How many hours do you think you have spent reading to your child? How many library books have you had in your house? How much time have you spent listening to your child practice reading with materials sent from school? How many conversations have you had with your child’s school teachers over the years about reading levels, comprehension and more?
“Good” parents spend lots of time and money helping their children learn to read and understand secular material. We know being able to read well can affect everything from grades to what they end up doing for a living as adults. Yet somehow, we just assume our kids will automatically know how to read and understand the Bible without much, if any, help from us.
Unfortunately, many kids struggle with their first attempts at Bible reading. Often, they become so discouraged they don’t attempt reading the Bible on their own again for many years – if ever. In fact, you may have had that experience yourself and still shudder a bit at the idea of reading the Bible without a preacher or Bible class teacher by your side helping you understand it.
It doesn’t need to be that way for your children though. There are some simple things you can do to help your kids actually feel comfortable reading the Bible and understanding what they read (as much as any human can!).