Intentionally building a love of scripture in our children has always been a focus of mine, but this year I felt an urgency to continue adding a love of God’s word into their hearts. In the middle of the year I asked myself a question, (it is extreme and I hope never comes true) but I asked myself, if Bibles were ever to be taken from our homes and wiped from apps off our phones, would my kids have a solid foundation stored in their heart?

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov 22:6

By no means have I arrived and don’t want to paint a false picture of perfection in our home — there are days, even weeks we miss our routines and readings… days we miss our memory verses– days that they may watch more TV than read! This post isn’t to make you think we have it nailed down in our home. We do not! But hopefully this post will spur you on in encouragement, to keep finding ways to cultivate and plant seeds for a love of God’s word to take root in your kids hearts. Find what works for your family, for your kids, then commit to it. 🙂

One year, before we ever had kids, while in church, I remember being taught by the pastor another explanation of the great commission, Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples.” He was teaching how “Go” means, while you are going…living your day-to-day life. That always stuck with me all these years later– making disciples is while we are going… so I don’t make learning about the Bible the MAIN thing, in that I carve it out as an extra part of the day for an hour. I attempt to teach it while we are going-doing-being. I find the girls enjoy learning this way, rather than me sitting them down, telling them sit still and listen to me read a Bible story and teach. Sharing the scriptures with them is usually in the car, morning routines, or before bedtimes kisses.

A few ways to invite more of God’s word into your kid’s lives.

Weekly Memory verses: I keep index cards on a ring clasp and add to it weekly. I read it to them while they are eating breakfast and we work on reciting it. I try pick simple scriptures but we are currently working on memorizing Psalms 23, which leads me to…

The Dwell Bible App:  This is a scripture listening app.  I personally love this app and use it in my own life. You can make or listen to set playlists on certain topics like: fear, psalms, etc. I love to have it play over me as I fall asleep, especially when my mind can’t settle down. As we are learning and memorizing Psalms 23, I turn on the dwell app and let it play on repeat while we drive around. Brooklyn especially loves when I turn on the app and let it recite scripture.

Kids Jesus Storybook Bible: After we’ve had our breakfast, a couple times a week I pull out our art supplies and let the girls create with their hands a story I read from the Storybook Bible. Don’t think this Bible is just for kids–many times when I am reading, I am impacted and moved by the way the Bible story is written.

Baby Believer Series: This has been a fun addition and I highly recommend! The pictures are beautiful and fun for kids, while the wording is simple.  It’s been another way to help memorize scripture and themes of scripture. The girls are working on reciting the 7 I am’s of Jesus and The creation story.

Podcasts: Branden and I are podcast lovers! We listen to them all the time while driving. Recently I found a few well-done kids podcasts and on our drives to therapy I turn them on. The girls are really attentive to them.. and on days they want to watch TV, I will turn a podcast on instead while they play. When I quiz them at the end I am usually surprised how much they actually learned.

                             

Devotions: Branden has been reading this Indescribable Devotion by Louie Giglio in the evenings before bedtime and we both love the way it spurs on imagination, learning and includes scripture! We’ve already learned about Creation, Honey Bees, Stars dying and laminin 😉

As you kick of 2021 don’t get overwhelmed, try a few things that may work for your littles and you… it doesn’t have to be perfect 🙂 There is no greater gift than planting and watering the seeds of scripture in your kids hearts.

^“Keep these words in your heart that I am telling you today. Do your best to teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as something special to see on your hand and on your forehead. Write them beside the door of your house and on your gates.” Deut. 6:6-9