There are a lot of elements that are part of helping your kids build strong faith foundations and grow to their godly potential. One of the most important is helping them establish a habit of reading their Bibles daily. That daily connection with God and what He wants them to know can help your kids stay on track spiritually, make it easier for them to obey God (because they have daily reminders of what those commands are) and help them avoid being misled by skeptics or false teachers.
In previous posts, we’ve shared all sorts of tips, including the best Bible to purchase and the best ways to help them make Bible reading a daily habit. One of the aspects of creating that habit is the visual cue. One of the difficulties of beginning any new habit is actually remembering you want to do the new thing. Often, we are so distracted by our daily routines and habits, we become distracted. Suddenly, we remember the new habit we wanted to start, but after having forgotten it for a day or two, the idea of beginning again seems insurmountable.
Visual cues are the things we place where they can’t be missed. When we do see them, the visual cue serves as an immediate reminder of the new habit – in this case, reading the Bible. Visual cues aren’t much good if your kids don’t see them every day. So if, for example, you decided placing a note on the kitchen table was a great reminder and then someone moves it to set the table, the cue was useless.
What we have found works best is a cozy little corner that not only serves as a visual cue to read the Bible, but also makes the experience look inviting. The great thing is that you don’t have to have a big house to create a Bible corner. Find a corner of a room your child will enter multiple times a day. Have them place a Bible and other study aids like a journal and pen or a Bible dictionary in the corner.
Then give them a chance to be creative and have a little fun. Maybe they want to add a fuzzy blanket or a pillow or carpet square. Younger children may want to add a favorite stuffed animal. It shouldn’t take over the entire room, but be a small little area in a corner. Teens might prefer a variation of a prayer closet, where their corner is in their closet. This only works, however, if they go in that closet daily and notice the Bible and other things when they do. If your kids spend time outdoors every day and you live in a mild, dry climate, they can even make their corner outdoors somewhere.
Hopefully, since your kids designed their own Bible corner, it will look more inviting to them. Then use our other tips to get them started, reminding them that the corner serves as a reminder to spend time reading the Bible daily. Before long, you may find them spending more time with God in scripture and prayer than you would have ever imagined.