5 Ways to Study the Bible with Your Kids This Summer
Our daily routines shape so much of our lives. They can affect our thoughts, our habits, and our priorities. As you say goodbye to the school year and settle into summer rhythms, you may be wondering how to incorporate meaningful time into your days in the sun. Summer is the perfect time to dig into Scripture with your kids — but you may not be sure where to start. Consider these helpful practices to engage the Bible as a family this year!
1. Schedule your time.
Adding some structure to each day can help kids thrive, and this is especially important when school is out! Consider having “family time” in Scripture at the same time each day or week. Maybe this happens every morning after breakfast before screen time, every night before bedtime routines begin, or on one weekday evening around the table during dinner. You may find that your kids begin to look forward to it — and you will, too!
2. Try lectio divina.
If this term is new for your family, it simply means “divine reading.” This form of engaging with the Bible helps us slow down our minds and hearts to truly hear what God has to say. Lectio divina happens in four parts:
Read: Choose a passage of Scripture and read it slowly. As you do this with your children, you may want to read aloud to them while they listen to the passage.
Reflect: After reading, take a few moments to reflect on the words you’ve just read or heard. Depending on your kids’ ages, this step could take a few seconds or several minutes. Encourage them to focus on a word or phrase that stuck out, and what they think it means. (This can sometimes provide you with an opportunity to teach a bit of theology and answer their questions!)
Respond: Take time to pray about what you’ve just reflected on. This could happen silently, or you could go around the family circle and each pray aloud.
Rest: After you finish praying, take one more moment of silence to rest in God’s presence, listening and just being present. This can be hard for littles, so don’t feel pressure to keep everyone still and quiet! Know that just offering this practice to them will be meaningful, even if it doesn’t seem like they care at the moment.
3. Pick something to memorize.
Nothing brings a family together like a Bible memorization project! You can pick a short verse to serve as a family Scripture, or you can try to memorize a longer passage in sections, one week at a time. Memorizing the Bible is an excellent way to help your kids keep truth close to their hearts. If you aren’t sure where to start, consider these options!
Galatians 5:22-23
Ephesians 4:32
Proverbs 3:5-6
Psalm 23
Psalm 139:13-14
John 3:16
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 117
4. Ask questions – and encourage them, too.
The Bible can be difficult to understand sometimes — even for adults! As you discuss Bible stories, encourage curiosity in conversations with your kids. Ask questions that start with “I wonder…” and let them answer freely! You can use these moments to teach them if you know the answer — and to honestly say, “I’m not sure!” if you don’t! Let your children know that it’s good to approach Scripture with curiosity, and it’s okay if we don’t know how to answer every question just yet.
5. Work through Bake with the Bible.
Want to bring the Bible to life in your kitchen this summer? I believe you’re never too young to sink your hands into dough — or into Scripture. Bake with the Bible is a six-week family-friendly curriculum that will help your entire family learn through doing as you dive into baking together.
Each lesson combines a Scripture passage from the Gospels with a short lesson and questions to ponder and a historical or cultural lesson on bread. After you learn, you’ll get to put things into practice with a simple, family-friendly recipe that you can make together! Whether you’re new to bread making or you’ve been baking for decades, each lesson is designed to create an embodied practice for engaging with God for all levels of kit. Grab Bake with the Bible now and get ready for a faith-enriching, delicious summer!
