We tend to teach our children Bible stories, when really the Bible is history! The events that took place during Bible times really happened and are not just stories.
You have the greatest manual/resource you could ever imagine in your very own hands. Why not make the most of that book and use it the way it was intended by God? This book can open worlds of history packed with events that include things like true love, war, total dedication, days in prison, beasts, hardships, promises, and so much more to teach your children about history! That book, of course, is the Bible. Every page is filled with the exciting things mentioned above and lots more that will intrigue kids and adults alike. The emphasis of this article is to show you how to make the Bible real to kids...not just stories that have morals and values. This is God's Word, not Aesop's fables. The Bible is the blueprint of how God wants us to live our lives daily, and just because it was written so long ago, nothing has changed. It is still our blueprint for today.
As a child grows up going to church, they particularly start learning about the Bible in preschool. They are often taught "Bible stories," that teach important lessons, but the word "stories," is usually the phrase they hear repeatedly and it will undoubtedly become embedded in them. In searching the term "Bible stories" on Google, there are 5,260,000 results (as of March 3, 2007). But, when searching "Bible lessons" on the same search engine, there are a mere 281,000 results (as of March 3, 2007). Children, especially at the earliest ages, can understandably come to believe that that Bible is a book of stories, just as if they were reading books by Dr. Seuss or Eric Carle. You as a parent have the wonderful task of explaining to your child that the Bible is actually a history book, not a book of tall tales and fables with a good lesson at the end. The lessons they learn from the Bible are based on actual facts and explain why your family chooses to live according to the Bible.
The first step to making the Bible real to children is deleting the word "stories" from your own vocabulary when discussing the Bible with them. Choose words like events in history, Bible times, or adventure. These are great substitutes for calling biblical events stories. It may take you some time to get used to these new phrases, but eventually you and your child will become accustomed to this and it will be secondhand in a matter of time. After all, you are the person your child looks up to and they will follow your example.
If your child receives take-home papers or makes a craft to bring home at the end of Bible/Sunday School that goes along with what they learned that day, take time to talk about how what they learned really happened in history. How in-depth you go with this conversation will, of course, depend on your child's age. Preschool through early elementary aged kids will need a much more basic talk than older elementary aged children who can really grasp the concept of Bible times and their place in history. Discussing each biblical event like The Flood, Creation, and Daniel in the Lions Den will have a whole new meaning to your child when they see that you believe these happenings really occurred.
Getting into more detail can be both fun and rewarding for you and your upper elementary aged child when you examine together what they learned in church with other events that were happening about the same time in history. For example, when your child learns about the Pentecost and how the 12 apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, you can also tell him that at about this time the Mayan civilization in Central America were busy developing their own math, writing system, and building temples. You can even have a timeline made up that will put a better perspective on how close biblical and historical events correlated with each other. Sometimes kids will place the Bible in its own space and time because they are learning about it separately than learning about history in school. Bringing up correlating events in history with the Bible will give them a big picture and they will be able to satisfy in their mind that both biblical and historical events were in existence together.
Another really keen way to relate that the Bible is a history book is to check out websites about archaeology of Bible times. Showing kids what has been found that comes right out of the Bible speaks volumes that the biblical events actually happened. Archaeologists are constantly uncovering ancient cities, artifacts, and other pieces of history that relate directly to passages in the Bible. Two really good sites to visit include: Christian Answers.net and All About Archaeology. You can also visit local museums that are offering biblical artifacts on display!
So, you see, children can learn that Bible events in history are real, which in turn empowers them to become more solid in their faith. They can live the way God intends for us to live, and feel comfortable in doing so, knowing that they are following a true blueprint for their lives, and not just some "story" that they learned about in church and how to apply that "story" to their lives. Taking the extra time to teach them the history surrounding what they've learned will make the Bible real to them and, thus, make it easier to live for God.
