Teaching Children Bible Basics: 34 Lessons for Helping Children Learn to Use the Bible

By Barbara Bruce

Teaching Children Bible Basics is a book of 34 Old and New Testament lessons that helps children ages 8–10 learn how to use the Bible. The lessons and activities are designed to teach children how the Bible came to be, how to use this important book, about the Torah, and about the important stories of the Hebrew and Christian Testaments.

Key Features: Features 16 Old Testament and 20 New Testament lessons; Provides 30- to 45-minute experiential lessons that teach children how to use the Bible; Each lesson accommodates the needs of various learning styles; Each lesson highlights a specific desired result (for example, students will discover and retell the creation story day by day); Each lesson includes a lesson focus, a Scripture text, a section listing materials needed, various learning activities, discussion questions related to the Bible topics being “discovered,” and a closing prayer.

Key Benefits: Teachers will be enabled to teach children aged 8–10 basic Bible skills through interactive Bible lessons that stimulate creativity and critical thinking; Teachers will find practical help and guidance in how children can gain a working knowledge of the structure of the Bible, the organization of the books of the Bible, and the significance of the Bible to Christians; Can be used with any Bible translation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781426734533

Barbara Bruce

Barbara Bruce has worked as a Christian educator for nearly twenty years. She is the owner of Process: CREATIVITY, a consulting firm offering workshops in creative and critical thinking. She is the author of Teaching Children Bible Basics, 7 Ways of Teaching the Bible to Children, Standing Up Against the Odds, Start Here; Teaching and Learning With Adults, 7 Ways of Teaching the Bible to Adults, and Our Spiritual Brain. Her most recent publication is Mental Aerobics: 75 Ways to Keep Your Brain Fit.

Book preview

Teaching

Children

Bible Basics

Image1

Barbara Bruce

ABINGDON PRESS

Nashville

TEACHING CHILDREN BIBLE BASICS:

THIRTY-FOUR LESSONS THAT HELP KIDS LEARN TO USE THE BIBLE

Copyright © 1999 by Abingdon Press

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Abingdon Press, 201 Eighth Avenue South, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202-0801.

This book is printed on recycled, acid-free paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bruce, Barbara.

Teaching children Bible basics : 34 lessons that help children learn to use the Bible / Barbara Bruce.

    p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 0-687-02465-X (alk. paper)

1. Bible—Children's use. 2. Bible—Study and teaching (Elementary)— Activity programs. 3. Christian education of children. I. Title.

BS618.B78 1999

268'.432—dc21

99-39689

CIP

ISBN 13: 978-0-687-02465-0

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Permission to reproduce pages 21, 27, 28, 33, 36, 41, 45, 48, 51, 54-58, 65, 70, 77, 80, 85-86, 91, 96, 99, 100, 109, 112, 115, 119, and 120-23 is granted to purchasers of this book.

   07 08—10 9 8 7 6

MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

To Kathy

whose love, laughter, and support

made this book possible

and whose ministry

will touch many lives.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

PART 1

The Bible

LESSON 1      In the beginning

LESSON 2      How do I use my Bible?

PART 2

The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Teaches Us Today

LESSON 3      The story of creation

LESSON 4      Adam and Eve and choices

LESSON 5      God destroys the world—almost

LESSON 6      Abraham and Sarah and laughter

LESSON 7      God has a plan for Joseph

LESSON 8      Ten Commandments

LESSON 9      Children can do amazing things with God's help

LESSON 10    Songs to God

LESSON 11    The wisdom of Solomon—Proverbs

LESSON 12    Review

PART 3

The Christian/New Testament Teaches Us How to Live

LESSON 13    The Christian or New Testament

LESSON 14    A child is born

LESSON 15    The baptism of Jesus

LESSON 16    The temptations of Jesus

LESSON 17    Jesus calls his disciples and us

LESSON 18    Prayer and the Lord's Prayer

LESSON 19    Jesus performs a miracle and teaches us to share

LESSON 20    Jesus heals

LESSON 21    God celebrates when the lost is found

LESSON 22    Who is my neighbor?

LESSON 23    The parable of the sower

LESSON 24    Palm Sunday—the triumphant entry into Jerusalem

LESSON 25    Holy Thursday

LESSON 26    Good Friday

LESSON 27    The Easter story

LESSON 28    The conversion of Saul

LESSON 29    Paul was a missionary

LESSON 30    Paul in prison

LESSON 31    The body of Christ

LESSON 32    The greatest of these is love

LESSON 33    Pentecost—the birth of the church

LESSON 34    Discovering what we have learned

Parents' Questions

Scripture Index

Preface

Several years ago a newly appointed Christian educator and the pastor took their confirmation class to a service in a synagogue. After the service the rabbi held a special session for this class. She took down the Torah so the class could see it up close. She asked this class of seventh graders, Who can tell me the books of the Torah? The students carefully examined the floor, the ceiling, and their fingernails. The pastor and the Christian educator wanted to crawl under the nearest chair. It was an embarrassing moment for all. The Christian educator vowed that this would never happen again.

Unfortunately, this is not an unusual occurrence. Students who have regularly attended Sunday school sometimes do not know much about the Bible. In fact, many adults today do not know much about the Bible. Teaching Children Bible Basics is an attempt to turn the trend around. This book is a resource that can be used in an after-school program, as a special curriculum for the third (or fourth) grade, a special time apart after the Children's Time, or in a variety of ways determined by your time, needs, and creative imagination. Learn with and from the children. Their insights and questions will spark a new appreciation and understanding of the Bible. Enjoy!

Barbara Bruce

Introduction

Most churches present Bibles to children when they are in the third or fourth grade. We record the children's names, the date, and the name of the church. We gift-wrap the Bibles, have a special presentation, and tell the