Your kids are probably learning a lot of different Bible stories at church and at home. What they may not realize is that each of those stories is a piece of a puzzle that when put together reveals God’s plan. There’s a fun ongoing activity you can do with your kids to help them begin to understand how things in scripture fit together.
Give each child a large piece of plain paper. You may want to invest in one of those paper rolls if you can afford it. You’ll also want to give them crayons, markers, colored pencils or paint. Have them title their paper “God’s Plan Is A Work of Art” or something similar.
Every time your kids hear or read a Bible story at church, home, or for some school, have them pull out their paper. What symbols or simple drawing best represents the Bible story? Where does it belong in relation to other Bible stories already in the drawing? For example, let’s say they just heard the story of Ruth. They might want to draw grain or a sandal or some other object from the story. Later when they hear a story about David, they may want to place the symbols for that story near the symbols from the story of Ruth, since she was David’s great grandmother. Or if they already have stories near Ruth, they can use arrows or other symbols to illustrate stories that are connected in some way to other Bible stories.
Over time, their artwork should grow larger and larger. Periodically, examine the entire piece together, reminding each other of the stories the symbols represent and the connections to other stories. If you want to spend a little extra, have your kids transfer the completed piece of art to a blank jigsaw puzzle. Then break it apart and see how well they can put it back together.
This activity takes time, but it’s a great way to help your kids better understand how everything in the Bible connects. In so doing, they will also get a better understanding of God’s overarching plan.