How to Teach Bible Journaling to Your Kids
Let’s talk about bible drawing and bible journaling with kids! As moms and dads, we’ve been given pretty clear instructions from the Bible on how we are to raise our children and teach them from His word.
But is spending time in the Bible a struggle for your kids, or to be perfectly blunt about it, they find it a bit boring? Or maybe they just completely forget what they’ve read about only minutes prior? It may be that you simply haven’t found or been using the right method all this time. Bible Journaling can add a creative level of learning and studying the Bible!
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Bible Journaling with Kids
Bible journaling is not just about getting your children to open up their Bibles, but to truly develop faith in kids and a deeper relationship with Jesus. While it may get a little messy at times and a few of the pages become more difficult to read, your children will be visualizing and falling in love with scripture all on their own. Here’s more on Bible journaling for kids.
Start with Inspiring Coloring Books
To get your children started on their own Bible journaling journey I’d recommend that you look into purchasing coloring books that have Bible verses for memorization along with plenty of space for coloring. This may seem backward to you, but you don’t have to rush them, rather gently guide them towards the feet of Jesus.
This is especially helpful for smaller children because it still allows them to sit alongside mom or dad as you are all drawing closer to God. Before too long they’ll have a desire to draw and color Bible art into their very own Bible.
Make it Personal
Bible journaling for kids is about getting your children to grow in their faith more enjoyably. One of the best ways of doing that is by allowing the experience to become personal to them. After all, it’s about them developing their very own personal relationship with Jesus. When they’re ready to start Bible journaling on their own it may be time to take a trip to the store so they can pick one out.
It’s alright that you make a few suggestions along the way, but allow them to explore the selection of children’s Bibles and find the one that’s right for them. Then take it a step further by having their name customized onto the front of their brand new Bible. It doesn’t get much more personal than that!
Choose the Right Supplies
Now it’s time to choose the right supplies for all your kid’s journaling needs. Of course, you’ll need good pens for them to write with, along with crayons that have exceptional color. But if you’re looking to go the cheaper route, any pen or crayon will do.
Make sure that you have plenty of stickers (and stamps if you dare.) The trick is finding inks that won’t bleed through their pages so easily. Try using these Ink Pads that work on all kinds of surfaces. I’d also encourage you to think about getting Washi Tape so that your kids can add wonderful patterns and borders to their pages.
It’s not uncommon for parents to have a difficult time breathing when they hear the words paint and Bible used in the same sentence, but there’s no need to. Watercolors and acrylic paints can bring Bible stories to life in a new and beautiful way.
Ask Them Where to Start
While you may already have plenty of wonderful Bible passages picked out for your children should start, take the time to ask them what their favorite Bible stories are and go from there. Reread the verses together.
Their imaginations will take flight and you should see some interesting Bible art creativity come to life. Allow them to share with you what they learned from the story and answer any questions that they may have. It may even surprise you that listening to the heart of a child will give you a whole new perspective on what God’s word is saying.
Once you’ve been Bible journaling together with them for a while, you may need new inspiration and ideas on how to keep going. Here are a few other Bible stories to keep your children zooming right along.
Don’t Try and Direct Them
Many of us as parents start to freak out when we see our children drawing or coloring pictures over the words in their Bibles while leaving the margins completely blank. Or maybe one of your kids has an unnatural fetish for stickers covering every square inch of their Bible that makes your skin start to crawl?
As painful as this all may sound to you, it’s important that you don’t try to redirect them or get worked up over the mess. I can be too much of a perfectionist at times. This only gets in the way of their creativity and learning. You may not see it past all the mess, but they are creating a bond with God’s word that will last forever. If that still doesn’t put your mind at ease, it wouldn’t hurt for them to have an additional Bible that they use for church that hasn’t been marked in.
31 Simple Bible Journaling Ideas (With Free Printable)
How to Begin Bible Journaling?
Bible Journaling with Teenagers
Gifts for those who Love Bible Journaling and Art
Engage in Conversation
As your children are Bible journaling alongside mom or dad, it allows everyone to open up and talk about spiritual things. That’s usually when your kids will come up with a lot of questions that may be entirely unrelated to the passage that you read together, and that’s perfectly okay. Spend a few minutes, in the end, having them come up with a few prayer requests and wrap it up.
Many children have a hard time reading and grasping God’s word because their minds work a little differently than others. Visualizing and stimulating their minds with colorful art is a great way to learn from the pages of God’s word. Bible journaling is something that’s fun for kids as they develop a heart for God. It is a wonderful tool not only for children but for adults as well. What do you think about bible journaling for kids?
