But looking forward, after you have some supplies in place, what do you do?
I think this can go one of two ways.
First, you could let your child go it alone. Let him/her see you reading and studying your Bible and branching out artistically from that time, but don’t do anything else. Let your example lead.
That has worked for us in multiple things, including creating a desire to read the Bible originally. Both of my kids wanted their own Bibles to read at young ages because they saw me reading mine.
If you have especially young children, this free rein approach could be great for encouraging art exploration and Bible expression.
If your child is old enough to learn how to study the Bible independently, however, a specific, joint journaling time could have the added benefit of teaching ways to study scripture.
There are great curriculums out there for this, as well as neat methods like SOAP and such; but here are some simple ideas that you can do with ordinary stuff to dig into scripture deeper – and enhance that Bible journaling experience:
- Journal a story or series. Not sure what to study? Use stories of Bible heroes or major Biblical events, like the creation story or the story of the Israelite Exodus from Egypt. Plan to journal only a few verses at a time, and use some of the following ideas to take your journaling experience deeper.
- Use a dictionary. Look up the definitions of words that seem important or that are standing out to you. Be sure to ask your child which word(s) that is for him/her. Discuss these words together. Put the definition of the word into the verse for clarification.
- Map it. Most Bibles have historical maps in the back. Trace traveling routes on the maps. Figure out the distances traveled, length of time on the road, and maybe even research climate conditions. Would this have been a winter journal or a summer one? Hot or cold? Was it a safe one?
- Read the footnotes. Study Bibles have all sorts of information at the bottom of the page. Read the notes out loud to your kids. Talk about what that additional information means. Often it can help put the scripture into the appropriate cultural and historical context.
- Use the concordance. If your Bible has additional verses listed, look’em up. I recently had a great conversation with a group of kids about the ‘underwear of truth’ while we were learning about the ‘belt of truth’ discussed in Ephesians 6. You never know where it will lead you!
- Use all your senses. Think about what it must have felt, looked, tasted, smelled, or sounded like. Remember that this was before running water, flush toilets, deodorant, or vaccinations! It might seem silly, but I’m betting that life had an earthier quality to it than most of us Americans can imagine, and thinking in those terms might help us see the scene more vividly.
- Ask questions. Many Bible stories have elements that seem outlandish to me. Why was a plague of frogs thought to be so bad? Was Eve surprised when the serpent started talking? What would I have said if some angel popped out of nowhere and told me I was going to have a miracle baby? What would I have done if….? Encourage your child to ask questions, because their natural curiosity is in there churning them up. Then take them a step further: what can I do about it NOW? How can I help people shocked by disease? What can I do for that new mother at church? The Bible isn’t a dusty book whose only inspirational actions are past; it’s now. Allow those questions to spark discussions and journal pages about how to react to scripture and real life situations now – and then go and do.
Bible journaling is a fun and creative practice, but in the end it’s not about the art – it’s about the Bible and the One who inspired it.
What are your favorite ways to interact with scripture with your kids?
