Play! Listen! Talk!

“When are some times you hear Bible stories?” I asked my preschool class last Sunday. One young girl quickly responded by shaking her head and saying, “I don’t really do that very much.” I was saddened at the reply, but at the same time very grateful for her honest response.

“How many of you have a Bible at home that’s just your own?” I asked.

Every child replied with “I do.” Some eager children even started trying to top the others by saying, “I have three Bibles.” “Well, I have five Bibles!” Trying to get a word in, I said, “That’s great! I’m glad you have so many Bibles at your house. And do you know what you can do? Every night before you go to bed, you can ask your mom or dad to read a story from the Bible to you. Bedtime is a great time to read God’s words to us.” And then I asked, “What do we do every Sunday at church together?” They all got the answer to that question: “We hear Bible stories!”

This conversation reminded me of several things:

• Encouraging kids and welcoming them to Sunday School is so important because it just might be the only time during the whole week when they hear the words of God in Bible stories and verses.

• Parents still struggle with finding time in their lives to communicate and teach Bible truths.

I want to take advantage of every opportunity to share God’s Word with kids and parents. That’s why I give a copy of God’s Story for Me Bible Storybook to kids who don’t have a Bible. I love that every story ends with a Connection Circle—words for parents to say about how the story connects to a child’s daily life.

This week, I think I’ll pray for each child in my class and ask God to bring His Word into the hearts and minds of each family—on Sundays and every day of the week!