Many years ago as a leader of preteen boys, one of my challenges to them was to read the entire chapter of Psalm 119. Once they discovered how long that chapter was they pushed back. My admonition was that every single one of the 176 verses of this Psalm illustrates the majesty and glory of God’s Word. God’s Word is powerful and useful. It teaches. It reveals knowledge about God. And it is good for boys and girls to know and explore.
When we think about Bible skills and kids, we should introduce Bible skills as early as possible. Babies can see and touch the Bible. They might be able to open the Bible, but certainly they can hear about how important it is from the leaders in their groups. Preschoolers can turn the pages of the Bible and begin to understand that the Bible is divided into parts. They can know that the Bible is made up of 66 little books, each with a purpose and important message. As kids continue to grow in their knowledge and understanding of God’s Word, they begin to recognize the names of people and places mentioned in its pages. They can begin to, as Psalm 119:11 says, “I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.” (HCSB)
Helping boys and girls learn Bible skills is a task that many leaders simply overlook. It’s easy to incorporate a Bible skill almost anytime while you are guiding kids. When telling the Bible story, announce the name of the book in which the story is located and ask: “Is Jeremiah in the Old Testament or the New Testament?” Help boys and girls use tools within their Bibles to find the story before you tell it so they can follow along. Challenge kids to memorize Scripture. As you share the memory verse with kids have them repeat it. Keep on reinforcing it for several weeks so kids begin to take God’s Word and make it part of their lives.
It’s never too early to plant seeds of Bible skills and cultivate seekers and doers of His Word. A lifetime of Bible study can begin today!