So, the thing is…I don’t actually know how to read the Bible in a year with my kid. I’ve never done it before. But my 9 year old asked if we could try this year, so we’re going to. And I thought I’d share my thoughts along the way. We also have a free Bible-in-a-year reading plan that we’ll post monthly, as we go.
Let’s be friends: Join our email list
Some tips for how I’m reading the Bible in a year with my child
First, we decided to read The Message, because of Eugene Peterson’s beautiful narrative voice. I think this will make it easier to stick with the plan, especially having a young child do it with me. But let’s be honest: it will be easier for me too.
I’m going to print out our free monthly reading plan (PDF link) and hang it on our bulletin board. We’re both really motivated by lists, so I think crossing off our reading assignment each day will help.
I’m going to pair our daily reading with another activity he loves. For us, it’ll probably be spiced tea (for him) and coffee (for me) first thing in the morning before we start our homeschool lessons. But for you it might be reading as you tuck them in for bed or listening to the chapters on an audio book in the carpool line.
Helpful Resource: Free Bible-in-a-Year reading plan for January
Why we’re reading chronologically, not straight through
We’ve decided to read through the Bible chronologically, which means we’ll be reading the events as they happened (as best as scholars can tell) in history. We’ll be jumping around the Bible to do this. Why bother?
One of the biggest surprises and delights of homeschooling my kids has been our history lessons, because I’m learning so much I never studied in my own school experience. We’ve been using the Story of the World books by Susan Wise Bauer. We study important figures, legends, and events from every continent across time.
In our ancient history study, we were fascinated by all the other civilizations that surrounded Israel in its early years. Knowing about these other kings and cultures shed so much light on what we knew from the Bible. Learning ancient history made our Bible study that much more … alive.
So, my hope is that by reading the Bible more like a history book, it will feel more real to my kids (and myself) too.
If you’re hoping to do something similar with your child in a homeschool setting, you could use this free timeline download we found over at Raising a Self-Reliant Child, and add your own Bible events to the timeline, in addition to the printable historical cards they include.
Good luck to those of you trying to read through the Bible in 2020 too, and check back with us in February for the next month’s reading plan!
Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash
spilledmilk.net 