The world tells us a lot about what it believes love is. It says that love is a strong emotion that is more important than all else. That it comes and goes as it wants and we can't control it. That it should be easy and pleasant, not hard work. Here are some quotes from the world's view about love:
"The heart wants what it wants. There's no logic to these things. You meet someone and you fall in love and that's that." - Woody Allen
"Some people think that it�s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it�s letting go." - Herman Hesse
�Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.� � Lucille Ball
This is very different from what love is in the Bible. The Bible displays love as a choice, a decision. It is putting others before yourself.
Here is a printable with Bible verses about love in the Bible. Study the verses and highlight or underline what it is saying about love or add some notes. You can contrast them with the world's view of love. Then, you can cut out the verses and put them in piles categorizing them by their main point. That may point out some of the strongest points the Bible is trying to make about love.
Feel free to print this out and use it with your Bible study group, Sunday School class, or small group. Or use it with your children (whether you homeschool or not). Or just study what the Bible says about love on your own. You can share it with others by printing it or by sharing it online, just please share a link to this page rather than a direct link to the printable on Google drive.
My son has a really awesome Sunday School teacher. They do a lot of hands on activities. They even made a topographic map of Paul's missionary journeys out of salt dough!! Yes, I realize how blessed our family is. A few years ago she gave my son a mail subscription to Keys for Kids daily devotional because she wanted to make sure he was getting into the Bible every day. My son loved it and would read all of the stories. I even had to make sure that he only did that day so that he would have something new to read tomorrow.
Then, he noticed in one mailing that they had an app. Like most kids, my son loves anything electronic (though we have limits on his electronic time) and was thrilled to try out the app. He loved reading or listening to the daily devotional on his iPod instead of reading it in the booklet, but the app was a little glitchy, often closing out before he got the chance to finish reading it. When I contacted Keys for Kids, they said that they already had a new app in the works and it would be a few months before it was available. So we went back to the mail version until the new app was completed.
However, recently they released their new app available for both Android and Apple. It is very similar to the old app but without the glitches.
What We Love About the Keys For Kids App:
It has a daily devotional each day with a story that kids will enjoy and teaches them a lesson. Each devotional also has a few Bible verse references to look up and read, a key verse that is written out, a key message for the day, and a way for the kids to apply the key message. You can read it or you can listen to it. The devotional takes less than five minutes but gives your child something from the Bible to think about every day.
You can live stream Keys for Kids Radio. It has lots of great Christian music. Some of the songs are geared directly towards kids and other Christian songs that everyone will enjoy. It also has radio programs like Red Rock Mysteries, Down Gilead Lane, The Pond, Jungle Jam, and Adventures in Odyssey. Check out the program schedule here.
You can also listen to the current episode of Down Gilead Lane, Red Rock Mysteries, The Pond, Paws & Tales, Kids Corner, We Kids, and Karen & Kids anytime you want. If you like these programs but the program schedule doesn't fit yours, then this is perfect for your family.
What We Change About the Keys for Kids App:
We LOVE the newly updated app and I LOVE that my son is reading God's Word daily. It is becoming part of his daily routine. The only thing I would improve would be making the Bible verse references hyperlinks so that the kids are more likely to actually read them. Also, having a default setting that would decide what you want the app to do when you open (play the audio daily devotional, just open the daily devotional without playing the audio, or just opening to the main menu...) would be a great option.
Other Ways to Get Keys for Kids:
Plus you can follow Keys for Kids on Facebook or Keys for Kids of Twitter where they share both the kids daily devotional and a parent minute (you can listen or read or listen and read at the same time). It's a great way for parents to see what their kids are reading. If you love the idea of a daily devotional for your child but don't have a smartphone or tablet, then you can check them out at their website. The daily devotionals are available 14 different ways, from mail subscription to email and e-readers to podcasts.
Do you create your own children's Sunday School lessons or like to supplement your curriculum with your own craft but are not artistic? Here is where I find most of my visuals for crafts and storytelling.
My Wonder Studio has the cutest Bible pictures and they have multiple resources for lots of stories. This is my absolute favorite for Bible people! Of course, you could always be creative and use their images for other Bible stories. The picture above from the resurrection story could also be used for the story about the centurion whose servant was healed. I especially love their Be The Artist series that lets you parts together to create scenes. These would be great for adding moving parts with brads or a slider with a straw and some string.
My Little House has similarly cute Bible pictures to My Wonder Studio except it has less 2D content. However, it has 3D figures and building that can be folded from printables. That would definitely have to be for older kids, but they are pretty awesome
Activity-Mom.com has made a printable of a set of Bible figures available on their blog. They would make great popsicle puppets for acting out Bible stories. The only down side of these is that the characters have their names on them so you are less likely to use them for other Bible stories.
Crafting the Word of God has great Bible crafts that already are interactive (puzzles, movable parts, pop-ups...). The website organizes their crafts by topic and their crafts include free printables.
Philip Martin has free clip art available and a section devoted to Bible clipart. They have visuals for the Books of the Bible and certain Bible stories
This website has tons of visuals for free and they are searchable by topic or book of the Bible. They would be great for printing out to tell the story like a picture book or as a slideshow.
VisualUnit has the best charts for Bible timelines, maps of locations, mini models, charts of the structure of books of the Bible, and so much more. Some of these are better suited for teens and adults.
If all else fails, Google some of your words and choose to view the image results. Be careful that you check to see if the image is copyrighted and the kind of license, but I have gotten many of my pictures and coloring pages here.
My 9-year-old was having trouble listening on Sunday. There was plenty for him to hear, but he didn't know how to take it in. And of course sitting still and only listening is difficult for kids.
So I created this note sheet for him to write things down. For a while it was a little more like busy work, just writing down the verse references and important words. However, after a while, he had learned to focus on the words that were being said. He was following along in his Bible without being told. He was asking about words he didn't understand. He especially loved drawing cartoons on the back too.
The most important part is interacting with your child. Make sure that you respond to your child's questions. Help them define words that they don't know. This can happen during the service, on the way home, during Sunday dinner, or whenever you would like. Without interacting with your child about the content from the meetings, it will all seem pointless. Try to have good conversations about what you learned. You will be surprised by what they may have misunderstood or how deep their questions go. Get them thinking about applying what they heard as well.
Feel free to print these out for your children or others in your church. Also, you may share it on your blog or on social media, as long as you include a link to this page.
This collection of lessons is great for any age children. It has a lot of interaction, especially using their five senses. Each lesson is based on one of the five senses and uses a Bible story that emphasizes that sense. Below are descriptions of each lesson with a link.
Bible story: Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew
Theme: Hunger for God Passage: Genesis 25:19-28 Key Verse: Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.�
Activities:
Paint and decorate Jacob and Esau
Taste test - taste things when blindfolded and guess what they are
Bible story: A sick woman touches Jesus' garment and is healed Passage: Mark 5:24-34 Theme: Turn to Jesus with our problems Key Verse: Luke 8:48 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." Activities:
Touch test - touch things inside a paper bag and guess what they are
Jesus and woman puppets - glue fabric onto Jesus and the woman and add popsicles to make them into puppets
Bible story: Elisha shows his servant an invisible army of angels who then makes their enemies blind Passage: 2 Kings 6:8-23 Theme: Trust God Key Verse: 2 Cor. 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight Activities:
Optical illusions
Use watercolor paint to make an invisible army appear (or DIY scratch off craft)
Play a blindfolded game such as blindman�s bluff, blind potato race, pin the horse to the chariot
Bible story: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerge from the fiery furnace smelling of smoke, but unburned Passage: Daniel 3 Theme: Be faithful Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; Activities:
Guess the Smell game - smell things when blindfolded and guess what they are
Fiery Furnace Board Game
Fiery Furnace Craft
Play "Musical Furnace" - like musical chairs, but when the music stops you jump in the "furnace"
Bible story: Saul disobeys God's command to destroy the Amalekites and their belongings Passage: 1 Samuel 15 Theme: Obey God completely Key Verse: Luke 11:28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." Activities:
Identify the Sounds game - listen to noises and guess what they are
Play "Samuel Says" (like Simon Says)
Make a lying tongue craft
Play "Caught in the Web" - make a web of string and have the students try to get through it
Bible story: Jacob tricks Isaac and steals the blessing intended for Esau Passage: Genesis 27:1-9 Theme: Senses can deceive, so trust and obey God instead Key Verse: Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, Activities:
Worksheets about the differences between Jacob and Esau
Review craft of all the units Bible stories
Bible drill on verses that incorporate one of the five sense
My Sunday School class was studying the disciples using the book Twelve Ordinary Men. We were learning a lot about the disciples and how God picked common people to do His work. Each week, we listed all of the disciples by memory. We got pretty good at that by the end of the book. As we got further into the book, we also tried to include important details about each disciple as well.
So by the end of the study, I created this game for a fun way to review all of the disciples. Did I mention that this was an adult Sunday School class? Why should the kids have all the fun? This game could easily be used by adults or children. It is best used as a review for what you have already learned about the disciples.
How To Play
1. Print and cut out the game pieces. For a sturdier game, use card stock. 2. Print and cut out pictures of the disciples. Click on one of the pictures below to find some places to print out pictures.
3. Spread out the pictures/cards of the disciples on the table.
4. Place the description cards face down in a pile.
5. Going around the group have them draw a description card and place on top of or next to the correct disciple card. There are sometimes more than one option (for example, "I am a fisherman" could be Peter, Andrew, James, or John), however, you shouldn't place identical cards on the same disciple. In other words, there are four "I am a fisherman" cards, but one of each should be placed on Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
6. When all of the description cards have been placed, have the group double check their work. Then, check the answers with the answer key provided with the printout.
Please feel free to use these resources for Bible studies, Sunday School class, family Bible education, or individual study. If you share them online or on social media, please provide a link back to this page.
My nine-year-old son just went through a Bible Memory Challenge to earn a scholarship toward a local summer church camp. It was a well-developed program where he had 14 weeks to memorize 12 passages of 7 verses each. That's right, he memorized 84 verses in 14 weeks! His older cousin had to memorize 108! They did an awesome job and I'm so glad that he has 84 new verses in him.
The Importance of Bible Memorization
1. We are commanded to memorize Scripture.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Deuteronomy 11:18 �You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead."
2. God's Word keeps us from sinning.
Psalms 119:11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.
Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.
James 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
3. The Bible is a part of our spiritual armor.
Ephesians 6:13, 17 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm... And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
4. Meditating on and memorizing God's Word brings blessing.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Psalm 1:1-3 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
Tips to Help You (And Your Children) Memorize the Bible
Memorizing isn't always easy, but knowing some special methods can help. My son and I have used all of these tips and some point or another when memorizing. Not every tip will help you with every verse. Certain tips work best with certain types of verses, but having these tools available will help you. 1. Set a Time
Make a certain time each day to work on memorizing verses. It can be after a meal, when they finish their homework, before they get to watch TV, or whatever time you choose. Making Bible memory a part of your routine is the biggest battle.
2. Learn Through Songs
The best and easiest way to memorize Scripture is using music. There are several groups that have made songs from Bible verses or compiled lists and links of songs. Here are some resources, but sometimes we found songs by just googling the verse and adding "song":
Have your child repeat the verse after you. If it is long, break it down into sections. Then, after one section is memorized, try the next section. Once the next section is memorized, put it together with the first section and work on them together. Then, memorize the next section and add it to what you know until you have the whole verse memorized. Don't forget to have them repeat the reference for the verse too.
4. Read and Listen
Multiple methods of input are great for memorizing. Hand your child the written verse and have them check you saying the verse (or check each other). They usually enjoy being in charge of checking you and seeing the verse is another type of input (visual) to add to their audio learning of listening and repeating.
5. Rhythm, Rhythm, Rhythm
Repeat the verse in a rhythm. Songs are great for memorizing, but if you don't have a song available for your verse (or your version) just say it in the same rhythm every time. Sometimes my son would create his own rhythms. Other times I would create the rhythms.
6. Hand Motions
Add any hand motions that may help your child with memorizing. You don't have to have a motion for each song, but sometimes they remember the motions and then can remember the words. Of course, not all verses will work well with motions, but some are great.
7. Visualization
Have them picture the verse. For example, use Psalm 1:3 "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." They can picture a tree next to a stream with fruit. Maybe even a withered leaf with a big X over it. Some verses are very visual and this method helps a lot. For other verses, not so much.
8. Play a Game
Make a game of the Bible verse. If you have more time to work on the verse or you are memorizing a verse in a children's class, a game can be a fun way to work on the verse. Here are a few games you can use.
Write each word or phrase on an index card and have your child put them in order. This also works by putting each word or phrase on an object, like a lego or plastic cup. For something different, put the papers inside a balloon, which you then inflate and tie. Have the kids pop the balloon and put the papers in order.
Have the verse written on a dry erase board or chalkboard. Erase a word and see if they can still say it. If they can, erase another word and have them say it again. Continue until everything has been erased.
If you don't have a dry erase board or chalkboard, you can write the verse on a piece of paper and cover words with a post-it note.
Have the kids pass a ball around and each person says one word of the verse when they have the ball.
9. Acronyms
If you have a list in your verse, make an acronym for each item. For example in Colossians 3:12, memorize the list "Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, and Patience" by making up a silly phrase like "Come Keep Happy Giraffes Pleased."
10. More Ideas You can check my Pinterest board on memorizing Scripture to see pictures and links to more ideas. Do you have any tips for memorizing Bible verses? Share them in the comments.
More than a year ago, I made an investment in teaching my children the Bible. I'm always on the lookout for good resources for Bible education. "The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12) and "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Why would you neglect such a powerful book when training your children?
There are many children's Bible education resources today. Lots of story Bibles, children's Bibles, songs, videos, apps, and books. I have lots of resources and many ways to teach my children about God's Word. I love all of the options available, but it's important to be discerning and involved in your child's Bible education. Your children might learn about the Bible in Sunday School and you might provide books and videos, but the parent is ultimately responsible for making sure that their children understand the message that God is sharing with them. All resources are a starting point for discussion. It is important to teach children by example to evaluate everything that they hear and read against Scripture. That's one reason that I love this series.
I had heard about What's In The Bible previously but hadn't thought too much about it. When I saw a good sale on the entire set of DVDs, I decided to buy it for my children for some summer movie Bible education. We had previously spent a summer learning the order of the books of the Bible, but I wanted to move deeper into what the Bible said. So, we started Friday What's In The Bible movie nights where we watched the videos together and talked about them afterward.
The series is educational, yet fun. It's quirky, yet funny. It focuses on the big picture, yet includes the most important details (educational theory encourages having a big picture on which to hang the details so that it all ties together). It teaches the basic overall view of the Bible, yet even those with much Bible experience will probably learn something. It takes all of the books of the Bible and tells their story without missing how it is part of the bigger story. It teaches some deep theology including big words in a way that even my nine-year-old could understand.
What Is What's In The Bible With Buck Denver?
What's In The Bible With Buck Denver is a set of 13 DVDs that takes you through the entire Bible. It is made by Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer whose vision moved from sharing Bible stories with children to teaching them the whole Bible. The first nine DVDs are about the Old Testament and the last four about the New Testament. Each DVD contains two episodes that are approximately 30 minutes long. The characters in the series are Phil Vischer and quite a few puppets. They utilize humor, music, virtual flannel graph, popsicle stick theaters, and animations to both entertain and educate. Besides giving overviews of all of the books of the Bible, they focus on some important stories and answer important questions.
What Is Great About It?
All of the different things thrown in to amuse and teach encourage both understanding what is in the Bible as well as how it all fits together. The songs and visuals will help everyone remember what they are learning. The series is enjoyable but will create a lasting panoramic impression.
All of the great songs, awesome visuals, and humor you loved from Veggie Tales adds to this overview of the Bible. I agree with Phil Vischer that many children (and adults) today are biblically illiterate. A synopsis of the Bible is a great place to start. This survey will then provide a frame of reference for further Bible study and will keep the reader from being overwhelmed and confused as they study deeper.
What To Watch Out For?
There were a few times when I disagreed with the videos. For example, when they discussed the inspiration of Scripture, they said that "God breathed these ideas into people, who then wrote the different books of the Bible. God inspired them to write and they chose the words. It's God's truth communicated through people's words." I'm not sure if I'm understanding them correctly, but it seems that they are saying that the ideas come from God, but not the exact words (concept inspiration but not verbal inspiration). I'm not intending to get into a doctrinal discussion here, but I felt that they were minimizing the importance of the exact wording in the Bible and giving room for the biblical authors to make mistakes. However, Jesus believed that the Scripture is important down to each individual word (Matthew 22:41-46; John 10:34-36), the tense of the verbs (Matthew 22:29-32) and even each letter or part of a letter (Matthew 5:18).
Anyway, there were a few times when I didn't agree with the videos or when I didn't feel that the videos explained something fully. Sometimes I wished that they hadn't brought up certain controversial topics that I thought were unnecessary and other times I felt that they didn't fully answer questions to avoid controversy. However, I do understand the difficulties for What's In The Bible and believe that they are well-intentioned and try to stay true to Scripture. I believe that the issue of verbal inspiration mentioned above is the biggest issue that I saw.
So, what do we do when we didn't fully agree with the DVD? We stopped the DVD and discussed why we didn't agree with the video. Honestly, when my husband and I discussed it later we felt that it was good for the children to see us evaluate resources using the Bible. It's important to measure everything against the truth of God's Word. There is no magic substitute for teaching our children about the Bible, just tools that we can evaluate and use. I felt that this tool was valuable for its educational value in spite of its errors. In addition, I found values in its errors as a way to teach my children to examine a message using the Bible.
Who Is The Best Audience?
As mentioned, our whole family watched and appreciated What's In The Bible. It is probably geared toward elementary aged children, but I'm sure preschoolers and middle school aged children will easily benefit from this as well. As I said, watching this together as a family would be great so you can discuss what everyone is learning.
What's In The Bible can be purchased for home use. I've seen it available in church libraries. It can also be used as part of a homeschool, Sunday School, or small group curriculum. You could have church movie nights (Group viewing licenses are available for reasonable prices). I can easily picture an adult small group (if they have a sense of humor) watching this and learning a lot.
If this is being used in a Sunday School or small group, I recommend the Church Edition because it turns the videos into a 52-week Sunday School curriculum which includes videos and activities designed for small groups of children in grades 1-4. There are other optional volumes that would boost it to a 60-week curriculum. There is also a more condensed version available for Vacation Bible School curriculum in both a Traditional VBS plan and a Family VBS plan which includes the adults in the learning.
Where and How is What's In The Bible Available?
You can buy these videos at What's In The Bible's online store. They are available for purchase individually or as a complete set. They are also available for purchase or rental (a great way to check it out) on iTunes, Amazon Instant, Google Play, and Vimeo. You can also view them through a subscription to Jelly Telly which is a streaming service that includes videos from Veggie Tales, 321 Penguins, What's In The Bible, Owlegories, and more.
In addition to these free resources, there are coloring books (both hard copies and digital downloads) available for purchase. You can buy CDs of the music and sing-a-long DVDs. There are also some activity packs available for some books or sections of the Bible.
Conclusion
I found What's In The Bible With Buck Denver videos to be a useful tool in teaching my children the Bible. They enjoyed them and better understood the overall message of the Bible and how each book fit into that message. I would recommend it for other families as well.
**This page contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a commission if you buy these products by clicking on the links above. However, this post is not sponsored and I really do love these products. I purchased this series on my own and joined the affiliate program because I love these videos. Click here for my affiliate disclosure.Scripture And... is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.**
I have quite a few Children's story Bibles. Some were gifts and some I bought myself. Most are decent, but one of the ones I have really stands out to me. It does an excellent job of showing children the overall theme of the Bible. It is The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm with illustrations by Gail Schoonmaker.
Here are the main things I am looking for in a Bible story book:
Good Story Content: They are definitely incomplete as they don't contain all of the Bible stories. Of course, we all have our favorite stories that we would like to see included, but it's impossible to have them all in there. However, it is good to have a wise selection of which stories to include.
Good Bible Interpretation: On top of that, Bible story books are not literal translations of the Bible so they are an interpretation of the author. Therefore, you hope the author knows how to accurately translate the Bible.
Good Story Telling: The text needs to be easy enough for a child to understand and
Good Illustrations: The pictures have to be well drawn and in a style that interests kids.
I felt like The Bible Picture Story Bible did an excellent job on all of these points and, in addition to those, it was able to keep "the big picture" or main theme of the Bible in view during all of the stories.
Bottom Line: This is my favorite Bible story book that stands out above the rest that I own, it's simple text and beautiful illustrations capture and keep children's attention for them to hear and understand the overall story of the Bible.
This page contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a commission if you buy these products by clicking on the links above. However, this post is not sponsored and I really do love these products. Click here for my affiliate disclosure.Scripture And... is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
