragraph, what Paul was saying—breaking down the argument into simple chunks—they were much more engaged.

4. Make them observe the text

The children loved to answer questions. And they loved to shout out whatever answers came to mind. But we refused to accept any answer that didn’t have a verse number attached to it. Week after week, we had to remind them that the answer to every question was right in the passage we had just read. Now that the year’s almost over, they’ve gotten it. Most questions produce a corporate nose-dive effect, where most heads in the room bow down to examine the text.

5. Define terms

We didn’t use children’s Bibles or work books. We wanted to give each child the confidence to open, read, and understand his own Bible. Most of them had the NIV, so that’s the version we taught from.

This means we had to deal with “atonement,” “righteousness,” “justification,” “Gentiles,” “reconciliation,” and “circumcision.” We had great fun on the day we dealt with that last term, which is why it showed up in quote #4 above. Though some boys won’t stop giggling at the term, most have learned from it how earthy and relevant the Bible is.

6. Illustrate everything

I need to work on this one more. Our application time had some rough spots. But one highlight came when we discussed Romans 6:15-18, and we talked about the start of soccer season. Sin is like your coach from last year. Jesus is like your new coach this year. Choosing to sin is like scoring goals on your own net just because the opposing team is led by the coach you played for last year.

We didn’t complete the book of Romans, as I had expected. We’d cover 2-3 verses per week at first, but now we’re up to 10-15. I hope we can cook through chapter 7 in these next few classes and land on Romans 8:1 in the last week. But it was worth it to adjust my expectations to give the boys time to really get it.

And we haven’t discussed OIA principles at all; we’ve merely practiced them every week. Our intention has been to inspire them with confidence to read and study the Bible on their own. We can give them helpful terminology for the process another time.

It’s great fun to see them learning to study the Bible. Next year, Jeff and I might get to teach the girls’ class, and we’ll have to reconsider how to handle “circumcision” then… Suggestions are welcome.

Teach Bible Study to a 12-Year-Old

August 15, 2014 By Peter Krol

This is a guest post by Ben Hagerup, who serves as Director of Campus Ministry for DiscipleMakers. He and his wife Elizabeth are expecting their 7th child this winter.

Pre-teen boys rarely hug their fathers in front of their friends, but mine did—after our first Bible study. “Thank you, Daddy! That was fun, and I learned a lot.” Imagine my delight as we launched this semi-monthly training group for our church’s middle schoolers. The usual response at the end of each hour-long meeting was, “What, we’re already done?!”

Mid-way through the year, I asked my sons what they liked about the Bible study. One said (and the other agreed), “Daddy, before you showed us how to study the Bible, I would just read a chapter and then stop. I didn’t know what else to do. But now I know what to do! Now I know how to understand it.”

Robert S. Digby (2009), Creative Commons

Would you like your 12-year-olds to understand the Bible? How can you set them up for success?

1. Cast vision for Bible study

Before explaining how to study the Bible, tell your 12-year-old why to study the Bible. Because Bible study is hard work, your child must be convinced the reward will be worth the effort.

The chief purpose for Bible study is not to appease God or parents, but to know Jesus. The Scriptures are about him (Luke 24:44-47), and knowing him is eternal life (John 17:3). Don’t underestimate your kids. They can get this.

2. Teach them the basic skills

The basics of the OIA method can be taught in 5 minutes. In our first Bible study, I explained the model simply.

Observation is asking “What does it say?”
Interpretation is asking “What does it mean?”
Application is asking “How should I change?”

I showed my students how Jesus demonstrated these principles in his usage of the Bible. I illustrated the principles with everyday experiences like stopping at a traffic signal. When you see a red light (observation), you know it means stop (interpretation), and you apply the brake pedal (application). They got it pretty quickly, and we organized each Bible study around these categories.

3. Practice the skills with them

Learning to study the Bible is like learning to swim or ride a bike. There is no substitute for regular practice. It doesn’t need to happen often, but it does need to be consistent.

Our study group for middle schoolers met twice per month for one hour. With only these 2 hours each month, I was able to both demonstrate and rehearse how to:

Observe the text
Ask good interpretive questions
Get the author’s main point
Draw good connections to Jesus, and
Apply the passage to the head, heart, and hands.

The last time I tried to teach my older children how to study the Bible, it didn’t sink in because I never took the time to practice it with them. This time around, we made more progress when we had a forum with other children to practice and reinforce the skills.

4. Expect them to practice the skills on their own

“Feed a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” Our goal must not be for these adolescents to admire our study skills or our love for the Bible. Nor should we lower our expectations to keep the disinterested on board. No, we want our children to be motivated and equipped to study the Bible themselves. Therefore, practicing the skills with them is not enough. They need to practice on their own and check in with you for feedback.

In my study I gave homework, asking each student to study the Bible passage for at least 1 hour each week (thus 2 hours before each meeting). I gave them a worksheet to aid their study, and the completed worksheet served as the child’s “ticket” for admission to each meeting. At one point, I asked a boy to stop coming because he wasn’t doing his homework or participating in the discussion. If we want to increase our kids’ motivation, we must give them something worth investing in!

5. Add to their toolkit over time

Mastery of a complex skill requires not only practice but also ongoing instruction.

At each meeting, I taught my middle schoolers either one more thing to look for or one more question to add to their worksheet. Early on, we focused on repeated words and basic facts (the who/what/where/when/how/why of the passage). Next, I taught them how to ask interpretive questions and answer them from the text. Later, I looped back to observation and gave them 3 more literary devices to look for (continuation, comparison, contrast). At each meeting, we would practice the skills we had learned thus far, and then I would share one more skill. So we’d add another tool to their kit each time we met, making them more adept journeymen in their Bible study.

I can’t describe the priceless joy I gained from seeing these pre-teens learn to love God’s word and dig in on their own. May you know this joy, too, as you lead your children to know Christ through the Scripture.

Teach Bible Study to a 6-Year-Old

August 16, 2013 By Peter Krol

I love Ender’s Game, a sci-fi story about 6-to-10-year-old children being trained through games to fight adult wars. After the novel’s first printing, author Orson Scott Card received complaints from readers contending that the children in the story were too “mature.” In fact, a school’s guidance counselor argued that Card’s depiction was “hopelessly unrealistic. [Children] just don’t talk like that. They don’t think like that.”

In the Introduction to the novel’s revised version, Card reflects on the accusation:

This may indeed be part of the reason why it was so important to me…to write a story in which gifted children are trained to fight in adult wars. Because never in my entire childhood did I feel like a child. I felt like a person all along–the same person I am today. I never felt that I spoke childishly. I never felt that my emotions and desires were somehow less real than adult emotions and desires. And in writing Ender’s Game, I forced the audience to experience the lives of these children from that perspective–the perspective in which their feelings and decisions are just as real and important as any adult’s.

The nasty side of myself wanted to answer that guidance counselor by saying, The only reason you don’t think gifted children talk this way is because they know better than to talk this way in front of you. But the truer answer is that Ender’s Game asserts the personhood of children.

Now while I fundamentally disagree with Card’s Mormon theology, I think he’s on to something in his views of children and their capacity for mature thinking and feeling. Jesus was more ready for children than his disciples were (Matt 19:13-15), and we should be ready, too.

Age 6 is a great time for children to begin learning serious Bible study skills. They can pick up the basics when they’re even younger, but now is the time to build strong foundations in preparation for their adult lives. How can you make the most of this time of life?

1. Teach them how to read

The early history of literacy is a history of Bible education. People learned to read so they could read the Bible. Increasing literacy rates have brought much good to the world, especially making the Scriptures available to wide swaths of humanity.

We easily grow weary when we’re slogging away at the difference between lowercase b and d, or when it takes 45 minutes to get through a 100-word picture book.

But remember the vision. As you help your 6-year-olds practice sounding out those words time after time, you’re investing in their ability to read (and eventually study) God’s word. You’re bringing them closer to the Lord, and it’s all worth it.

2. Give them a vocabulary

At age 6, your children are ready for big concepts. Each child’s pace is different, but you should be ready to give them whatever they can handle. Don’t let your discomfort hold them back.

For example, I had to have the first “sex talk” with one of my children at age 6. I repeat: age 6! This child was already asking questions about bodies, development, and appropriate levels of touching and interaction with others. How could I withhold important truths at such teachable moments?

In the same way, 6-year-olds are often ready for weighty discussion about Bible study. They just need a good vocabulary for it.

They can usually handle the big words: observation, interpretation, and application. Work them into your regular conversation; they’ll get used to them. As you do, you’ll give the children a framework to handle these big ideas.

3. Translate the vocabulary into plain language

Don’t give them big words just to impress your friends.

Make sure you explain the terms in plain language. “Observation means listening carefully to what the Bible says.” “Interpretation is when we ask ‘why.'” “Application means becoming more like Jesus.”

Give plenty of examples. “The boy in that movie didn’t observe what his mama told him to do, did he?” “Do you see how your little sister keeps asking you ‘why’? That’s because she wants to understand the world. She wants to interpret.”

Make sure the children can explain the concepts back to you. “What does it mean to observe the Bible? How could you do it better when I read to you?” “Why does God want us to apply what he teaches us? What does God think about people who hear his word but don’t live it out?”

4. Practice it every chance you get

You need to model good observation before your children will do it themselves. They need your help to interpret the Bible and their world. They won’t get application if you say one thing but do another.

Since OIA is communication, you have the opportunity to practice it with your kids every time you communicate with them. It’s not brain surgery. So every once in a while, take a moment from the conversation to remind them of how the conversation worked.

As you do, you may be surprised by how “adult” your children’s thoughts and speech really are.

Disclaimer: The Ender’s Game link is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff from Amazon, you’ll end up supporting our site at no extra cost to yourself.

Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old (Take 2)

July 5, 2013 By Peter Krol

When I wrote about how to teach Bible study to a 4-year-old, some wise guy with a PhD – who happens also to be a good friend of mine – commented that the post was more about teaching the Bible than teaching Bible study. I think all that graduate school must have paid off, because he’s on to something.

Teach us to fish!

It’s deceptively easy to hand out fish but hold back rods. Any effective ministry is in danger if it centers on the teacher. It centers on the teacher when the people keep coming back for food and don’t learn how to get it themselves. For this reason, Paul instructed leaders not only to teach but also “to equip the saints” (Eph 4:11-14).

So, although I don’t recant what I suggested in my earlier post, I would like to supplement it with further reflection on equipping the little ones to handle the word of truth rightly. These tips take the previous tips and merely make explicit what was implicit.

1. Build Familiarity with the Bible

I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it. We’ll never foster fat souls without increasing their biblical caloric intake. Children’s Bibles can help at times, but they must never replace God’s Knowable Word. Denying access to the Scripture itself is like serving Tofurkey for Thanksgiving. Worse, in fact; Tofurkey isn’t half bad.

By age 4, children are memorizing things like crazy. Why not give them useful stuff to memorize?

We ought to guide their journey through biblical history and wax eloquent about the many stops on the way to Jesus and beyond. Let’s also give them a map for the trip. “Today’s story is from the book of 1 Samuel. Let’s sing our Bible book song, and raise our hands when we get to 1 Samuel. ‘Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers…'”

2. Model Good Bible Study

At this age, one of the best gifts you can give your kids is the wealth of the gospel, not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1 Thess 1:5). Let your kids see the depth of the riches of God’s love as revealed in the Bible.

As you observe the text, interpret it for the children, and apply it to their lives, you give them something worth imitating (1 Thess 1:6). As they grow and can develop their skills at handling the word themselves, they’ll feel like it’s simply what they’ve been doing their entire lives.

3. Draw Attention to Key Principles

As you go, take time to highlight not only what you say but why you’re saying it.

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “Listen, it says right in verse 32, ‘Be kind to one another.’ Did you hear that? What does God wants us to do to one another? We should always pay attention to what the Bible says” (Observation).

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “When God says, ‘Be kind to one another,’ he wants you to think of your sister more than yourself. That’s what it means to be kind. We should always try to understand what the Bible means” (Interpretation).

Don’t just say, “be kind to your sister.” Say instead, “When is it hard to be kind to your sister? Do you want to keep all those toys to yourself? That will never work, will it? What did Jesus do for you? How can you be like Jesus toward your sister? We should change and make different choices because of what God says in his word” (Application).

Now, please go back and read my original tips, and consider how you can teach your 4-year-olds not only what the Bible says but also how to study it themselves.

Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old

June 7, 2013 By Peter Krol

OIA Bible study works for anyone of any age, because it simply codifies how all communication works. In another post, I gave some tips for teaching it to 2-year-old children. Now we graduate up to the 4-year-olds.

I’ve taught the 4-5 year-old Sunday school class at my church for over a year now. I’m delighted by how much these kids can understand. When class goes poorly, I’m tempted to blame the kids (“boy, they were really wound up this week!”). But often, the class falters because I’ve failed to communicate the exciting drama of God’s Word.

When has the class been most successful? Here’s what I’ve learned.

1. Read the Bible

Children’s story Bibles are great (some of them, at least). They’re the training wheels that help the kids get started. I really respect The Jesus Storybook Bible and The Gospel Story Bible for 4-year-olds.

But always, always, always read the Bible as well.

I’m tempted to think they won’t get it. But they get it when we explain it (see #3 below).

I’m also tempted to think they don’t have the attention span for it, and I need to read a “condensed” version of the story. But, for example, the tower of Babel story in Genesis 11 has 222 words in the ESV. The Gospel Story Bible uses almost 450 words for this story, and The Jesus Storybook Bible has over 530. Which one is more likely to push the limits of the children’s focus?

2. Situate the Text

One goal is to get the children comfortable with the Bible. So, every week in Sunday school, we discuss what book of the Bible the story comes from.

Then we sing two songs – one for the Old Testament book titles, and one for the New. The children raise their hands during the song when we get to the book that contains this week’s story. It’s a treasure hunt, encouraging them to sing along and listen carefully.

In this way, the children have memorized all the books of the Bible, and they’ve become comfortable with the basic arrangement of books.

3. Clarify the Point

This point may have the greatest effect on the quality of my class.

Some of our best classes covered unusual topics like the temple or Nehemiah building the walls of Jerusalem. Other highlights covered more familiar stories like baby Jesus and the shepherds, Elijah on Mount Carmel, or Daniel in the lions’ den.

But there was a common thread running through each successful class: I understood and was clear on the point of the Bible story.

Certainly the stories themselves have great value. We need to know our family’s history. We must pickle in the tales of their ups and downs.

But the stories are all there for a reason. God wants to introduce these 4-year-olds to the Hero of the story. He exposes their need for a Hero. And he satisfies their desire for a Hero.

These kids keep me honest. They won’t let me get away with a dumb answer. They’ll keep asking “why?” until I start to make sense. Good for them.

4. Focus on Jesus

He is the Hero. The whole Bible is about him. Any Bible class that doesn’t climax with Jesus is a failure.

These kids don’t need to be able to win Bible Quiz bowls. They don’t need to be good kids.

They need to trust in Jesus as their only hope for life. Let’s help them get there.

5. Visualize the Story

Visualization helps the children to exercise their observation muscles. We can put ourselves into the story and relate to the characters when we see what it was like for them.

We can show illustrations. We can use flannel figures. We can ask questions.

Building the walls of Jerusalem

In our class, we like to act the story out. It gets us up and moving around. Sometimes we get a little rowdy, but that’s okay. If we run out of main characters, children get to play the parts of trees, chairs, rivers, or lions. We’ve built towers to the ceiling, and we’ve struck rocks to get water.

These little ones are precious to the Lord. He wants to know them. Will you help?

UPDATE: This post actually focuses on teaching children the Bible. For more help teaching them Bible study, see the next post.

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