- How We Homeschool: An Overview
- Multi-level Homeschooling: Little Ones Part 1
- How We Do It: Family Worship
- Multi-level Homeschooling: The Homeschool Room
- Multi-level Homeschooling: Little Ones Part 2
- Teaching Reading
- A Child’s World
- Multi-Level Homeschooling with Sonlight
- Memorization System Tutorial
- Why Teach Greek?
- Teaching with Nature Journals
- Daily Bible Reading
- Teaching Handwriting
- Multi-level Homeschooling: Our Schedule
- Homeschooling Multi-grades: Have Questions?
- Sonlight: A More Specific Schedule
Since the most important part of homeschooling, in our home is training our children in the discipline and instruction of the LORD, one of their daily assignments, once they are able to read, is reading the Bible. The first year they read through the New Testament and each subsequent year they read through the whole Bible.
We have been asked why we make Bible reading an assignment. After all, the argument goes, we want our children to read the Bible because they want to know God, not merely because we require it. True, just as we wish for our children to brush their teeth in the morning because they desire to be clean and have good grooming habits. However, in our house we do not give our children the option of brushing their teeth, we require it and we trust that through the habit of brushing their teeth every single morning they will appreciate the benefits and acquire the habit.
So how do enable all of our children read the Bible daily?
- We have time set aside first thing each morning for Bible reading.
- We give each independent reader their own dated Bible reading schedule.
- Mark and I also read from this schedule, so that all of us are reading the same passages. This works for us because we are able to ask our younger children questions about their reading, in order to see how much they are comprehending. We are also able to better field questions from the older children . All of us reading the same passages each day also encourages discussions between the children about topics or stories that they have read.
- We like to pick schedules that have New and Old Testament readings each day. Our early readers just read the New Testament assignments, which are generally about 20-30 verses long and the older readers read the whole assignment.
Reading through the Bible each year has given our children more biblical fluency than I had hoped. It has equipped them to think more biblically because they know more of what the Bible says and has helped them to realize that the Bible speaks to all areas of life. It has also lead to several interesting conversations. After all the Bible is not exactly G rated.
There are many Bible reading schedules available online. I like this one. Another one that is already dated and goes through the Bible chronologically is here.
Read about our Bible memorization system, or check out my other categories listed just under the header picture.
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Kim, I’m so blessed by reading your blog. I’m so glad you’re doing this. Kandice and I have already had some good conversation and you’ve given us some good ideas!
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Kelli, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I’m so thankful that this has been a blessing for you and it encourages me to know it.
Blessings,
Kimberly
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Kimberly, thanks for posting this! I used the Balancing the Sword “design your own” Bible schedule and it just isn’t as easily arranged as the one you posted. I like the fact that it deals with whole chapters – not odd chapter and verse combinations. I’m going to scrap the one I printed and use this one – so much easier for the children to follow!
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This is a very helpful post for me as a young mom of a 2yo and 10mo! I hope (as my children grow up) to incorporate this idea into their training as well!
How many years have you been reading through the Bible together? I imagine over your entire childhood that the Bible would become so much more familiar, understood as a whole, and so very precious!
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Kimberly Reply:
April 1st, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Thank you Becky.
We have been reading through the Bible with our children since our oldest was 5 so for nearly 7 years. I am amazed at how familiar our children are with the scriptures as a whole. This was one of those things that we started doing early and it has proven to be an amazing blessing to our family.
Blessings,
Kimberly
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I have just started my own blog .Trying to get the hang of this.I am trying to learn how,to interact with other bloogers.How to get my blog out so people know it is available.Do you have any suggestions?
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Raising Olives Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
When I began blogging I used blog carnivals to help gain exposure. “Works for Me Wednesday” “Wordless Wednesday” and “Not Me Mondays” are ones that I still participate in as I have time.
Other than that, just beginning to build relationships with others in the online community.
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Oh, I LOVE this!! I had never, ever thought of using this plan (this is very close to one I used myself a couple years ago) and having my beginning readers only do the New Testament portion. Duh!!! Love, love, love it. And this is SO happening starting Jan 1.
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Kimberly @ Raising Olives Reply:
December 28th, 2009 at 6:01 am
I’m so glad you like the idea. It’s super having the little ones reading the New Testament portions while you’re reading the whole thing, it makes it easy to check up on how they are doing. This also leads to a lot of good discussions around the dinner table each evening.
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