Homeschool Bible Study



Homeschool Bible Study

Homeschool Bible study is important to us – we want our children to know God in their hearts and with their minds. We give this area of study the priority in our day. Bible study often gets separated in the minds of homeschool families, it is as if we have our family devotions with the kids, and then we homeschool. When we set out to disciple our children though, this part of our life becomes a part of the children's study.
Finding your way around this page:
How to study the Word of God
When it comes to finding a family Bible Study curriculum for the children, I have tried to approach it in the same way I approach my own personal studies.
  • I read
  • I research
  • I write
  • I talk about it to others
Setting out to Disciple our children in this area of our life has had its challenges. Preconceived ideas, accumulated resources and set habits have been hard to break. We don’t want our studies to be all head knowledge and yet we do want them to know the Word and seek understanding. In balance with this we want our children to know the life that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus. We want them to understand that the Word of God has something to say to every area of their life. We want them to have the courage to live by this belief.
Read a short list of Methods for Bible Study. A list of questions you can guide your children in as they develop study skills.

Personal Devotions
Most of our days start with each of us having our own individual time with God – we call it Devotions or Quiet Time. Because we don’t segregate our day into home life and school life this time is very much a part of Discipling our children.
Daily Quiet Time is a habit that both Peter and I formed in our youth and it is one that we desire for our children. We want our children to know God personally, to build a strong relationship with Him, to know His Word and to live by it.

Lesson time
When we do get to our “Desk” time our main priority is Discipleship Studies - which includes studying the Scriptures. At this time we:
  • Have a Family Devotional time
  • Study Character and / or
  • Have our Bible Study Lessons
When we study the Bible the children have to:
  • Read
  • Research
  • Respond
To respond means they have had to think, discuss their thoughts with the family, this often (though not always) this leads to a notebook page, writing, or it may well be left at the discussion (which is a pre-writing activity even for the older children.) Therefore, the core skills required for any learning are covered while we are learning about God's ways. In planning our day, I take this into account and don't necessarily seek opportunity for these skills during the rest of the day (especially for younger students.)

Multi-ages and Bible Study
Family Bible Study can be tricky - considering the ages of my children, their different level of understanding and their different desire for God (maturity of their own walk with God). Over the years we have found a way that works for us, not against us.

Since the whole of our life is providing our children with the whole of their education we cannot separate the lessons we learn on our day of Worship from their other learning experiences. This is not to say that I plan lesson plans etc but rather there is a wealth of opportunity to grow as a Christian, when involved in corporate worship. We learn to read the scriptures out loud, we learn to pray in a group, we learn to respect what others share all in the context of our family and then when we join with other Christians the children can participate in worship and be active members of the body of Christ.
Many people focus on keeping their children quiet in church so that they, the parents, can worship. Our family focus has been to keep the children quiet in church so they, the children, can worship. Kendra from www.PreschoolersandPeace.com writes how she has gone about training her children to be involved In God's House

Audio Stories
We have discovered several audio presentations that enhance our Bible Studies. Some of these are Bible stories, often dramatised which makes for good listening. Others are good stories with a moral lesson. We use both in our teaching our children God's ways.
Some Resources
Our Story Hour - These dramatised Bible stories are a delight to listen to. Not only are the stories very clearly portrayed but they are done in such a way that you get to know the characters, they become real people with real issues to work though. This makes the Bible come alive and real to children.
LogosMultimedia Bible Stories for Children This website not only discusses the benefits of audio Bible stories but has some great offers as well.

Further Reading
The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach has had a big influence in our thinking. I encourage you to read their free download articles, especially on the issues of Bible First.
Discipleship homeschool is all about inviting our children into our lives and how much more important can it be than to invite them into our relationship with God and to study His Word together

Disclaimer: This material comes from Lifestyle Homeschool blog. I copied it for my own personal use with my children. All links will lead to to this blog site.

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