Families and classrooms often notice that children engage with a Bible activity differently from one another — and sometimes differently from one day to the next for the same child. One child may enjoy listening, while another may prefer looking, moving, drawing, or handling an object connected to the passage. This isn't something to fix; it's simply an invitation to offer more than one way in.
Why Try More Than One Way to Engage With Scripture?
“These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, World English Bible)
Moses described teaching God's words within ordinary life — while sitting at home, walking along the way, lying down, and rising up. That gives families and teachers a useful picture of Scripture being part of everyday rhythms and conversations. Offering a few different ways into the same passage can be a simple way to invite participation without requiring everyone to engage in exactly the same manner.
1. Start With Listening
- Read a short passage aloud together.
- Play an audio reading of a verse or short story.
- Repeat a short phrase together, a few times, out loud.
- Pair the spoken words with a simple picture that matches the scene.
2. Add Movement
- Add a simple hand motion to a repeated phrase.
- Walk slowly together while repeating a short verse.
- Act out one concrete action from the passage (e.g., “reaching out a hand,” “sitting down together”).
- Stand for one part of a story and sit for another, marking a natural change of scene.
3. Add Something to See
- Draw a simple picture of one detail from the passage.
- Use a picture card that matches the story.
- Write a few key words somewhere visible while discussing them.
4. Add a Simple Tactile Element
“Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105, WEB)
This is a good verse to try this with — a small flashlight or lamp-shaped object, held while saying the verse, gives hands something to do while the words are repeated. Other options: tracing a short written phrase with a finger, or arranging a few simple objects in order to represent a story's sequence. Choose battery-free or securely-sealed-battery items where possible, keep any object age-appropriate, and supervise young children closely around small pieces.
5. Let Children Choose How They Participate
This is the part worth holding onto loosely: participation can look different from child to child, and from day to day. A child doesn't need to complete every activity above to have genuinely engaged with the passage — watching, listening quietly, or choosing just one activity are all real forms of participation. It's fine for a child to decline an activity entirely on a given day. Offering choices, rather than requiring a specific response, keeps the focus where it belongs: on the passage itself, not on performing a particular activity correctly.
Options for Every Child
There's no single required format for a family or classroom's Bible time. Trying a few different ways in — listening, moving, seeing, touching — gives children more than one way to participate in the same passage.
For more on the value of reading aloud together, see our guide on Why (and How) to Read Aloud to Your Child, and discover picture books celebrating varied abilities in Christian Children’s Books That Celebrate Diverse Abilities.
Little Lamb Studios creates faith-based books, songs, and animated stories that help children grow in faith, courage, and kindness.