It seems we have a love-hate relationship with the Bible. We’re told that we should read it regularly, but often it stays on the shelf, glowering at us disapprovingly. I wonder why many of us have this attitude. The Bible is life-changing, confusing, awesome, scary, comforting, unsettling, wonderful, convicting and more. Perhaps this strange mix is sometimes too much for us to take. Yet if we read it, we’ll find out more about this God we follow and love. We’ll see how his people followed him (or didn’t) and loved him (or didn’t), and discover the great plan our God put into action to save us.
Reading the Bible regularly is a brilliant habit for us to get into, and also to encourage children to take up. Putting children and the Bible together is an exciting experience – the combination of our creator God and fearless children can result in profound engagement. So, children and the Bible should be a powerful pairing, but often it is not. Children’s Bible reading can mirror our own – a guilty avoidance of the text or an I’ll-do-it-later mindset (later sometimes never comes). Indeed, the children we work with will see our attitude to the Bible and take that on for themselves. So, how can we help children read the Bible regularly? There are a lot of resources out there to help – here are some of them.
Beginning with God
AGE GROUP: Under-5s (for use with parents / carers)
PRODUCER: The Good Book Company
RANGE: Four books (one, two, three and Christmas)
FORMAT: Slightly bigger than A5, black and white with colour stickers, undated, for use with The Beginner’s Bible
HOW IT WORKS: Each reading is made up of an optional ‘Appetiser’ introductory activity, a ‘Main course’ of prayer, reading the story from the The Beginner’s Bible, a statement about the story, questions with a sticker to stick in the book, and a ‘Snack’ activity for the rest of the day.
HELP FOR PARENTS: There are quite a few pages to help parents / carers, for example advice on praying with your child and how to talk about sin and forgiveness. The format is clearly explained at the start of each book.
WHAT IT’S LIKE: Each reading is in the same format, so navigation of the activities is easy and a child knows what to expect. However, the ‘Main course’ activities are all very factual and don’t allow much conversation around the story. The story is boiled down to a statement of truth and the questions reinforce this statement. The focus is learning ‘what’ rather than wondering ‘why’. While there is great value in teaching about the story, exploring the ‘why’ would help a young child discover this truth for themselves and help them apply what they have discovered to their own life. Indeed, it’s the optional activities which facilitate the most discussion, rather than the Bible engagement section.
IT’S GREAT BECAUSE OF… The creative optional activities, good grounding in Bible teaching, and stickers!
IT COULD DO WITH… More space for children to wonder about the story, and guidance for parents on how to chat around the Bible story.
YOUNGER CHILDREN
Pens
AGE GROUP: 3-6 (for use with parents / carers)
PRODUCER: CWR
RANGE: 22 books (plus Christmas, Easter and Starting School specials)
FORMAT: A5, full colour, 64 pages, undated
HOW IT WORKS: Each reading has a Bible verse (printed on the page), a story and large illustration about Pens characters (though this is sometimes the retold Bible story), a statement about God, a question to answer and a prayer to pray.
HELP FOR PARENTS: There is no specific help for the parents / carers on how to use the resource.
WHAT IT’S LIKE: It’s colourful and the Pens characters look fun (though talking pens are a strange choice, and many will have a theological issue with the fact that the Pens have a relationship with God). The format is simple and easy to follow, but its thematic nature means that some parts flit from verse to verse. If the story is one about the Pens, the conceptual leap between the story and the Bible is sometimes abrupt. Like Beginning with God, there could be more child interaction with the text.
IT’S GREAT BECAUSE OF… The colourful layout, the fun characters, and the question for discussion.
IT COULD DO WITH… More Bible interaction, slightly longer Bible passages, and help for parents / carers.
Jesus and me every day
AGE GROUP: 3-6 (for use with parents / carers)
PRODUCER: CWR
RANGE: Four books (plus Jesus my Friend)
FORMAT: A5, full colour, 64 pages, undated
HOW IT WORKS: Each reading is numbered and has a Bible reference (sometimes one verse, sometimes as many as ten), a summary of the Bible passage, a question to talk about and a prayer.
HELP FOR PARENTS: There is no specific help for the parent / carer on how to best use the book.
WHAT IT’S LIKE: It’s colourful and the illustrations are well done, if a little on the old-fashioned side. The layout is clear and ordered, and the notes are arranged mainly in sets of (more or less) consecutive Bible verses, with single Bible stories being covered over several days. This might seem like overkill, but children of this age love repetition and it means that they can become much more familiar with the stories. The text is minimal and, like the other resources for this age group, it’s the questions where the child can really start to engage with the story and their world.
IT’S GREAT BECAUSE OF… The clear and simple layout, the discussion question, and the longer focus on Bible stories.
IT COULD DO WITH… More activity and interaction with the Bible, more up-to-date illustrations.
Tiddlywinks little books
AGE GROUP: Under-5s (for use with parents / carers)
PRODUCER: Scripture Union
RANGE: Six books
FORMAT: A5, black and white, 64 pages, undated
HOW IT WORKS: Each reading is numbered, and there are 50 in each book. Each book has a different child character, who discovers stories from the Bible (this character has an intro page at the start of the book). Each one has a picture and short story involving the character. This story leads into a short retelling of the Bible passage, a prayer and a Bible reference, so the parent / carer and child knows where the story is in the Bible.
HELP FOR PARENTS: There is a page helping parents / carers use the book with their children, extra activity pages and a page in each helping parents / carers with an aspect of a child’s development.
WHAT IT’S LIKE: This shares the same kind of style as Pens (a fictional story leading into the Bible passage), but the fact that Tiddlywinks uses characters like the children using the book should help the reader more readily identify with the situations described – this should lead more naturally to conversation. While less colourful than the other books for this age, it is better written. There are no discussion prompts, so adults who aren’t confident in talking around a story with their child might struggle.
IT’S GREAT BECAUSE OF… The use of child characters who will feel familiar to the children, and the linking of everyday situations with the Bible story.
IT COULD DO WITH… Some discussion questions to help parents / carers.
OLDER CHILDREN
XTB (eXplore the Bible)
AGE GROUP: 7-11
PRODUCER: The Good Book Company
RANGE: 12 books (plus Christmas, Easter and summer specials)
FORMAT: A5, full colour with colour stickers, undated
HOW IT WORKS: Each reading is numbered (day one, day two etc) and is made up of a puzzle or question, Bible reading activities and a way forward section (including prayer). There are stickers to stick in certain places – each book has a different sticker, for example ‘Promise’ or ‘Rescue’. There are also special pages, such as what it means to be a Christian and an explanation of the cross.
WHAT IT’S LIKE: Like Beginning with God, much of the material focuses on the understanding of facts. This is good when exploring concepts that children need extra information to understand, but not when helping children to know God, rather than know about the Bible. The assertion is ‘the Bible is true’ rather than asking ‘what do you think?’ It’s very wordy, despite the colour and illustration, and requires good reading ability to get the most of the activities.
IT’S GREAT BECAUSE OF… The clear explanation of theological terms, and colourful design.
IT COULD DO WITH… Some activities which help children discover God for themselves and consider their own responses.
Topz
AGE GROUP: 7-11
PRODUCER: CWR
RANGE: New issues are published every two months
FORMAT: A5, full colour, dated
HOW IT WORKS: The readings are grouped into series thematically and sometimes systematically. There is a Bible reference, with an activity (puzzle, picture to draw, story to read etc), a prayer and an action to go and do. There are two months’ worth of material in each issue.
WHAT IT’S LIKE: It’s colourful, but the layout of the page is slightly confusing. The Bible passage is on the edge of the page and could be missed. Much of what is said and asked about is factual – there isn’t much place for the child to take the lead in directing the devotional activity. There is a set of characters (who appear in separate fiction books) which are great but are maybe underused (fewer characters would mean that they appeared more often and children would identify with them).
IT’S GREAT BECAUSE OF… The characters, and the dated nature of the resource which encourages regular engagement.
IT COULD DO WITH… More help for children to engage with the Bible for themselves.
Snapshots
AGE GROUP: 8-11
PRODUCER: Scripture Union
RANGE: Three books
FORMAT: A5, full colour, dated
HOW IT WORKS: Each book has 365 readings, starting in January (though you can start whenever you like). The notes work systematically through sections of Bible books (or entire books if they’re short). Each reading has an introduction, children are invited to read the Bible, there’s some explanation and then a prayer time. There are puzzles, codes and things to write and do.
WHAT IT’S LIKE: There are some activities which go beyond just telling a child what the Bible passage means, or asking factual questions about the passage. The spaces to write and the actions ask children to think for themselves how they might apply what they have discovered. However, the layout isn’t as interesting as other publications and it would be a committed child who got through the whole book without getting bored or losing the book!
IT’S GREAT BECAUSE OF… The material which helps children to go beyond factual knowledge.
IT COULD DO WITH… A more interesting layout, and fewer readings per book.
