It's important that we teach our children about God's Word, the Bible. They need to know what it is, and how to use it. That's why we've created this Milestone. We want families to develop the habit of reading and memorizing the Bible together.

One of the greatest joys and responsibilities you have as a parent is to guide your child to love God’s Word and build their life on the solid foundation the truth within its pages. Psalm 119:24 says, "Your statues are my delight, they are my counselors."

You can help your child discover the importance of God’s Word using these suggestions:

• Choose a Bible – Find a translation that’s easy for your child to read and understand, such as the New Living Translation (NLT), the International Children’s Bible (ICB), or the New International Readers Version (NIrV). Teach them how to look up any passage by searching for the book, then the chapter, and then the verse.
• Model it – You cannot pass to your child something that you don’t have. Schedule a regular time to read the Bible in a place where your kids can see you. Openly share what you are learning from God’s Word.
  
• Use as a guide – Show your child how the Bible can be used as an everyday guide for life. Help him or her learn how to search for God’s wisdom. This is especially powerful when your child might be struggling with a particular issue or looking for answers on a particular topic.
  
• Keep it simple – Choose one simple Bible truth or verse and repeat it often, such as “God is love.”
• Be creative – Don’t just read the story; think through ways to make it engaging. Become the Bible character, use games or crafts to engage all five senses, or use Legos and action figures to act out what you read.
• Don't bluff – It’s okay to not know the answer to a question your child might have. Use the opportunity to show your child how to search in God’s Word for wisdom. Be authentic by admitting that none of us understand everything. Only God is God, and we must learn to trust what He says in the Bible. You can also tell your child you will get back to them within a certain period of time so that you can investigate and/or ask for guidance from someone you trust.
  
• Study it – Show how to study God’s Word using a simple Bible study plan. Teach your child to look at Scripture and ask questions about the passage like, "Who wrote this passage?" or "What does this verse teach us?" or "How can I apply this truth in my own life?"
  
• Find tools – There are many great tools out there, including Children’s Bibles, Bible storybooks, Christian songs, videos, and games to make understanding the Bible easier and more fun.
• Pray – Ask God to give your child a love for His Word as well as understanding and wisdom as they read and memorize it.

As you begin to develop the habit of exploring the Bible as a family, try some of these activities.

• Memorize the books of the Bible in order to help navigating the pages easier. Look for a fun song to help!
• Write verses on index cards to put in your child’s Bible, backpack, or lunchbox, or tape them to the mirror or refrigerator.
  
• Write out Bible verses, cut out each word, mix them up on the floor, and then play a game to put the verse back in order. Or make it into a memory game where you remove one word at a time and see who can still say the whole verse.
• Try teaching your child memory verses using sign language or making up your own hand signals.
  
• Play a memory game by passing a ball or beanbag as each person says the next word in the verse.
  
• Allow your child to pick a book of the Bible or devotional to read with you at breakfast or bedtime.