You are a Christian and you want to engage your young child in faith at an early age. Why not spend some time reading Biblical stories out loud to them? This will help introduce them to important spiritual concepts and boost their understanding at a young age.
Reading Out Loud Can Build Relationships
Reading out loud is one of the great lost relationship builders between a parent and children. Most children love hearing stories from you and will look forward to hearing new ones every day. And the stories in the Bible are some of the most exciting and engaging in the world!
Not only will Biblical stories entertain your children, they will teach them important moral and spiritual lessons, like:
- Forgiveness
- The strength of God
- Ways to behave properly
- Morals about difficult and complex family relationships
Setting up a daily reading session with your children will help introduce them to these important lessons early in life and prepare them for a life of spiritual and religious faith.
Stories To Read
There are a wide variety of stories in the Bible from which you can choose. Children often enjoy Old Testament stories, such as lessons about Noah and the flood or Daniel and the lions' den. Reading these stories directly from the Bible or from children book adaptations introduces your children to some of the most important moral lessons in the Bible.
However, there are also a variety of books and short stories that teach Biblical values. Used bookstores are often stocked with these types of books, though many Biblical short stories can be found online. You can either print these stories out or read them straight from the computer.
Engaging Them In The Stories
To make sure you engage your children in the stories and to help deepen their understanding, you need to read in an interesting and engaging way. For example, you could act out the behaviors of the animals in the books (including "roaring" for lions) or talking in a variety of voices for each character.
Another good idea it stop occasionally and ask your child a question about the story. For example, in the Jonah story, you can stop when Jonah is in the whale and ask them how they would feel in a whale. Make sure to encourage them to ask why he is in the whale and how he can get out to get them thinking in Biblical terms.
Why not take your child right to a used book store like pioneerbook.com and help them pick out the books they want to read? This will engage them even further in the learning process and help boost their Christian faith.
