• Set a time and place.
• Choose a theme.
• Choose a Bible verse to memorize.
• Know how you will teach the Bible verse (motions/song, etc.).
• Decide the order you will teach (we pray, say our verse, then do our Bible lesson).
• Look over the lesson (or just wing it-been there, done that!)
• Consider having your Bible time during snack or at a meal. Their hands will be busy eating, so they won’t be as easily distracted by other things.
• Have children sit at the table. This gives everyone their own space, and sitting up helps with concentration.
• Use your Bible and not your phone if possible. Even if you summarize the whole story or tell it in your own words, try to always pick at least one verse that you will actually read from the Bible.
• Be consistent. It may take some time for the routine to stick, but keep at it and your kids will get there.
• Remember: It won’t be perfect! That’s why we need Jesus!

Bring It to Life

• Read with expression.
• Make your facial expressions match the emotion of the story.
• Have kids act out the story after you read it.
• Have older ones read the whole story or pick a verse or two for them to read.
• Tell them if the book they are reading from is in the Old or New Testament, and tell them how you find that book. For example, “We will be reading in Psalms today. Psalms is in the Old Testament. That means it takes place before Jesus was born. To find Psalms, I just open up to the middle of my Bible.” When you find it, show them what it looks like.
• Have kids find the book of the Bible, or chapter, or the verse. Start with the chapter, then go to the verse, and then they can find the book of the Bible as they become more familiar with the process.
• Use props to tell help tell the story sometimes. This can be anything from a print-out to using dolls/toys to “act out” the story. Whatever might grab their attention a little bit more.