One of our jobs as parents is to tell our kids who they are. We help our kids understand their roles in life through labels: they are sons and daughters, they are sisters and brothers, they are students, they are hard workers.
One of the most important roles our children will ever have comes from 2 Timothy 2:15, ESV:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Our kids are to be unashamed, approved workers, able to rightly handle God’s Word. They are Bible Investigators!
So, how do we help our kids become faithful Bible investigators, able to read and apply the Bible well? We can help them learn to approach Scripture well by teaching them three simple steps.
Independent Bible Study for Kids
I believe that having a Bible reading and discussion time for your family is really important. Listening to God’s Word, then discussing it, is an important way that our children how to understand the Bible. As our kids grow older, we want them to start to interact with Scripture independently. And, when our children are saved, they will naturally want to read the Bible. You can begin teaching the inductive method to your kids from about age eight.
When you teach your kids the inductive method of Bible study as you read the Bible together, you will be preparing them for independent Bible study.
What is the inductive method of Bible study? It’s simple!
Kids will learn to:
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Observe
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Interpret
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Apply
So, as you read a story from the Bible together, you can take time to help kids observe what they’ve read. Remember the who, what, when, why, how investigative questions you learned to ask in elementary school? Ask them now! Who is acting in this passage? Who wrote it and who are they writing it to? What happened in the story we just read? When did this take place–in history and in context to the stories surrounding it? Why did it happen? How did God act in this story? Answering these questions is more or less an exercise in narration–having your child repeat the story in their own words.
Next, take some time to interpret the passage together. What did this story or passage mean to the people reading it? What is the importance of this passage to us today? Interpreting a section of Scripture can be simple, or it can take research. If you need to research the meaning of something you’ve read in the Bible, be sure to show your children how you are doing it. Research can include using study Bible notes, cross-referencing passages (again, a good study Bible is helpful), using a commentary, or searching on the internet for information from trusted sources. GotQuestions.org often has straight-forward answers to Bible-related questions.
Last, you want to help your child learn to apply their Bible reading to their own life. This can be fairly straightforward. For instance, 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us directly to rightly handle the word of truth. Each of us must study God’s Word, and learn how to study God’s Word. We want to be trustworthy Bible Investigators. Sometimes, the application of a passage is tougher, and we must think and pray about how to apply Scripture to our lives today.
By teaching your kids the inductive method of study, you can help them move toward faithful, sound, independent Bible study.
Bible Resources for Your Kids
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Puzzle-Based Independent Bible Study for Kids!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2, ESV
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- Observe: They pay attention to what they’re reading.
- Interpret: They figure out what the Bible means in that section.
- Apply: They decide how the truth of God’s Word impacts their life today.
There are a great many truths in life to be found—some interesting, some boring, and some that really matter. You can be the kind of investigator who spends time puzzling out important truth so that you can know all the knowable knowledge that God has given us. That’s right. God, the Creator of the Universe, gave you a great big letter from him to explore and study so that you can discover the truths that really matter to your life!”
Bible Investigators: Creation, (The Good Book Company, 2024), page 7
The Bible Investigators: Creation Bible study for kids, written by Danika Cooley and published by The Good Book Company, is 272-pages of learning, puzzles, and fun activities designed to help your kids become amazing independent Bible investigators–observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word as they learn what the Bible teaches on a particular subject.
Bible Puzzles for Kids
Middle grade kids, aged 8-12, love puzzles. After all, their brains are just built for figuring things out and memorizing facts. Puzzles are a wonderful way to help kids develop logic skills and retain important information. And, the book is written in a fun, conversational tone your children are sure to love!
What types of puzzles and activities will you find in Bible Investigators?
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- Word Searches
- Crosswords
- Rebus Puzzles
- Dot-to-Dots
- Logic Puzzles
- Missing Letter Puzzles
- Cryptograms
- Word Sudoku
- Mazes
- How-to-Draw Pages
- Matching Pairs
- Word Scrambles
- Journal Pages
Every child is sure to find activities they’ll love!
Elementary-aged kids need hands-on middle grade resources that engage them and equip them to process important truths.
Bible Investigators is the perfect resource to teach your kids about an important biblical doctrine, while helping them apply God’s Word to their lives today.
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