7 Tips for Teaching God’s Word (Guest Post)

Seven Practical Tips for Teaching God’s Word to Our Children

In Deuteronomy chapter six, parents are instructed to diligently teach God’s Word to their children. We can be grateful for those teachable moments that present themselves with no pre-planning on our part, but often, if we do not purposely plan for those times, they will not happen.

Here are seven practical tips that we can use to impart God’s word as we go through our day.

1.    Play scripture songs on a cassette tape or cd while everyone is getting ready in the morning, in the car on the way to school, or while running errands.
2.    If your child is learning Bible memory verses for school or church, take a couple of minutes after breakfast to have them practice saying the verse to you. I also keep a small Bible in the console of our car so that we can review verses while driving around town.
3.    Have a scheduled family “devotional” time. We have ours on week nights right after supper while we are all still at the table. It doesn’t have to be long and can range from studying a specified Bible passage to reading a missionary biography or some other book with character building stories.
4.    Read a brief Bible story or devotional book together at bedtime. Even though questions may arise as an attempt to delay “lights out,” they can still lead to a good discussion. Also, pray with your child before he goes to sleep.
5.    While on the way home after a church service, ask your child what they learned in the children’s lesson they heard or from the sermon the pastor preached.
6.    When situations arise that your child needs help resolving, seek to use Bible verses while attempting to arrive at the correct resolution. This requires that we as parents know the Bible well enough to be able to help our child find a scripture passage that applies to their circumstances.
7.    Allow your children to see you reading your Bible or other spiritual books and to hear you praying or memorizing Scripture. As the old saying goes, “more is caught than taught.”
While I wish I could say that I am consistent at doing all seven of these, I am not. I hope these suggestions are an encouragement to you as well as to myself to follow God’s commandment by imparting His Words to our children.

Please feel free to share any tips that have helped your family in this area.

Tracey Brewer is mom to two daughters, ages nine and seven, and wife to her college sweetheart.  They live in coastal South Carolina and enjoy walking on the beach, browsing bookstores, and attending musical productions.  Her blog, Girls to Grow, covers a variety of topics related to Christian parenting, including education, homemaking, saving money and making memories with your children.