BIBLES
Reading the Scriptures is an essential part of the spiritual development of your children. In the Faith Formation program at Church of the Redeemer, we give children and
youth many opportunities to engage the words and stories found in the Bible.
As a community of faith, we walk along side our children and youth on their faith journeys. An important way to be good companions on their walk is to offer tools and aids for them to “put in their backpacks”. To that end, we will give a family Bible Story book to our 4 year olds and a first Bible to our 2nd graders, on a Sunday in October when we observe Children's Sabbath.
youth many opportunities to engage the words and stories found in the Bible.
As a community of faith, we walk along side our children and youth on their faith journeys. An important way to be good companions on their walk is to offer tools and aids for them to “put in their backpacks”. To that end, we will give a family Bible Story book to our 4 year olds and a first Bible to our 2nd graders, on a Sunday in October when we observe Children's Sabbath.
Receiving First Bibles
Looking up a Bible Verse
Your child's Faith Formation Leader will work with your children on using their Bibles. But it is important that children are introduced to their Bibles by their parents as well. When teaching Bible literacy skills to children, start with how to find the book, chapter, and verse divisions.
- Demonstrate how to look up a verse in the Bible.
- Talk through each step as you locate the book, chapter, and specific verse.
- Direct children to the table of contents at the front of their Bibles. Help them
understand the breakdown of chapters and verses within a book. Be sure to use
child-friendly language when explaining these concepts (the “big” numbers tell
us the chapter and the “little” numbers underneath tell us the verse). - After modeling the step-by-step process, give children time to practice
finding certain books of the Bible and locating specific chapters and verses. - During a Bible lesson, allow children time to find the passage(s) or verse(s) to which
you are referring. Allowing children to engage in this process of discovery is a
vital step in becoming Bible navigators.
Make a Bible Bookmark
- For a ribbon bookmark, take a half-inch-wide piece of ribbon and feed it through the ring of a cross charm (or any other Christian charm). Tie the ribbon around the ring to hold it on. Cut an upside-down V in the other end of the ribbon. (^) Use the ribbon to hold your place and allow the charm to hang out of the Bible.
- For a smiley face bookmark, cut a piece of cardstock 1-1/2 inches wide by 7 inches long. Draw a nice bright smiley face on it. Use stencils to write "Jesus Loves Me" on it and color it in. Laminate the bookmark and punch a hole in the top. Use a tassel or some ribbon to tie through the hole.
- For a child's bookmark, cut a piece of card stock 1-1/2 inches wide by 7 inches long. Let the child draw his favorite Bible character and then decorate the bookmark with some stickers. Laminate and punch a hole in the top. Use a tassel or some ribbon to tie through the hole.
