ISSUE
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folks
DIFFERENT STROKES
FOR DIFFERENT 85%
10:30 AM
Harold online
THU 12:00
G JAMES DO YOU HAVE A KIN ? BIBLE I CAN BORROW
A’S.
YES, I HAVE GRANDM
!
AWESOME, THANKS
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I hadn’t heard from my brother in months. It was good to get his text, but unusual. As far as I was aware, he hadn’t shown any interest in church, let alone the Bible, in years! So when we met for coffee the next day, I asked why he wanted it. “Well�, he said, “I’ve been going to morning prayers at the cathedral, and I’d like to read the Bible. This is the version I remember from our childhood, the one I remember Mum and Dad quoting�. Wow, I was blown away! God is in it for the long haul with us all. But it also caused me to reflect on the importance of our choice of which Bible to read and share with our children. And which version is best at different ages and stages? In this edition of the WAY2GO magazine we will look at some options when choosing a Bible for our children, and some ideas for helping us engage with God’s written word together.
___ Annette Osborne SUNZ Children and Families Consultant
Bible
CHOOSING A
Some Bible versions are more suitable for children than others. We live in an age where we’re spoilt for choice, almost to the point of not knowing where to start. Illustrated Bibles that vividly and faithfully retell Bible stories are great for our under 5’s. By about eight years of age (depending on the child, of course) we should expect our children, with help, to graduate to a ‘full’ Bible. Here are some of our favourite ‘in-betweens’:
Diary of a Disciple “I really like it because it’s funny, it doesn’t have all these verses in them. It reads kind of like a real story. I like the pictures.” —THEO, AGED 9
Action
Bible
reading ng than ti s e r te ore re in le. It’s m ib “it’s mo b p u t igh me “ the stra ids like k to le 13 relatab , AGED IAN
ST —SEBA
The Jesus Sto
rybook
Bible This is a beau tiful overview of the whole B Each story po ible. ints to Jesus, each whisper as the centrepi s H is name ece — God’s lo ve for us. A m for any child o ust read r adult who de sires to unders how the storie tand s of the Bible ar e miraculously w together to te oven ll the greatest story of all. —CHILDREN AND FAMILIE S TEAM LEADER , R
NIGEL WINDE
READING AS A FAMILY Yep, we get it! It’s hard to find time as a family to read the Bible together and equally hard to find something that works for you. You could try using some of the ‘Five S’s’ —non-book ways to help children learn and remember the Bible :
Song Make up a song about God : read a part of the Bible then make up a simple song that says what you have learnt about God. Use a tune you know or simply a rhythm. You could repeat a simple pattern like “God is …”
Story
Enter into the story: help children to identify with characters in your Bible reading by pausing at points and asking how the characters might have felt about what was happening. Pause at ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ moments.
Slogan
Sum-up: make a shout or slogan to sum up the main teaching point. Repeat and reuse! Reread the story and insert the shout or slogan wherever it seems to fit.
Symbol (image)
Paint or draw: read a Bible story a few times and ask the children to draw or paint whatever particularly strikes them. Look at everyone’s work appreciatively and see what has made the biggest impression on the group.
Scheme (Action)
Serious play: children learn through play, so they don’t have to sit still as you read! Allow them to play and respond to the story in any way they like — playing with toys, finger puppets, lego, playmobil… ‘Play’ with Bible stories helps children to internalise the stories and work out their meaning.
You could use more than one of these ideas at a time (if you have time of course!) so that children with different learning styles can grasp the learning at the heart of the passage. Above all, allow your children to respond to the
Bible in their own way, without rushing to satisfy your adult agenda. Let the Holy Spirit work. AND REMEMBER, IF OUR CHILDREN SEE US READING OUR BIBLES OURSELVES THAT IN ITSELF WILL SPEAK VOLUMES.
Special Picks $2.99 Diary of a Disciple-Mini Consisting of the first three chapters of the full book. This booklet makes a great give away to children in both school and church.
$8.99 Diary of a Disciple, Luke’s Story, Activity Book - AWARD WINNER!! An exciting, interactive 64-page book with puzzles, colouring, mazes, crosswords and more — all amongst excerpts of Luke's story.
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www.sunzbreakthrough.org.nz
Scripture Union wants to work with your church to create opportunities for children and young people to discover and follow Jesus, grow as leaders, and influence the world. Contact us and let us know how we can help you.
SCRIPTURE UNION IN NEW ZEALAND
PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 way2go@sunz.org.nz 0508 423 836 sunz.org.nz