"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly." Colossians 3:16
Sometimes I forget this verse applies to our children. That somehow they are exempt from needing to be filled with the knowledge of Jesus through the Word.
Actually, helping the Word dwell richly in our cherished little ones is part of the great responsibility and joyful opportunity we have as Christian mothers (and fathers). The Word of God roots our hearts in Truth, is an anchor of hope for our souls, and teaches us about God and his great rescue plan. The Word of God matures our hearts, grows our faith, and gives us wisdom - all things I know we long for our children to possess - maturity - faith - wisdom (and more!).
Here are a few tools and ideas to get Scriptures into our children's hearts:
- Verse of the Week - write a short verse using markers and cardstock (or use a chalkboard) and hang it where you eat breakfast. Teach the verse the first two days and then review it each morning of the week as you eat your eggs. (Click here for a list of verses we've used at the breakfast table - coming soon.)
- Books with Scripture - read a little devotional or prayer book with Scriptures before bedtime. We use Really Woolly Bedtime Prayers by Thomas Nelson Publishing for our 2 year old that had a little verse and prayer on each page with a fun illustration.
- Sing Songs about Scripture - songs make it easy to write the Word of God on our hearts. Sometimes we make up little ditty's to help us remember verses (with lots of "woos!" and "yays!" ;) but also use resources like Songs for Saplings. Songs for Saplings has a ton of songs that teach the word of God - they are short, catchy, and very fun.
Do you have a great tool or resource for helping the Word of God dwell richly in your children? Maybe you have older kids and you have other creative ideas.
Please share them in the comments below!