Spend time with God as a family
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” Now read it again, like a child.
What’s a therefore? What’s behold? Is that like old? Why does this matter? I’m hungry. I’m tired. Stop poking me! Hey! Stop it!
Chances are you have tried to start reading the Bible with your kids and it just didn’t take. Home In Him is, perhaps more than anything, passionate that you and your family read the Bible together. It is the source of joy and every good endeavor in your home. Here’s something to get you started.
Here are some focal points to get started.
God's Word
You can’t lean on simplified Bible story books alone. There is a way to read the Bible how it wants to be read. There are some things they won’t understand, but listening to the verses in full has power. His words do not return empty. Even if you get an empty stare from your kid sometimes, the fruit will bear.
Visual + Tactile Stimulation
Many kids need a visual tool or short video to get engaged. We’ve developed some resources for you. But get creative. How could you make David and Goliath into a visual story? A spoon for a sling? A pea for a stone? (You hold the spoon, of course.)
Coloring pages, word puzzles, and other hands-on tools can help your kid stay focused. If you can line them up to the scripture you are reading, even better. If dad thinks sitting down quietly and reading is enough, well, it’s not.
Space
You don’t need shoulder-to-shoulder contact, or holding hands and in a circle. That’s a recipe for disaster. In our home, we spread out a bit, and used carpet circles to keep everyone in their own space and outside of hands’ reach from a sibling. Whether you have one kid or many, personal space creates independence in the moment, which helps a message absorb in their own way.
Have school-aged kids?
5:17 People Week is a tool to teach your kids about 2 Corinthians 5:17. This seven day devotional will help your family discover, or rediscover, what it means to live as a joyful, new creation.
- Coloring pages & word puzzles
- 2-4 minute intro videos
- Seven key statements
It’s all about identity. Your child is:
A new creation in Christ
Hidden in Christ
Forgiven in Christ
Righteous in Christ
Dead to Sin in Christ
A branch in Christ
An ambassador for Christ
