We've been talking a lot about making disciples of our children lately at SimplyRevised. From a discussion on the forum to our podcast episode entitled "What is a Disciple?", there is much to consider on this topic. I can't help but think of Deuteronomy 6:6-7.
And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. --Deut. 6:6-7 NKJV
While these verses were written to Israel, the principal applies to Christian parents today: God's commands should be taught as we go about our business...at all times of the day or night.
So it is that Bible is also a subject in our homeschool. How could we spend time studying math, reading, science, and spelling and not study the most important book there is? Today I'd like to share one of our favorite resources for school Bible time. (I have more to share later!)
There is a four year gap in age between our older girls and an 8 year gap between the next two. That makes studying the Bible together rather challenging! I have found that with Bible Study Guide for All Ages, a wide range of ages can study together.
Here is a sample of the Beginner Bible Pages (suggested for ages 3-K)
Here is a sample of the Primer Bible Pages (suggested for Grades 1-2 and this level requires a teacher book as well)
Here is sample of the Intermediate Bible Pages (suggested for Grades 3-4)
Here is a sample of the Advanced Bible Pages (suggested for Grades 5-6)
There are also pages for Teens and Adults, but I have found that these are just different enough that they can't be done together with the younger grades. However, if your teen is very independent, it would be worthwhile study. Also, don't worry too much about what grade your students are in. Rather, choose the level that will allow them to learn wherever they may be.
So after you have chosen the proper levels for your kiddos, everyone just opens up to the same lesson and gets going! We usually take 2 days to do an entire lesson. You will all study the same section of scripture, and also memorization, review, Bible map work, timeline studies, and more. When used consistently, you will see great results in your children's Bible knowledge.
OK, now for some questions!
Q: Who wrote this? What denomination is it "for"?
A: Read their story here. They state that their goal is to present the Bible and the Bible alone. I have never seen anything that raised concern for us in at least 10 years of using this (off and on).
Q: What all is covered?
A: This is one of my favorite things. You want to make sure you are covering everything and aren't leaning too heavily on the Old or New Testament. Their breakdown is very systematic and you will not get bored! See the order of study here.
Q: What do we need to get started?
A: You will need student pages for each student, a teacher book ONLY for the Primer level, crayons or color pencils, a pencil for each student, and a Bible (any version).
Q: How much is this going to cost me?
A: I think you will be pleasantly surprised! The student pages are only $5.95 each. That gives you 25 lessons at a time, which will take a little bit of time to get through before you need to order again.
One more thing I'd like to share is that there are some extras you can purchase, but certainly don't have to. We went for awhile without them and eventually added them to our homeschool.
One is the Bible Book Summary Cards. These use pictures and symbols to teach the overall idea behind each book of the Bible. We have the old, large black and white ones but those new smaller, colorful ones sure look nice!
The other thing, and this is mostly for younger students, is the Children's Songs CD set. You can just skip that part of the lesson if you don't own the CDs, no big deal. But they do help with memorization.
We don't have the space in our home, but a friend owns the Wall Map and Timeline and boy it looks neat!
Bible Study Guide for All Ages was written to be used either in Bible class or at home and their website is very supportive of both models. It has been a huge blessing to us and I hope it will be to you too!
***We are not affiliates nor did anyone ask us to write this review. We are simply sharing resources to help your family.