Teaching children to want to read the Bible and giving them Scripture to read takes work, but you shouldn’t stop there. Your students will become frustrated if you don’t also teach them how to use the Bible.
Here’s what they need to know.
Give the children an easy to read translation.
The Bible is 66 books. Teach your students that the Bible isn’t just one book, it is a book with 66 books inside. They won’t understand how to read the Bible until they know this. Then when you tell them what book to go to, they’ll get it.
The Bible has 2 sections. It may seem that everyone know this, but your students might not. Teach them the differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament and give them an idea of which books are in which testament.
The Bible is divided into groups of books. Here’s a list of the way they are grouped so you can teach this to your students:
Old Testament:
- Law (5 books) Genesis – Deuteronomy
- History (12 books) Joshua – Esther
- Poetry (5 books) Job – Song of Solomon
- Major Prophet (5 books) Isaiah – Daniel
- Minor Prophets (12 books) Hosea – Malichi
New Testament:
- Gospels (4 books) Matthew – John
- History (1 book) Acts
- Epistles (21 books) Romans – Jude
- Prophecy (1 book) Book of Revelation
Each verse has an address. This is the easiest way to teach children to look up verses. The address starts with the book, then the chapter, then the verse. For instance, John 1:1 is the book of John, first chapter, first verse.
Teach students to memorize the books of the Bible. This is easier than you might think, but it’s important. If a child memorizes the books of the Bible, he develops a basic understanding of where each book is located long after he’s forgotten how to rattle them off. The best way to do this is to teach the books one section at a time. Use little rewards for each section and a huge reward when the child memorizes them all.
Here’s a link to some resources to teach children the books of the Bible:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SramN-qSgo8
La Bible Song (Made 2 Praise Vol. 8)
5 Great Games to Teach Your Kids the Books of the Bible
Footsteps Tools for Learning (Books of the Bible Curriculum and Resources)
Teaching Children Bible Basics: 34 Lessons for Helping Kids Learn to Use the Bible