Note from The Thrifty Couple: We are very excited about this guest post from Andie, mother of 8 (one still in the bun for just another week!). This will be a 3-part series featured during the next three Thursdays for the month of June! June and summertime is a great time to implement something like this to get into the habit of children having quiet times so that when the busyness of fall hits, it will be easier to continue with this. We’ve had the opportunity to meet Andie, the author of Quiet Time for Kids, and she is a very kind and genuine person that has a lot of passion about the subject of kids engaging in personal Bible study time and has some wonderful ideas and resources she’s created for each of us! In addition, we asked her if she would provide our amazing readers a discount and she has – you can get these Bible Studies for only $3 each after coupon code (normally $6)!!
Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Andie and I live with my husband and seven (soon to be eight) kids in Parker, Colorado. Our oldest is 12 and the youngest is 1, we have three little ladies and five fun and crazy boys! Here is a picture of our family taken on Easter morning:
I am going to be writing a few guest posts for Alex and Cassie here at the Thrifty Couple that I hope and pray will be a great encouragement to you! This first series will be on the topic of encouraging your children to read God’s Word for themselves. Back before I had children I would spend long quiet times each morning reading, memorizing and digging into God’s Word. Like many other moms, after having 7 kiddos in 11 years, all those peaceful, lingering times with the Lord became a distant memory. Yet, I have always known how vital it is to soak in the Bible, letting it fill your spirit so that you have something to offer those sweet, yet needy little ones around you.
A few years ago, as I was struggling once again to find the time to get into the Word, I noticed how my little ones were quickly growing up and many habits were being formed in them. I deeply desired to instill in them the habit of feasting daily on the Bread of Life – God’s Word. I knew we needed to start with something very simple so we choose the Book of Proverbs. I made some very simple Proverbs Report Pages for my older children. Together we would read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponded with that particular day of the month and while I meditated on it and wrote in my prayer journal, I had the children pick one verse to write as copy work and then illustrate it with a picture. My goal was for all of us to have some sort of quiet times each day – even if it was only fifteen minutes! As they became better writers, I had them also write one sentence of what they thought the main idea of that verse was. I always recommend starting with the books of Proverbs as a children’s Bible study because it is so easy to apply and illustrate – and what child does not love to draw? Here is a picture of my seven year old daughter, Noel. She is coming to an age where she is just about able to complete a Proverbs Study.
She is holding her Bible Study Binder, which I will share about in another post.
Watching my children reading God’s Word on their own and finding ways to apply it to their lives was very inspiring to me. I would encourage you in the daily discipline of reading a chapter of Proverbs each day and have your children spend some time writing or drawing what they heard. After finishing a month in the Proverbs, I began to think of all kinds of other topical studies that I could make for them. I created a study on the Book of James, the ‘Proverbs of the New Testament’, and they enjoyed that as well. It was then that I had a thought… maybe I could take this simple idea that was blessing my family and turn it into a home-based business – Quiet Times for Kids! Tune in next week to Part Two to hear the rest of the story!
* Andie is the happy wife of her high school sweetheart and mama to eight children. They live in Parker, Colorado and spend their time enjoying each other, discipling their little ones and finding ways to earn extra income through family businesses! She is also the creator of Quiet Times for Kids, an online printable Bible Study program for Children. Please visit her at Quiet Times for Kids and use coupon code ministudy50 to get 50% off any of their mini Bible studies!
With the 50% off discount that she is offering, you can get the mini Bible studies are only $3 each!
What a great opportunity for your kids this summer and beyond and at a very affordable price! Thanks Andie and family! To find the Mini Bible Study Series, head over to the Quiet Times for Kids site HERE and look for the image pictured below and click on it! They will be $3 each after the coupon code: ministudy50.
And watch for part #2 next week!
Kim
This is just what Ive been looking for for my oldest son. Thanks so much!