One of my most important goals as a mom and teacher is to teach my children from Biblical worldview so that they can be wise in this day and age. I am amazed at how very young children can pick up concepts that cause adults to struggle. God was exactly right when he said we needed faith like a child.
Our children are still quite young but between teaching them and teaching Sunday School and Christian school and sponsoring youth group, I have found some great resources.
The Bible— I personally like NKJV but NIV is good too. Some think that KJV is the only way to go if you want kids to build their love for classic literature. The version is a personal preference. Charlotte Mason discusses reading through the gospels and then narrative portions of the Old and New Testaments (history portions). I’ve begun this and really love to read a portion (maybe a chapter, sometimes we get started on a few verses and the discussion starts up). I don’t lead discussion. I just ask what they heard when we finish. It’s pretty amazing what they really understand.
A good Children’s Bible with the stories paraphrased and some pictures is wonderful for bedtime or devotions with very young children. We’ve been through The Beginner Bible http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Bible-Timeless-Childrens-Stories/dp/0310709628/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245639616&sr=1-1 several times. When we wanted a bit more, I really loved the Golden Children’s Bible http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Bible-Old-Testament-New/dp/B000CPYJKU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245639567&sr=1-2 (which has passages straight out of the KJV) or the Children’s Illustrated Bible http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Illustrated-Bible-ISBN-9780892213320/dp/B001G25XSU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245639515&sr=1-5 which has many helpful facts about customs and culture. Just one story a day really works well. It cultivates the habit of Bible reading from an early age.
Sonlight recommended a book called Leading Little Ones to God (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Little-Ones-God-Teachings/dp/0802851207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245639478&sr=8-1) which I was thrilled to see my children’s Sunday School teacher pull out as a sort of catechism for them. They have learned much about the gospel and the attributes of God and basic doctrine from this oldie but goodie.
I picked up a book while I was still teaching by Ron Rhodes called What Your Child Needs to Know about God http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Child-Needs-About/dp/1565075560/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245639688&sr=1-1 which has great info for the parent—not matter where you are in your faith—and for teaching the truths to you children in concrete ways and with stories that illustrate.
For older kids a great Bible Study resource that I used off and on throughout my adult life and just recently pulled of the shelf again as a reference is the Handbook of Christian Maturity by Bill Bright http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Christian-Maturity-Bible-Toward/dp/1563990407/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245639726&sr=1-2 . Breaks down the spiritual disciplines a believer needs to cultivate and is very thorough.
I’m not trying to sell off Amazon. They simply are make it really easy to locate a lot of books in one place. And I have had good success with their used books.
I pray God will give you His grace as you teach your children to glorify God in all they do and to be prepared to give their lives for His kingdom in whatever form that would take. God bless you.
No comments:
Post a Comment