Bible Lessons For Children
Today, Bible lessons for children are just as important and crucial part of a young education as they always have been. Not only are Bible lessons for children important for their spiritual well-being, but they are also important as moral lessons - and today they can be delivered in so many different ways - from traditional book form, to DVDs, CDs and (my favoured medium) downloadable as an mp3 file to computer or portable player. But they have to be pitched right depending on a child’s current understanding of God and of course their age - to some children God could be seen as more as an imaginary friend than the creator of the entire universe. As such, you can’t expect them to understand the subtlety of a lesson on the Bible. It has to be carefully tailored to their level of understanding or they won’t get anything out of it.
A really good Bible lesson for children needs to take some cues from popular children’s entertainment. The entertainment industry spends millions upon millions of dollars coming up with kids entertainment every year, and they have learned a thing or two about it. That doesn’t mean that Bible lessons for children need to have the cheap values that Hollywood glorifies, but it does mean that they have to be kid friendly. Using puppets, clever animations, simple language that children like, and funny jokes is a great way to make the Bible more accessible for young readers. Make it fun for them and they will stay with it for a lifetime.
The best Bible lessons for children really stress themes of loyalty and faith as well as adventure. Think about the children’s Bible stories that are most commonly taught. Noah and the Ark is at the top of the list, and Moses’ flight from the Egyptians is only slightly further down. Both of these deal with fantastic themes: floods, the wrath of God, and animals for one, and plagues, wandering in the desert, and false idols in the other. They excite the imagination of young audiences, which is a great way to get them interested in the Bible.
And what about the darker stories in the bible such as Cain and Abel, and the story of Job? Some people think that the Bible should not be held back from children of any age, but others disagree with this. In my opinion, children can’t be expected to grasp everything at once. The Bible stories you tell your kids should be carefully tailored to their age and by and large todays range of medium can do this.