Family reading time with the Bible

When they are born, start out with any colorful children’s Bible. I don’t have a particular favorite. This is to start the habit of a family reading time.

And while they’re young, take advantage of their brain development and have them memorize! Bible verses, hymns, songs, books of the Bible, Lord’s Prayer, etc.

If you read out loud to your children, they will develop excellent comprehension at a young age, so take advantage of it! By about age 3-4, you can start the Egermeier’s Bible Story Book. This book is known for its accurate retelling of the Biblical stories. My kids and I loved it. Just read it over and over again until they are about 7-8.

Then, once they are 7-8, start reading the actual Bible. The NLT is an easy to understand version to start. Each time you finish and start again, choose a different version. And one thing I would have done if I had known back then, would be to read the Bible chronologically a few times. It can take about 2-3 years to read the entire Bible with your kids, and that’s ok!

After Bible reading, ask open ended questions to get a glimpse of what your kids are thinking…and always answer any questions they ask. And if you don’t know the answer, say you don’t know and that you’ll find out.

Reading the Bible together is going to lead to discussions of every conceivable life topic. Take advantage of it and be the one to teach your child.

Reading the Bible to my kids and the talks we had were some of the most precious times of my life. And as your children grow into adolescence and adulthood and life knocks them down, they will already have the Word of God speaking to their soul.

p.s. My kids are all grown so it’s been years now and this is what I remember. I never would have known I’d be talking about this stuff on a public forum, so I never took notes! If you have any additional questions, let me know.

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Ages 0 – 3-ish

• any colorful children’s Bible with nice pictures
• Bible coloring books
• Hymns and Bible songs of all kinds

Ages 3 – 6-ish

• Egermeier’s Bible Story Book
• Bible coloring books, crafts, etc.
• Memorize, memorize, memorize! Take advantage of their ability at this age to memorize!

Ages 7 – college

• Read the Bible. Every single word.
• Teach Church history, apologetics, etc.
• Memorize hymns, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles Creed, etc.