How To Teach Kids To Make Daily Bible Reading A Habit
Bible reading is like eating food. To be spiritually healthy we need to consume God’s word on a regular basis. I have written on the importance of daily Bible reading as a mom here, and given some practical tips to make it happen even when you have little kids running you ragged in this post.
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If consuming God’s word daily is vital for me, then it follows that it is a vital habit to instill in my children as well. I must teach them to consume God’s word just as I teach them to consume healthy food! Even while I am spoon feeding them as babies I am also beginning to teach them to nourish themselves by giving them finger foods. I teach them diligently to use the utensils and I “encourage” them strongly to get full and nutritious meals by making them sit at the table until their plates are clear. I am already teaching my 7 year old to prepare some of her own meals (PBJs, cereal, etc.) and my end goal is that by the time they fly the nest they are fully equipped to meal plan, cook, and have healthy eating habits.
In the same way, I need to teach, model, and guide my children toward spiritually nourishing, daily, joy-filled Bible reading so that when they graduate from my instruction they know well the way to the Living Water and Bread of Life.
We parents can’t spoon feed our children forever (literally or figuratively)! I’d like to offer some helps in getting there sooner rather than later!
Start Now – It Is Not Too Early To Start Daily Bible Reading Habits
There are zero reasons to wait and a plethora of reasons to start early. By early I mean now! As a baby. Or whatever age your child is currently at! I’ll get into some practical ideas for having real little ones do “Time Alone with God” later.
The earlier habits are started, the easier they are to maintain
Do you struggle with brushing your teeth daily? Probably not. That’s because you started when you were two. The younger children are, the more malleable they are. Also, the longer a habit is consistently maintained the more difficult it becomes to break it. I started reading my Bible around age 8 and have been reading it for 30 years. My husband has been reading his for about 10 years. He requires more willpower to maintain that habit simply because he hasn’t been doing it for as long as I have. Give your kids a leg up by starting now.
Right now your children have the advantage of you as an ever-present personal trainer.
If I had a personal trainer at my side 24-7 coaching me every time I open the fridge and nagging me to work out I’d probably be in great shape! As it is, I do not have a live-in life coach so it is real easy for me to be less than in-shape! As soon as your kids have launched they will no longer have you as a live-in discipleship coach. Don’t waste the influence you have right now.
Expect Resistance for Daily Bible Reading
Not necessarily resistance from your child. Guess who really does not want your child to grow up feasting on the Word of God? Check out this verse:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12
There is a reason Daily Bible Reading is hard. There is a reason family devotions are hard! They will always be hard – no matter what season of life you are in. You are up against cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil after all. But, don’t let that stop you! This is a battle worth fighting and it belongs to the Lord.
Let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’
Deuteronomy 20:3-4
Focus On What They Can Do
Sure, your baby likely doesn’t comprehend the hypostatic union, can’t articulate substitutionary atonement, or define God’s omniscience. But she can detect the “fragrance” of Christ in you (2 Corinthians 2:15-17). She can see the light in your eyes when you talk about Jesus and feel His love in every single diaper change.
By the time she’s a toddler she still might not understand the term omnipotent but she can sing “My God is So BIG”. The point is that their understanding begins long before their articulation.
She may not be able to read until she is 5. She may have a disability and never be able to read! Are you going to wait for that skill before you get started? Does God speak to us according to our age or reading ability? No.
What can your child do? Can he pray? Listen to psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (or Slugs and Bugs) and sing along? Can your little one page through a picture book of Bible stories or a photo album full of their blessings and have a heart that says, “Thank you God!” Can she memorize a verse and recite it to herself?
Model Daily Bible Reading
I don’t think there was ever a morning when I didn’t witness my parents reading their Bibles first thing. Every day. I’d come down for breakfast and they’d both be sitting with coffee and Bibles. That alone sent a powerful message that this mattered. This is what Christians do. This is first. Always Bible first.
So, if you don’t finish up your time in the word before the rest of the house is up don’t let that trouble you! Be glad that they get to see you reading. Let them see you. Tell them in on what you are doing. Allow them snuggle up on your lap while you finish that chapter. Maybe even let them hear you praying!
Daily, joyfully, gently show them that it is always Bible first. If they copy you in wanting to put on lipstick they’ll copy you in Bible first. If they pretend to shave like daddy they’ll also want to read like daddy.
Make Daily Bible Reading Joyful and Special
The Bible is God’s Word to us! What a holy gift! In it we find the greatest story and our only hope. If reading God’s Word doesn’t fill us with joy then I fear we are missing the point.
Nagging, power-struggles, guilt trips, and such will steal the joy out of this experience for your child and it might be hard for them to rekindle it. The Creator of the Universe wants to speak to them in His word. He says, “Let the little children come to me” in Mark 10:14. The heart attitudes should be hope, awestruck wonder, joy, and gratitude. We all GET to read the Word! And we get to do it every day! In our jammies no less!
You can also nudge your child toward right heart attitudes by giving them special things. A beautiful Bible, fun highlighters, pretty Bible tabs, a cool Bible case – they don’t ultimately matter but they are ways to translate the message that this time is special. For real little ones it might be a special board book Bible and a delicious treat to eat while they listen to a CD with Bible songs. I’ve got some great suggestions in this post!
Give Them The Why
I had a friend who told me that she simply wasn’t presentable to anyone in her home until after she’d read her Bible. So true. When my heart is absolute yuck I need some time with my Savior to get things “recalibrated”. God’s word is where I find life, peace, hope, and joy. It is where I go for wisdom.
Tell your children why you need God’s Word and why they need God’s word. They aren’t really different from you. A 4-year old needs hope just the same as a 34-year old. My two-year old desperately needs wisdom just like me!
Overlap Feeding Strategies
Right now, I have a baby who is nursing. I also am starting to spoon feed her pureed foods. During family meals I’ll give her a hunk of broccoli or some Cheerios. The point is that I didn’t just stop nursing her when it was time to start solid foods. The methods dovetail. Each method of feeding has value for her. The milk is so nutritious. The pureed foods are acclimating her to different sources of nutrients and different flavors. And she’s practicing her fine motor skills with the broccoli and cheerios so that soon she’ll be able to feed herself.
I don’t quit reading the Bible aloud to my children as soon as they start learning how to read. The more proficient they are in reading the less I’ll need to “spoon-feed” them God’s word, but I’ll probably dish it up for them to some degree as long as they are under my roof. The goal is not to quit serving up delicious meals of Bible. The point is to have them become increasingly involved in the cooking!
Conclusion
You might be thinking, “But wait! You didn’t tell us how to do it!” That’s right. This post got too long. You’ll have to wait for my next post where I offer some tips and resources for babies, toddlers, pre-readers, and early readers. You’ll find pintables and links to some of our favorite free resources and some things that are worth buying. Make sure you are SUBSCRIBED so you don’t miss it!
After you read that post go check out some other resources:
- Melanie at Wildly Anchored has created reading plans, Bible studies for kids, and so many other resources that I don’t even know where to start!
- David Murray wrote one of our favorite family devotional books. He also wrote a post called “How to Help Your Children Read the Bible” over at DesiringGod.org.
- Joe Carter wrote an article called, “How to Prepare a Child To Read the Bible” over at The Gospel Coalition that I also recommend reading.
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