Resources To Check Out

I have found these resources helpful while teaching my daughters the Bible. Many of these I have used both at home and when teaching children in the local Church.

 1. "My Goodnight Book", written by Juanita Raybourne and illustrated by Grace Schmidt.

What I like: This is a sweet gentle book to read at bedtime. I always love reading with my girls the Bible verses throughout the book as we prepare for bedtime.

The Big List of Scripture Songs Recordings

I love listening to scripture songs with my girls. It is such a fun way to get the whole family thinking and talking about God's Word. 

"but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." Psalm 1:3-4 ESV

Bible verses put to music give us a chance to meditate on God's Word.

NIrv Read With Me Bible - Resource Recomendation

After trying out a few different children's picture Bibles, the NIrV Read With Me Bible has been my favorite.

I asked my 3 year old what she likes about this children's Bible, she thought and then said "We like to read by ourselves."  I have found it really valuable to have children's Bibles around the house for my children to look through.  They spend time looking at the pictures, pretending to read, and pretending to teach the Bible.  It gives them a chance to seek and think of the things of God on their own.

The Words
My favorite part of this children's picture Bible is the words.  Other picture Bibles I have tried add to the Bible records when trying to simplify and summarize.   This picture Bible takes parts of the NIrV (a Bible translation written at a 3rd grade reading level).  Because of this, I can open it up and read something similar to what I have studied in the actual Bible on my own.  At the same time, the words are simple enough for my toddler and preschooler to understand.  Amazon lists this Bible for children 4 to 8 years-old, but my 3 and 2 year-old enjoy this Bible.  There are parts that do mention certain people dieing, that I don't read yet with my toddler.

The Pictures
The pictures are in a cartoonish style.  While this isn't my personal preferred style, the pictures are very engaging for my daughters.  Since they are the audience, it works for me.  I also like that the angels don't have wings, since the Bible never mentions them having wings.  When looking at the pictures we often talk about how we don't know exactly how the person looked.  I explain that the artist read what the Bible said, and then imagined what the person looked like.

I have found this Bible to be a great resource for my family in teaching our children the Bible.

Related Post:
Baby's First Bible
 
Disclosure: I make recommendations on the basis of products that I personally use and that I think would be of value to the reader. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or links that I mention on this blog.

© 2014, Brigette Hill

"Hide 'Em in Your Heart Volume 1 and 2" Resource Recommendation

Starting at 1 years old, both of my daughters have had "Hide 'Em in Your Heart" volume 1 and 2 as a favorite for both music to listen to and videos to watch.  Steve Green puts scriptures to music, with children singing along with him.  It is available to buy both the music CD and a DVD together.  The DVD's have many (but not all) of the songs from the CD's.  

I like that this is simply the Bible put to music.  What a great way for my children to be reminded to think on the things of God!  When one of my daughters was only a 1 year old, she started to sing "...believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" (a song from the CD).  I was so thankful that these were the words stuck in her head!  The songs are upbeat, simple and joyful.  Simple enough for us to easily sing along to the CD or DVD, which we often do. To preview the songs you can listen to them on iTunes .

 
Another great thing about the music is that children are part of the singing.  My kids are drawn to children's voices singing.  So it is great to have children singing about the things of God.

The DVD gives some practical application of the scriptures they are singing about.  It shows real life situations where young children are believing and obeying God's Word.  In one instance it may even stretch the verse a bit out of context for practicality sake. However, overall it does a good job showing how the scriptures could be applied to children's lives. To preview the DVD, some of videos can be seen on You Tube.

On both on the CD and DVD Steve Green talks before every song.  It would be nice if on the CD you could just listen to the song. But this doesn't seem to bother my daughters.


Overall, I have been so thankful for this resource for my family.  The music has been great to listen to, and the DVD's are also great ways to reinforce the Bible for my children.
The CD and DVD combo are the best deal Volume1, Volume 2.  

Disclosure: I make recommendations on the basis of products that I personally use and that I think would be of value to the reader. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or links that I mention on this blog.

© 2013, Brigette Hill

The Really Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages - Resource Recommendation

When I need a coloring page, or a visual for a teaching "The Really Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages" by Gospel Light is the first place I look.  I've used the coloring pages to help teach the Bible to my daughters at home and also to children in the local Church. 

"The Really Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages" has  over 180 coloring pages from records throughout the Bible. It comes with a CD-Rom that you can print the coloring pages from your computer. If this particular coloring book is out of your price point, "The Bible Story Coloring Pages" has 120 similar coloring pages covering the main records in the Bible.  This one doesn't come with the CD-Rom, so you will need access to a copy machine.

What I like about the pictures:

• The pictures follow closely what the Bible says over what tradition says.  In the pictures, the angels don't have wings, since the Bible never mentions them having wings.  When the Magi visit Jesus, the coloring page has him as a toddler, which fits with the Biblical record.
•  Clear drawings.  I like the clean lines of the drawings.  It is easy to see what the focus of the coloring page is.  This also makes it easier for children to color.
• Accessible to all ages.  The coloring book says that it is for ages 5-8, but I have used it for much younger ages.  The pictures are simple enough for young children to become engaged with them.
• The coloring pages show the dress and environment of the Bible times.

How I use these coloring pages:

For Coloring
I use the pictures for coloring activity after learning a Bible record.  My daughters are 2 and 3, so they may only color for a short amount of time.  But they love their pictures and are so proud of them.  As they color the picture I can reinforce names, vocabulary and what they learned.  And later as they look at the pictures they colored, they remember and tell other people what they learned.  The above picture shows a 3 brad folder that we have been putting pictures in after they color them.  This has been an easy way to make a "book" about what they are learning.

Visuals while teaching.  
I started using these pages as visuals when teaching children in the local Church.  I have been so excited to see that with a visual, 1 and 2 year-olds can start to learn the Bible.  I color the page, glue it to a piece of colored card stock, and then laminate it.  Since it is laminated, I can hand it to a one year old to look at closely and it won't get destroyed.  Also it can be used for years to come.  

I know that laminating is beyond what most people need to do.  If you are going to laminate pictures, I recommend I started to color code the background card stock for easier organization.  ( I do Old Testament on green, the Gospels on blue, and the Church on orange). 

Some of the pictures I have numbered, then used to review the sequence of events with the children.  The kids love working on putting them in order.

What are coloring pages or visuals that you like to use when teaching the Bible?

Disclosure: I make recommendations on the basis of products that I personally use and that I think would be of value to the reader. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or links that I mention on this blog.

© 2013, Brigette Hill

Songs for Saplings ABC - Resource Review

While sitting on the sand looking at the ocean my daughters sang with me and clapped, "The sea is His, for He made it and His hands formed the dry land."  My 2 year old and a 1 year old were just starting to comprehend this new place of sand and waves.  I was so thankful for a simple way to teach them a verse about God creating this beautiful place. A few days earlier during the van ride on the way to Florida, my family listened to the track "The Beach, Psalm 95:5" from "Songs For Saplings ABC" .  The song was simple enough that while on the beach I could sing along with my girls and talk about how God was big and strong to make the sea and the land.

The Words

The words of the songs are my favorite part of this recording.  All the song lyrics are verses from the Bible.  The reference of the book, chapter, and verse are included in the song, so that you can know where to look it up.  There is a link here to all the lyrics and the song chords.  Some of my family's favorites have been "Apple Psalm 17:8", "Bread John 6:48", "Friend Proverbs 17:17", "Under Psalm 17:8", and "Christmas Luke 2:11".  Sometimes we listen to the whole CD straight through. But I have found that we get more out of it when we pick one song to listen to and then sing throughout the day or week.

There are only a few songs that I have found to be aware of and check with in your Bible.  The words for "Obey Psalm 119:17" isn't directly from the verse. A few of the songs I don't use regularly because the context of the verse might not apply to everyday life. Such as  "Zealous, Revelation 3:19". 

The Music

The music sound is minimal with an acoustic guitar, a female voice, and children singing.  Many of the songs include clapping, this makes it lively and rejoicing.  Most of these songs can be sung acapella, without the recording.  This is one of my favorite parts about this music.  I love having songs that I can sing with my girls during daily life in the moment of whatever we might be doing (getting dressed, taking a bath, playing outside).  

 

The qualities I really appreciate:

• Learning Bible verses.
• Easy to sing songs.
• Children singing on some of the songs. 

 

Finding the CD: 

The best deal for the music is downloading from the Songs for Saplings website for $6.  You can download the first 3 songs for free.  Also you can purchase songs individually. 

Related Post:

"I Can Know God" Part 5: He Cares for You

Disclosure: I make recommendations on the basis of products that I personally use and that I think would be of value to the reader. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or links that I mention on this blog.

© 2013, Brigette Hill

Resource Review: "Gospel Light Preschool CD #1"

"Praise the LORD!  For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting." Psalm 147:1 ESV

My daughters and I have had so much fun singing praises to God while singing along to Gospel Light Preschool CD #1.  Also, with children in the local Church I have had so much fun singing, listening and dancing to this CD.  It is part of a curriculum that Gospel Light produces.  Since it is intended to be used in the local Church there is limited permission to reproduce it within your local Church.  I am not familiar with the other parts of the curriculum, so this review is only a recommendation of this music CD.

 

The Music

My husband helped me to describe the music as "family rock".  The music is genuine and fun without being too cheesy.  I enjoy that the music has a real rejoicing quality.  For many of the songs both the children and I easily want to dance along while we are singing.  The songs are easy to sing along with when singing with the accompaniment, but would be challenging to sing without the CD.

The Words

The words to the songs cover topics such as God's love for us, obeying God's word, praising God, and that Jesus is alive.  The words are simple and easy to catch on to because of the repetitive nature of the lyrics.  Songs that my family uses often are "God Cares About You", "God Loved Us", "Jesus is Alive", "Hear the Word".  Also, I use the songs "Come On In!" and "Wave Goodbye" for a once a month mother and child Bible group.

The qualities I really appreciate:

• Rejoicing in God
• Easy for small children to join in singing
• Encourages movement on many of the songs

Finding the CD:   Amazon, Harvest Books, Cokesbury.com

Disclosure: I make recommendations on the basis of products that I personally use and that I think would be of value to the reader. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or links that I mention on this blog.

© 2013, Brigette Hill

Resource Review: "Baby's First Bible"

I have enjoyed so many sweet moments with one of my daughters curled up on my lap reading "Baby's First Bible" by Colin and Moira MacLean. We have used this Bible since our first daughter was a baby.  Our first copy was from a consignment sale. It became so "well loved" (aka: falling a part) that we are now on our second copy!  When deciding on a board book Bible my husband and I wanted it to mention a part of the gospel, including the resurrection.  We have been happy with how this book has provided moments to start teaching about Who God is and about His son Jesus Christ.

The Pictures

One thing I love about this book is how it engaged my little one's attention through the pictures.  The illustrations are brightly colored with round faces that babies are drawn to.  Once it had my daughter's attention then I could have moments to start to teach her about God.  On every page there are lots of animals.  I find this amusing, because I don't think there were quite so many frolicking foxes, dogs, birds and cats during the actual events!  But the animals in the pictures helped to initially engage my daughter to look and listen.  From there, she started to take in some of the content on the page.

The Words

The book has simple text that often rhymes.  The content starts to expose the child to the Bible record. For example "God raised Jesus from the dead. "My Lord's alive!" Mary said."  Each page is concise enough that when my daughter had a short attention span we could just do a page or two and still be profitable.

 This Bible touches on Adam and Eve, Noah, baby Moses, David as a shepherd, Daniel with the lions, baby Jesus, Jesus at 12 years old, Zacchaeus, Jesus calming the storm, and the resurrection.  It illustrates Deuteronomy 6:5, Psalms 47:1, and Mark 10:14.

With any resource I am always looking to see if the resource says what the Bible says.  For the angels talking to the shepherds it has "angels sang praises" when in the Bible they "said" praises.  I find this easy enough to change the wording when reading to my child.

Using This Book

Sometimes my daughter's attention span would last for a page or two, and other times we would read the whole book from front to back.  Often when reading this book we end up singing songs related to the page such as My God is So Great, Noah's Ark, Daniel Was a Man of Prayer, Zacchaeus, and He Arose chorus.  We even made up our own tune with clapping for Psalm 47:1.  

We also played "pointing" games.  I would ask my daughter to point to David, point to the sheep, etc.  Then other times my daughter would love to point to different things on the page for me to name what they where.  These where wonderful chances for her to start to build vocabulary related to the Bible.  Having the vocabulary, she now has been ready as she starts to become old enough to understand parts of Biblical records.

This board book Bible has engaging pictures, simple but accurate words, and is a wonderful starting point for teaching your child the Bible.  It is a great book for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.  You can look at a preview of the pages at Amazon and Christianbook.

Related Posts:

4 Things To Remember When Reading a Children's Bible
NIrV Read With Me Bible

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Disclosure: I make recommendations on the basis of products that I personally use and that I think would be of value to the reader. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or links that I mention on this blog.

© 2013, Brigette Hill