Bible Basics: Introduction

For a while I've been wanting to start a series about teaching the Bible to toddlers.  This is something that I am passionate about and have spent countless hours researching, writing, and preparing lessons.  I'm excited to share some of it with you!

Here on Family Abounds we already have a few toddler Bible lessons but I want to be a little more focused than what I've been posting until now.  So, while Abby and I learn through the Old Testament together in preschool this year, I will give you a view into what we do and how we do it.

I'm calling this series Bible Basics because that's exactly what it is - the basic events and ideas of the Bible put simply for little hearts and minds to begin to understand.

Each Tuesday you can stop by to find our latest lesson.  This year we'll be working through the Old Testament - Creation, The Fall, The Flood, Abraham and the Patriarchs, Kings, Prophets, and a couple of holiday-centered units for Christmas and Easter.  This particular series will set Abby up for the coming of Christ and a study in the New Testament for next year.

At some point I will probably have some posts that explain more of how I approach teaching the Bible to toddlers - some things I definitely do not teach and some things I feel strongly about including.  But I'm trying not to get too long-winded with this introductory post so I'll make sure my soapbox is well out of reach.  ;)

For now here's a quick overview of what you can expect throughout this series.

The lessons that Abby and I do are all of the following:
     Short
     Simple
     Bible-based

My goal throughout this series of lessons is to:
     Introduce Abby to who God is (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and what He is like 
     Familiarize Abby with key people and events in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible
     Introduce a few key concepts such as sin and the need for salvation

And each lesson will include the following:
     Scripture passage and corresponding children's story Bible reference
     Memory verse
     Simple and engaging craft or activity that will bring the Bible to life

This is definitely not a complete resource for Bible teaching and I do not have all of the answers.  I have gleaned ideas from many different resources and even though I've taught these lessons several times each, I always seem to find something new or better to use when it comes back around.

When applicable, I'll include links to extra craft/project ideas and other resources that have been helpful to me as I've worked through preparing these lessons.  And I'm always open to new ideas, so if you have a fun and simple way of teaching a particular story you see here, please share it in the comments!  I'm sure it will be a help not only to me, but to other readers.

Having said all of that, go ahead and check out our very first Bible Basics installment: Creation!