This post was compiled from the webinar Guiding Children to Treasure the Bible in the Classroom, with Jill Nelson, Marcia Olynyk, Ty Storrs, and Candice Watters.
The Bible is the way of truth and life for every believer; it's how we come to faith and maturity; and it needs to be at the forefront of children’s education. How can teachers help children to treasure the Bible? Three words come to mind.
Presence
From the moment children enter the classroom, do they see and hear the Bible? Is Scripture present and permeating every minute in some way, whether it’s worship, activities, or prayer time? Are we structuring our time to place the highest premium on communicating God’s truth? Sadly, in many churches, the Bible has become more minimized over time, crowded out by activities that may be fun but often lack biblical engagement.
Posture
This involves our attitude toward the Scriptures. Are children observing a sense of reverence from their teachers? Do they understand that this book contains the most important words they’ll ever hear? Do we clearly convey that it leads us to the greatest treasure: Jesus? Our casual culture can unintentionally influence our posture toward God’s Word. This is even reflected in the design of Bibles marketed to children. It’s essential that we treat and present the Bible as God’s holy Word.
Practice
What practical ways do we engage children with the Bible? Are teachers using physical Bibles during lessons? Are children being taught how to actively engage with God’s Word, learning to read, interpret, and apply it? Unfortunately, biblical literacy is declining among children, even in church contexts. Sometimes, the hard work of teaching children to interact with the Bible is replaced with telling Bible stories. While stories have their place, we need to teach children how to handle the text itself.
How to help children treasure God’s Word
There are many practical steps teachers can take to foster a deep, lasting appreciation for God’s Word, including:
- Handle the Bible with care. Children need to see that God’s Word is worth more than anything else. Even the youngest children can be taught to handle the Bible respectfully and with care.
- Teach with an open Bible. Even if you’re using notes, keep your Bible open as a reference so the children know that the words you’re speaking are coming from Scripture.
- Use paper–not digital–Bibles. Bible apps have their place, but they are plagued by distractions that can overwhelm kids reading Bibles on screen. God’s Word deserves our full attention.
- Pray Bible Verses. Sunday school prayer requests can quickly devolve into announcements—“I’m going to Disney!” or “Today is my birthday!” Guide children to think of God-ward requests and as you pray, let the Holy Spirit bring Scriptures to mind, turning their requests into Bible-centered prayers. For example, if a child asks for safe travel, you could pray, “Lord, please guide this family as they travel. Help them to be salt and light along the way, and to be grateful for this good gift.” Model how Scripture connects to everyday life and how it can guide our prayers.
How to help kids learn how to use the Bible
- Use the same Bible version. Encourage parents to choose a simple Bible without lots of commentary or unrelated pictures, which can be distracting. Uniformity helps in the classroom, especially with younger kids. Giving children the page number of a passage can help kids who are still learning where the books of the Bible are.
- Ask children to help one another. Ask the kids who can find verses quickly to help their neighbors find their way to a text. The teamwork approach helps, allowing kids who do know not to feel proud but instead to serve those who don’t know. Repetition with sword drills every week also reinforces the learning.
- Sing the books of the Bible. Songs are an excellent way to help kids learn, even in preschool or nursery. Some of the teachers may be adult converts who don’t know the order of books in the Bible either. Singing together helps everyone learn, including the teachers.
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Get comfortable with silence. When you ask a question and no one answers right away, be patient. Don’t rush to give the answer. Encourage the children saying, “We’re keeping our Bibles open because the answers are in God’s Word. Let’s go back to the verses we just read to find the answers.”
If someone gets the answer wrong, encourage him to look again, saying, “Let’s keep looking—what does God’s word say here?” This teaches children a skill they can use their whole lives: finding meaning in the text as the author intended. - Write verses on the board. Write the Scriptures you're studying on a whiteboard—not to replace the Bible but to underline, circle, and clarify points. For example, "Who is the 'he' in this verse?" Kids can get lost in these details, so breaking it down helps them to understand what God is communicating. Writing it out can be interactive, depending on their learning style. Emphasize that God’s Word contains the answers.
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Tell children how Scripture touches your own life. When something connects personally with you as the teacher, share it. Kids face real issues—disabilities, heavy family situations, sickness, and fear. Show them that God’s sovereignty applies even in their situations. Being transparent like that allows them to see that our love for God’s word is real and relevant.
One teacher was teaching a lesson on suffering, even as his wife was nearing the end of her battle with cancer. The boys in class were distracted, and he stopped to say, "My wife is dying, and this truth means everything to me. There's nothing else I can stand on." It transformed the room. Not every testimony is that dramatic, but showing children that the Word is a treasure makes an impact. - Encourage children to listen for the verses and lesson themes in the worship service. One Sunday, a girl studying the names of God in How Majestics is Your Name ran up to her teacher after hearing “Cornerstone,” the name for Jesus in lesson 24, in a song during the service. She was so excited.
As you take these steps, pray for fruit, that the Lord may be pleased to cause the lessons to go from head knowledge to heart knowledge and that the kids would genuinely treasure God’s Word.
