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Let’s have a serious talk about the Bible in our homeschool, shall we?
If you been hanging out with me for a while, you know that we are a Christian family.
We’ve been serving in ministry for two decades, Ryan is a worship leader, and together we lead weekly Bibles studies.
I have a degree in Theology and another degree in Biblical and Jewish Studies. Teaching the Bible is my passion. I’m also the founder of Hebrew for Homeschoolers where I teach homeschool families amazing insights into the Bible while teaching them to read, write, and speak Hebrew in only 4-10 weeks.
Why Bible is not a subject in our homeschool anymore
Here is my problem with adding Bible as a subject and what made me rethink about the way we’re teaching the Bible:
As Christians, we all agree that we should start the day with the Bible, correct? So normally, our homeschool days will start with the Bible, then all other subjects.
If you look at most examples of homeschool schedules including my own examples here in this blog, you will see that most homeschool families designate 15-30 minutes daily for reading The Word, memorizing Bible verses, and some also sing and study hymns.
Nothing wrong with that at all!
However, something started to really bother me.
- Are we teaching our kids to limit their time with the Lord?
- Should Bible in our homeschool be just like the other subjects?
- Is just checking off the daily Bible box what God expects form us?
Not at all!
“Of the three sorts of knowledge proper to a child, the knowledge of God, of man, and of the universe, – the knowledge of God ranks first in importance, is indispensable, and most happy-making.”
— Charlotte Mason
The knowledge of God is our homeschool is the most important knowledge our children will acquire in life.
If the knowledge of God is the most important subject, then why are we spending less time on it than on other subjects?
Shouldn’t we be giving it full priority?
Reading, studying, and meditating in The Word of God is a spiritual discipline that every Christian should have daily. The Word of God should be the core of our lives. It molds us and shapes us into the character of Christ. It changes us from inside out because it shows us our sins and what God expects of us.
The Bible teaches us God’s promises, how His plans for us are good and shows our real identity and children of God.
God’s Word keeps our eyes open for the things that yet to come. It prepares us, the Bride of Christ, to meet Our Bridegroom who is coming back for us soon.
How can we rush through it? How can we equal it with the other subjects?
Christianity is NOT about checking off the boxes!
- Read the Bible – checked.
- Prayed – checked.
- Went to church – checked.
Oh, no! Christianity is about a deep and intimate relationship with the Creator of all things, His Holy Spirit, and the Savior of The World.
Thus, Bible is NOT a subject in our homeschool anymore. It the guide and the love letter we turn to each morning. It’s the Book of Instructions that prepare us for the things to come.
Where should Bible be then?
The Bible should take absolute priority in our lives as believers. I used to think that if I sneaked in a bit of Bible first thing in our homeschool mornings, that would suffice. We read the Bible, we checked the boxes and all was well…
But no.
God is convicting me that giving Him and His Word the priority is about spending quality time with Him and modeling to our children our devotional and relationship with the Lord. And I must obey His voice.
So, this year I scratched the Bible from our homeschool schedule. Bible is now a daily discipline we practice and pursue as a family and individually as children of God. No longer we time it, plan it as a lesson, or limit it.
This is how we add the Bible in everything we do in our homeschool instead of making it a separate subject.
Bible is not a subject we do separably from everything else we study in our homeschool but it is the core of everything we learn instead.
There is no better Bible curriculum than the Bible itself! We must make reading the Bible aloud a daily priority in our families.
In our home, we love listening to the Daily Audio Bible together. This is a great way to start your day right and place The Word of God as a priority in your family.
Because we lose A LOT with translation, make sure you are reading a reliable Bible translated word-by-word and not a paraphrase.
The Bible is everywhere in our homeschool and in everything we do!
Our homeschool curricula are Bible-centered, even our Language Arts which amazingly even teaches about the Biblical Feasts and our math! God and His Word are the center of everything we read, learn, and do.
Here is what we’re using in our homeschool this year:
Handwriting: iWrite Bible
Character Training: Growing in Wisdom
Science – Exploring Creation With Botany
Language Arts: Language Lessons for A Living Education
Math: Math Lessons for A Living Education
History & Literature: Sonlight Curriculum
History: The Mystery of History
Music
- Great Hymns of the Faith
- Worship Piano: From Beginner to Pro
- Rooted Online Hymn Tutorials
- Still Singing: Hymn Stories For Every Season
Foreign Language: Hebrew for Homeschoolers
Talking about Hebrew for Homeschoolers… I have a giveaway for you!
I’m really thrilled to partner with some of my homeschool blogger friends and giveaway one Hebrew for Homeschoolers course this month!
I’m so passionate about Hebrew for so many reasons! The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and that is about 70% of the whole Bible. Jesus and His disciples read the Holy Scriptures and prayed in Hebrew daily.
“Hebrew is the best language to learn of all… no one can really understand Scripture without it.” – Martin Luther
Hebrew is the language of Moses, King David, and so many heroes of our faith. Learning Hebrew brings you into a much deeper understanding of the Bible and strengthens your faith.
Can you imagine you and your kids learning to read, write and speak the very language of Jesus and our heroes of the Bible spoke? What if…
- This could unlock an amazing and much deeper understanding of the word of God?
- Learning Hebrew can open doors bigger than you could ever know in your life?
- This can bring you a personal revival like never before?
Here is what Hebrew for Homeschoolers for Beginners will teach you:
- The Alef-Bet (Hebrew alphabet)
- Numbers
- Colors
- Shapes
- Greetings
- Basic vocabulary
- Biblical vocabulary
- Hebrew songs
In only 10 weeks you and your children will be able to read, write and speak Hebrew for beginners and have basic conversations. How fun will this be?
There are no other courses like Hebrew for Homeschoolers!
- Classes are self-paced and last about 60 minutes.
- This course is geared to the whole family, from the youngest to the oldest in the family.
- You will have lifetime access to the course.
- And join our Facebook community for extra learning.
Enter below for your chance to win!
It is your responsibility to read the terms and conditions upon entering. By entering, all entrants understand that they are subject to being added to each of the participating blogger’s email lists.
Want to try Hebrew for Homeschoolers FREE? Watch a full Hebrew lesson here:
- Simply go to http://www.hebrewforhomeschoolers.com, scroll down to the course curriculum and click preview next to the first lesson.
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I appreciate this perspective, but I think your background in Bible and Theology make it more possible to teach Bible to your children without it being a “subject.” I’m an RN, so we don’t need a health curriculum; I can just teach them because I know health. I became Christian after my children were born and never read the Bible prior to that, so I am learning alongside my children. Having a structured curriculum gives me guidance in teaching my children (and teaching myself). I would not be able to just do it on my own by reading the Bible aloud. I couldn’t explain something I’ve never studied, and I have the same questions as my children. Having a curriculum also makes it much less work for me, because everything is right there in the text. It’s important though, that we’re not “done” once we put the subject away, but instead that it’s weaved into every part of our lives. I agree with you wholeheartedly on that. You’re absolutely right that we can’t just treat it as a box to check.
Hey Megan! I totally understand you. Certainly, a Bible curriculum can help teach you and your family as you grow into knowing and understanding God’s Word more, I love doing Bible studies and continue to learn from them. But you do that not because it is a subject in your homeschool, but because as a Christian you desire to spend time knowing Your Heavently Father more, becoming more like Jesus, and learning to hear from the Holy Spirit. That’s discipleship. We’re learning to follow God’s ways and live like the Master because we love Him. There is a great Bible app my kids and I have been listening to in the mornings called Through The Word. It is so good! I’ve been learning a lot through it. Try it out and let me know what you think. What Bible curriculum have you used?
I like this and plan to work towards making the change to a be more of a daily habit. Thank you!
Really great points here and thanks so much for sharing. As a Christian homeschool family, I can definitely appreciate your points as we’re all trying to find the best way to help our children build their foundation firmly upon Christ while they’re home. As you’ve said, what I’ve loved most about homeschooling, is we can read the scriptures daily, but when we’re done reading, we can discuss God’s role in Science, Human anatomy, history, etc. There are so many ways to keep focused on the scriptures, while learning other secular subjects. But my wife and I concluded (similar to others in this post) that the MOST important thing is to keep scripture study and Christ first in all we do. If our kids don’t get a math lesson in one day, but we had some neat scripture discussions, then it was a successful day.
I’ve had similar discomfort with making Bible a subject. I did start using our curriculum’s (AmblesideOnline) schedule to get my kids on a structured reading/devotional path, but we don’t include it in our exam time at all, and we all try to practice reading on weekends and through breaks. As you say, it’s a life discipline, not a school one. We have ever included it in our schooling–once was when a non-Christian fellow AO user, who was coming over once a week, actually asked that we start! I was kind of surprised, but we did it, and it led to some good discussions. I think there is a place for Bible education–I’ve done directed lessons in learning the books of the Bible, learning the categories (History, Torah, etc), discussing prophets, theology, etc. But simply reading is a daily habit we all need.
Tanya, Bible education is the most important education for a believer! We spend more time in our daily Bible study, not just reading it, than doing any homeschool subject study. It is our duty as believers to make the Bible front and Center of our lives and this is the opportunity we have as mothers to give our children a strong faith foundation while they’re still home. Charlotte Mason said their Bible lessons should be their chief lessons. She also said that the knowledge of God is the most important knowledge.
There are so many distractions from reading the Bible that I applaud any effort that is done to insert it into the daily routine. There is a cultural pull away from religion that makes it feel like reading the Bible or spending time with it is not productive. That’s why our society as a whole isn’t very good at keeping the commandments.
As a lifelong believer myself, now a 46-year-old dad raising 8 kids with my wife, I still find it a challenge to get in the spiritual refreshment I need. During those periods when I set aside specific time (usually in the morning) to study scriptures, I feel renewed. I try to think back to the scriptures (often just mentally) as my thoughts move from secular to spiritual during my daily routine, but living spiritually is always a challenge.
Thank you for this list of ways to incorporate Yahweh’s word in our everday homeschool life. We can learn so many “subjects” in His true word! We are also enjoying Hebrew for Homeschoolers classes and we are learning so much from each class!!!! Thanks Ana – May YHVH bless your ministry here.
Amen, Valerie!! I’m so happy to hear that!
This is such a great topic. I couldn’t agree more! I love bringing the Bible into as many subjects as possible, and there are so many options. We just started the Hebrew for Homeschoolers class, and my kids keep asking to do that first thing each day. They love it!
That’s awesome, Stacy!! To God be the glory!!
I have always wanted to learn Hebrew, but thought it was too difficult. I would love to try to learn it alongside my daughter.
You will love it so much, Ginger!!
I totally teach Bible as part of school, but I never limit our subjects to a certain amount of time. It will take what it takes. We are also thoughtful about making bible and God part of our all day every day lives. Do we have it down pat and are we perfect? Not even close. It does help that the current curriculum we use, the theme for the unit is biblically based, so many of our activities center around that theme and if not, I can adapt it to do so. We try to point out things to call attention to God in our lives. Nature around us as we drive, keeping us safe from things that could have been worse, and more. We talk about 1 Cor 10:31 (my girls would say a lot) and how we should glorify God with everything. This is kindergarten, so we will see what things look like the longer we homeschool.
Praise the Lord, Shelby! That’s the way to go and teach our little ones.
This article about Bible in our homeschool is full of great things to consider. I plan to read it again, and likely again! Thanks for this!! Worthy consideration when we want our children to see God’s word as the foundation of life, not just a topic among many to learn.
Amen, Patty!!