Recommendations on good solid resources for teaching children please

[Moonlight sonata]

Hi. Not currently connected to a church and have no Christians to learn from in my life. I love Jesus and have (at the moment what I would call.. somewhat of a relationship with Him.. though it needs much work!). My beliefs about the Christian faith line up with the five solas I think. I want to teach my child about Jesus and what is in the bible, but don’t know where to start. I don’t even have good solid study habits or a solid method of studying scripture myself. I don’t feel I’m the best person to teach him to be honest but because of past spiritual abuse... I also have a great deal trusting others..
so I require a good solid, very simple step by step guide that will help me walk an 8 year old child through the bible, so we can study it together daily.. and also some suggestions on a method for me to study it, other than picking it up and reading it page by page from front to back (which I do intend to do also). Though this is hard to do with a child.
Please.. if you could all list off any children’s resources you have found useful, I would be grateful.
Need to be simple and easy to follow, that help me teach God’s Word.. by reading passages directly from the bible... I don’t want recommendations for children’s bibles.. instead.. devotional study guides.
Thanks

 

[bèlla]

Moonlight sonata,

Precept Ministries has several resources for children and adult bible studies you can work through alone or with others online. I’ve taken their classes in the past and really enjoyed them.

Yours In His Service,

~Bella

 

[HappyHope]

I have 5 suggestions for you. It really depends on your kiddies ages/stages and learning style though. My oldest loves read alouds to include family Bible time. My youngest is not an auditory learner in the least. This can throw one's teaching approach off. Just FYI on the learning style thing.

The Ology by Marty Machowski--If you don't want to just read the Bible outright to your kids but still tap into a biblical vein, this is a strong option. It is not for littles. We had to skip straight to the verses at times because the prologue got long-winded. Or at least we paused often to ask questions. It is not very devotionally in a warm fuzzy sense. It is very studious but dry at times for kids.

Leading Little Ones to God by Marian M. Schoolland---I think my eldest came to Christ in large part from this devotional style book. It is packed with theology. It may be a bit dated in parts because it was written so long ago. Kids today may not relate as much. Love Love Love it on so many levels. I used this for months at one point when I taught Children's Church. I saw evidence of it stirring hearts in the lives of at least two kids for sure. It can be a powerful tool to reach kids.

3-Minute Prayers for Families by Shanna D. Gregor---It consists of a verse a day, a short paragraph or two of straight prayer and a question or two. We have used it at times when our family is so busy we can barely pause and sit down together. It's like we briefly high-five the Lord together.

Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids by David Murray ---- This is a light approach. You read a few verses and answer a single question directly related to the verses covered. It is focused and gets you in the Word without using a devotional approach. The question is highly targeted to make sure you read the verse. It is like an academic quiz question not a devotional question. I tend to ask more questions to add a devotion element. I feel it does set up readers in a way that flows devotionally if one is inclined.

One last tool--Veritas Self-Paced Online Bible Curriculum---crazy pricey even with their sales but effective for kids and parents. This curriculum made my youngest really pay attention to the Bible. I feel it led her to the Lord and gave her a high view of Scripture in ways read-alouds couldn't reach her. It still has a strong academic core with quizzes and tests but doesn't skimp on Scripture in its fullness for the sake of rote academics. Plus, it is mildly entertaining. My girls giggled a lot at the narrators' side stories in the course on the Gospels.
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Honorable Mentions (If you change your mind about story Bibles):
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The Jesus Storybook Bible Book/DVDs by Sally Lloyd -Jones.
It can create an enchanting atmosphere for littles when they are first learning about Jesus. The thick English accent can be hard to decipher at times. The visuals are amazing none the less. I like the thought of using this with littles to get them curious about Jesus and the Bible.

The Bible Made Easy for Kids by Dave Strehler:
I found this can work in connection with arts and crafts for 2nd graders and up. It is not too long or too fluffy. It has all my preferred elements in the right measure to make for a wholesome Sunday School class experience. We have not used it at home much but it could work. As with a lot of curriculum, it can be stretched in a devotional nature depending on the teacher.


**And don't get frustrated if you cannot finish or always do daily devotions. We have only completely finished using 2 of these tools ourselves.

 

[Moonlight sonata]

I have 5 suggestions for you. It really depends on your kiddies ages/stages and learning style though. My oldest loves read alouds to include family Bible time. My youngest is not an auditory learner in the least. This can throw one's teaching approach off. Just FYI on the learning style thing.

The Ology by Marty Machowski--If you don't want to just read the Bible outright to your kids but still tap into a biblical vein, this is a strong option. It is not for littles. We had to skip straight to the verses at times because the prologue got long-winded. Or at least we paused often to ask questions. It is not very devotionally in a warm fuzzy sense. It is very studious but dry at times for kids.

Leading Little Ones to God by Marian M. Schoolland---I think my eldest came to Christ in large part from this devotional style book. It is packed with theology. It may be a bit dated in parts because it was written so long ago. Kids today may not relate as much. Love Love Love it on so many levels. I used this for months at one point when I taught Children's Church. I saw evidence of it stirring hearts in the lives of at least two kids for sure. It can be a powerful tool to reach kids.

3-Minute Prayers for Families by Shanna D. Gregor---It consists of a verse a day, a short paragraph or two of straight prayer and a question or two. We have used it at times when our family is so busy we can barely pause and sit down together. It's like we briefly high-five the Lord together.

Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids by David Murray ---- This is a light approach. You read a few verses and answer a single question directly related to the verses covered. It is focused and gets you in the Word without using a devotional approach. The question is highly targeted to make sure you read the verse. It is like an academic quiz question not a devotional question. I tend to ask more questions to add a devotion element. I feel it does set up readers in a way that flows devotionally if one is inclined.

One last tool--Veritas Self-Paced Online Bible Curriculum---crazy pricey even with their sales but effective for kids and parents. This curriculum made my youngest really pay attention to the Bible. I feel it led her to the Lord and gave her a high view of Scripture in ways read-alouds couldn't reach her. It still has a strong academic core with quizzes and tests but doesn't skimp on Scripture in its fullness for the sake of rote academics. Plus, it is mildly entertaining. My girls giggled a lot at the narrators' side stories in the course on the Gospels.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honorable Mentions (If you change your mind about story Bibles):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Jesus Storybook Bible Book/DVDs by Sally Lloyd -Jones.
It can create an enchanting atmosphere for littles when they are first learning about Jesus. The thick English accent can be hard to decipher at times. The visuals are amazing none the less. I like the thought of using this with littles to get them curious about Jesus and the Bible.

The Bible Made Easy for Kids by Dave Strehler:
I found this can work in connection with arts and crafts for 2nd graders and up. It is not too long or too fluffy. It has all my preferred elements in the right measure to make for a wholesome Sunday School class experience. We have not used it at home much but it could work. As with a lot of curriculum, it can be stretched in a devotional nature depending on the teacher.


**And don't get frustrated if you cannot finish or always do daily devotions. We have only completely finished using 2 of these tools ourselves.

AWESOME! - THESE LOOK GREAT! Thanks so much!!