10 Ways to Teach and Reinforce Reading

Why do we teach our children to read? So that they can read Scripture! Secondarily, they are then able to participate more fully in Sunday morning worship in general. And, of course, reading opens multiple doors to further education, to better understanding of theology and ideas/philosophy, and offers immense enjoyment.

Are you teaching your children to read? Diligently? This is a time-consuming task, I'll be the first to admit--I'm working with three new readers simultaneously.

"But I'm not homeschooling my children," you might say. "Their teachers are teaching them." (I'm not full-time homeschooling, either.)

I've got news for you: it is YOUR responsibility to make sure your children learn how to read--and to encourage them to read the Word. Even if they're in school all day, there are still multiple opportunities at home in which you can reinforce what they're learning in school and provide opportunities for them to demonstrate and use their new skills.

Hide and Seek Devotional

Hide (the Word) and Seek (the Lord) Devotional
Stephen Elkins, "creator"
Amanda Gulliver, illustrator
Thomas Nelson
2012

Can you have too many kids' devotional guides? While I certainly like some story Bibles and devotionals better than others, I'm also inclined to think that just about anything that gets kids reading their Bibles and hiding God's Word in their hearts is on the right track. Enter: The Hide (the Word) and Seek (the Lord) Devotional!

What I like: This devotional gives a (very) short summary of a Bible story but suggests kids read it for themselves and gives the Scripture references. Each "chapter" is centered on a Bible verse that works thematically with the Bible story presented. Verses are organized in ABC format AND include full A-Z lists for BOTH Old and New Testaments!! The verses are not the "usual" contenders for their given letters, either. Rather, a key word that starts with that letter is used instead of merely the first letter of each verse. (The "Old Testament" and "New Testament" categories refer to the memory verse location, not necessarily that the coordinating story is from the same testament.) This means that some of my all-time favorite verses make an appearance (such as Zephaniah 3:17). Another bonus: there is a Scripture memory song for each verse. Lyrics are given at the bottom of the page. AND there are free downloads on Thomas Nelson for the songs as well as an audio version of the short story given on the page (narrator? Kirk Cameron). In my experience, nothing helps cement something in your memory like music. I also like the layout of each page. At least in my digital review copy, there aren't many illustrations to distract the reader/listener.

What I don't like: the short paragraph versions of the Bible stories are a little "chatty" and "cute" but I think kids will like them. I'm willing to overlook some of that in favor of the encouragement to the kid readers to get in the Word! The Scripture translation used is NIV; we tend to use ESV in our house, but again, I'd be willing to "give" on this one in favor of kids actually learning the Scripture. In addition, the entire verse isn't given (i.e. "A gentle answer turns away wrath" without also including "but a harsh word stirs up anger.") You can still encourage your children to memorize the entire verse and in whatever version you choose; the songs, however, will not correspond.

I should point out that I haven't read every page yet. I won't answer to the theological accuracy of each verse/story. What I have seen, though, makes me tempted to look into this for a gift for one of my kids.

Recommended age group: older preschool-mid elementary

Even in the advance review copy I have, the website given is up and running. So, check out the Hide and Seek Bible site to listen to the songs for yourself (you'll also get to hear the devotional parts, too). Cover image above from same website. ARC from .

The Big Picture Story Bible

The Big Picture Story Bible
David Helm, author
Gail Schoonmaker, illustrator
2010

I know this book has been out longer than its publication date is showing; we got ours for our boys' 1st birthday back in 2008. At any rate, this is a terrific Bible story book to use for toddlers and preschoolers when you want to do just what the title says: give them the big picture. It's not a substitute for a traditional Bible story book; it doesn't have many stories in it that you might normally expect to see in a children's story Bible. For example, in one picture, you see Joseph in a many colored coat, but that particular story is not in the text.

What the book does do is group periods of Biblical history together and weave them all in one long narrative: the big picture. From Creation onwards, we are waiting to find God's forever king that He promised in the garden. Once Jesus is born, we rejoice in the forever King!

Illustrations are terrific, by the way.

Check this book out if you are looking for a resource to help teach your young children about the big picture of the Biblical narrative.

ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts

Susan Hunt's ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God's Word in Little Hearts is a terrific Bible memory tool for 4's and 5's (and even older). These stories are longer than the ones in Kenneth Taylor's Scripture memory books, and the questions at the end are a little more complex. The verses are organized alphabetically by first letter of the verse. If you're familiar with Steve Green's Hide 'em In Your Heart CD's, you will recognize some of these verses. But there are plenty of new ones, and the stories help flesh out the verses nicely. Some of the stories are a little warm and fuzzy, but overall, this has been a great tool to help us learn Scripture with our children. We've read and discussed (and memorized) one verse a week.

The verses are in the New King James version, so I rewrote these in our preferred version/translation (ESV); thankfully, most of the beginning letters were the same!

Big Thoughts, Wise Words, and Giant Steps

Kenneth Taylor has a knack for knowing how to communicate with the youngest children. These three books are all sets of verses laid out for Scripture memory: a short (VERY) synopsis/explanation of the verse alongside an illustration form each "lesson." There are also review and application questions--which I really love. For instance, the verse might be about loving your neighbor. The questions will be along the lines of, "Do you see someone in the picture who is loving his or her neighbor?" In addition, each illustration has ladybugs hidden throughout--finding the ladybugs is a hugely enjoyable pastime for toddlers and preschoolers.

My only complaint about these books is that the verses are often paraphrased--and I would prefer a translation. That's a simple matter to fix, though, and I just typed up the verses in the translation we preferred. This even works with the ABC volume (Big Thoughts) because the ABC letters relate to a concept, not the first letter of the verse.

The first book has been updated--you see the updated cover in that image--but I don't believe the other two have. Nevertheless, our children haven't minded the somewhat dated illustrations. These are readily available used--so snap them up!

Big Thoughts for Little People: ABC Concepts with coordinating verses (i.e. "I" is Illness)
Wise Words for Little People: verses from Proverbs
Giant Steps for Little People: 10 Commandments and Beattitudes

Scripture Memory: Hide 'em In Your Heart

There are some great books for Scripture memory--and I fully plan on highlighting our favorites. But nothing, and I mean nothing, beats these Hide 'em In Your Heart CD's from Steve Green for Scripture memory with young children!

 I could go on and on, folks. Suffice it to say that Mommy needs the verses on these CD's as much as the kiddos. The range of verses is terrific--alternating between verses that instruct us in how to act (i.e. "Do everything without complaining or arguing") and those which inform us of who God is/what He has done (i.e. "For God so loved the world..."). Before each verse, there is a very short introduction/explanation by Steve Green. Then, the entire verse is sung--no mere snippets or phrases here (i.e. "Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God."). The songs are original compositions and are sung by Steve with a kids' choir. Our kids have loved listening to these CD's, and Scripture memory has followed effortlessly. The verses themselves have become part of our everyday conversation. If someone is misbehaving, I can ask him or her, "What are your actions saying about you? Remember our verse? "Even a child is..." and the child will fill in the rest of the verse. Or, if someone is cranky, we might sing "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones."

We have volumes 1 and 2. Both volumes are available as a set on amazon I believe. You can also check out the resources on Steve Green's website.