Our Favorite Resources for Family Bible Time for Young Children
June 21, 2023
The Bible is a living book that can change a heart, and the more of it we can pour into our children, the better! One of my number one priorities as a mother is saturating my daughter’s life in actual Scripture. Here’s why:
2 Timothy 3:15
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation…
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture…is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Proverbs 26:6
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
Psalm 119:9
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.
Psalm 119:11
Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.
When I’ve “tried everything,” and I’m not seeing any changes in my daughter’s life, I go back to these scriptures and remind myself to keep pouring the Bible into her little heart and soul. God will use His Word to change her heart. Child training is really living out faith. “God, even though I’m not seeing results right now, I trust that your Word will not return void.”
And this is why I’m such a big advocate of Family Bible Time (or family altar or family devotions, whatever you call it). It is intentionally getting the Bible into our children on a daily basis.
When E was about 5-7 years old, we used two specific resources for Family Bible Time. Both resources are amazing on their own, but when you put them together, they are just GOLD! I explained here on my Instagram page how each of them work separately, and then how we use the two of them together to make an outstanding resource for filling our home and our lives up with God’s Word.
1. Child Training Bible
The concept of this Bible is so genius. I think if I tried to explain it here, it would be really confusing. Just click here and I’ll walk you through how this works. E loved this one because she got to highlight in her Bible.
Here’s what you’ll need for the Child Training Bible.
2. For Instruction in Righteousness
If I had to choose between one or the other, I think this is the one I would choose. Basically, this is a word study on every common sin children deal with, and someone else did all the work for you!
Each chapter (Anger, Covetousness, Defiance, etc.) is split up into several sections:
- General information and commandments about this sin
- What happens or should happen to the person who commits this sin
- Blessings of resisting the sin
- What the sin is likened to
- Bible stories that illustrate the consequences of the sin and/or the blessings of resisting the sin
- Verses to memorize about the sin
Another cool detail this book has, is that along with many references, the author has written practical ideas for how to apply the verses to the child’s life. This book is definitely a winner!
Unfortunately, this little gem is out of print, but you can easily find it on eBay (or google to find it elsewhere). It’s a little pricey (around $25-$30), but I can promise you that it’s worth every single penny if you commit to using it.
3. Bonus: The Virtue Training Bible
The people who created the Child Training Bible also have a Virtue Training Bible which is a similar set up, except it goes through all the good behaviors we’d like to instill into our children. I really like this one too, but we are saving it for later as we have our work cut out for us going through the Child Training Bible first!
I hope you will give these resources a try! I’m almost positive you will find them to be a useful tool for your family as you strive to pour scripture into your little ones.
Some of the links here are Amazon affiliate links. If used to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you! So THANK YOU!