Learning to Believe...

In wanting to provide a Bible-based education for my children one of my desires has been to incorporate a few minutes of Bible time during our 45 minutes of school. Of course there was always the option to purchase a Bible curriculum from aBeka Books out of Pensacola, Florida, but with Michael being only three I wanted to put together my own with a couple of books that I had. This is what I've came up with.

For finger plays and short Bible poems I use the book Preschoolers Sing and Say: Songs and Rhymes for Church Learning Times by Shirley R. Hull and Valerie A. Wilson.

The great thing about this book is that it is broken down into two sections: Bible songs with sheet music...

...and then rhymes, including hand motions.

My Mom had actually given me this book some time ago but it wasn't until doing a major (early) spring cleaning in February that I uncovered this gem.  Since then we've learned four Biblical finger plays like this one:

I Love Jesus

I love Jesus, (point to self)

He loves me. (point up)

I'm as happy as can be! (clap hands)

I may learn His Word today. (Form a book with hands)

I will listen and obey. (Cup hands over ears)

I admit that since Michael is in Pee Wee's on Wednesday nights at our church and since I'm the piano player for both the Patch the Pirate and Pee Wee classes, we spend the singing time practicing over his songs instead of the songs at the beginning part of the book.

I found this book on Amazon for only $2.50 plus the cost of shipping.

Now, after reviewing our finger plays and singing then we head into the lesson part of our Bible time. This is where this book, Leading Little Ones to God: a Child's Book of Bible Teachings by Marian M. Schoolland, comes into play....

This book is broken into fourteen parts with 86 lessons:

• Looking for God
• God is Very Great
• All That God Does is Good
• Sin Spoiled the World
• God's Law
• God Loves Us
• What Jesus Did
• About the Holy Spirit
• How We Become Children of God
• How God's Children Live
• God Helps His Children Live For Him
• When We Pray to God
• About God's Church
• Things That Are to Happen

They're short little lessons...usually about a page in length but it includes three questions (sometimes I make up my own or skip it altogether) along with a passage of Scripture for suggested reading that goes along with the lesson.

This book can also be found at Amazon for around $4.99 to $13.99. 

From start to finish our Bible time usually only lasts five to ten minutes but it is the perfect start to our school time. It is also the beginning of a foundation for a true Biblical education.