What is the Bible’s place in a homeschool? Consider the urgent need for Bible reading as outlined by Heidi St. John in her article for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine called Read Your Bible!: “I am troubled by something I see happening in the body of Christ. Christians, the people who bear the name and image of God, are trending away from the truth of God’s Word and careening toward fear-based living. This generation of Christians is in a full-blown spiritual crisis. We’re listening to everyone but God. We’re not reading our Bibles. In turn, we’re not teaching our children to read their Bibles!” She added, “We are living in a world that is full of fearful, spiritually immature Christians. Rather than learn to rightly apply God’s Word to our lives, we have chosen to ‘go with the flow’ of culture and remain ‘Christian’ in name only.”
The Bible even provides reasons why we should be reading it:
- “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)
- “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10–11, ESV)
- “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV)
That’s powerful motivation, isn’t it? The Bible is powerful, and really, the best subject anyone could ever study. There is no better way to know the Bible than to simply read it. Read it often, know it well. Start by reading through Matthew or one of the gospels to get to know Jesus and his character. Then read another gospel and compare. Or read a Psalm every day or read through Proverbs and take note of all the wisdom references. Perhaps your family is at a good stage for a topical study. Use a concordance and look for all of the verses that reference birds, miracles, prayer, or even numbers.
Many curriculum choices include a strong Bible component. My Father’s World does it well by emphasizing Bible memorization and Bible reading. Would you believe your family can memorize the entire book of James over the course of a year with My Father’s World’s Exploration to 1850 package? High school students receive a Bible reading plan that covers the Old Testament in tenth grade and the New Testament in eleventh grade, ensuring that they have had the opportunity to read the Bible in its entirety before they graduate.
If you are interested in curriculum available specifically for Bible memory projects, be inspired by these HomeschoolingFinds.com evaluations: Make Memorizing Scripture a Part of Your Homeschool Day and Memorize Bible Verses in Your Homeschool with BibleMemory.com
Get to Know Who God Is and Get to Know God’s Word
Apologia has published curriculum that will help your children understand just who the Lord is. Who Is God? is recommended for children ages 6–14 and helps them learn what God is like. Find out more about their book in this HomeschoolingFinds.com post: Apologia—Who Is God? Reviews. Bible Blueprint outlines are available for the Old Testament and the New Testament, individually or as a set. These outlines offer a bird’s eye view of every book in the Bible to bring greater understanding to any Bible study. Other HomeschoolingFinds.com evaluations may be helpful:
A Bible Overview from Teach Sunday School and Book-by-Book Bible Study Printable Breakdowns.
Listen!
Christian music based on Bible verses is a wonderful way to hide God’s Word in your children’s hearts. Another resource is The Adventum. It’s a chronological audio dramatization of Bible stories. Much like watching a full-scale church play, this Bible story series draws the listener in by making the stories come to life realistically. Find out more about it in: Audio Bible Stories for Your Homeschool
The Hey, Mama! Homeschool Show is also covered the topic of incorporating Bible into your homeschool. Hear Stephanie Morrison in Episode 29—Bible More Than a School Subject and find the show notes with even more ideas on this topic at HomeschoolShow.com.
Read about Heroes of the Faith
Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the “heroes of the faith chapter.” Have you introduced your children to these heroes—heroes like Noah, Abraham, and Moses? Would you like your children to know Christian heroes who lived in times since the Bible was written—heroes like Corrie ten Boom and George Mueller? Here’s a HomeschoolingFinds.com post on YWAM Publishing Christian Heroes Review.
More Than a School Subject
Deborah Wuehler, Senior Editor of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, shared, “I will venture to say that the Bible is the most important foundation for your homeschooling. In fact, there would be no reason to homeschool without it.” She added that Bible is important for both the student and the teacher. Read Deborah’s full article from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, “8 Reasons the Bible is Important in Your Homeschool,” to find out the rest of those reasons.
Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119:105, Hebrews 4:12, and Colossians 3:16 will keep you turning to the Bible. You will finish homeschooling one day, but sharing the Bible with your children will be a treasure in their hearts for all their days.
HomeschoolingFinds.com Author
This article has been written by Heidi Mosher, a mother of two homeschooled students and two homeschool graduates. Heidi is thrilled to serve other homeschoolers by writing for The Old Schoolhouse®, a company she has looked to for support and ideas over and over through the years. Heidi also serves as the podcast manager of the Hey, Mama! Homeschool Show.