Bible is one of the “meals” that comprise the abundant feast (a wide and generous curriculum) in a Charlotte Mason (CM) education. And I am very happy and grateful that I “met” CM because if not for her, I wouldn’t think of letting my kids read and study the Bible as part of school (i.e., Bible as a subject in school, where it is studied academically).
And why shouldn’t they?
We are probably quite incapable of measuring the religious receptivity of children.
Volume 1, page 248
If we will believe it, the minds of children are, perhaps, more fit than our own to appropriate and deal with truth.
Volume 1, page 250
If not for CM, our Bible reading would probably be limited to our short family devotions and my kids would not be reading and learning about the Bible as much as they do.
…their Bible lessons should help them to realise in early days that the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and, therefore, that their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.
Volume 1, page 251
What Bible to use
It is common practice to use a children’s Bible for preschoolers. But children’s Bibles never appealed to me. I have nothing against them, it’s just a personal preference I’ve had ever since, even before I’ve encountered CM, who thinks it is a mistake to use Bible paraphrases (Volume 1, page 249).
We used to have a lot of children’s Bible at home, given to our kids by our friends. Surprisingly, my late husband never objected when I gave them all away so I’d like to believe they never appealed to him, either.
There is nothing wrong with using children’s Bibles (though I’ve encountered feedback that there are popular ones in the current market that are not completely accurate, so we need to choose wisely). As I have mentioned, it is just a personal preference because I do not like how they are retold or paraphrased “too creatively”.
I know they are an attempt to make children understand the Bible and I support the intention. And I do believe that they have their place in children’s lives and that a lot of children benefit from them. But, personally, I’m not comfortable with the idea that you need to add “flair” to make the Word of God attractive or appealing or more understandable for kids.
Because I believe the Bible is a living word (Hebrews 4:12) and the Holy Spirit can make a child understand it. Because understanding the Bible does not depend on how it is written but on the power of the Holy Spirit.
So for school, when my DD started Kindergarten, I looked for a curriculum or reading plan to follow and found highlights from the Bible by Penny Gardner.
However, in the course of our lessons, I found it too dragging. (I think it would be a good reading plan, though, for family Bible devotions).
Incidentally, when we went on an emergency trip to my hometown, I saw our tattered The Children’s Bible which our Mom used to read to us when we were kids. (A tattered Bible is actually an unwholesome sight for CM).
I checked it out and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not a retelling nor a paraphrase at all but was simply an abridgement, meaning it uses the words of the Bible itself (though I’m not sure what version it was) but was condensed to a shorter form. So it doesn’t have any “flairs” or “embellishments”.
So I took it home and used it for my DD’s Kindergarten Bible lessons instead, ditching Penny Gardner’s highlights of the Bible.
I was very happy with The Children’s Bible because even if some details were removed, it retained the core ideas of the Bible without sacrificing its depth and richness.
How to do Bible lessons
Read aloud to the children a few verses covering… an episode. Read reverently, carefully, and with just expression. Then require the children to narrate what they have listened to as nearly as possible in the words of the Bible… Then, talk the narrative over with them in the light of research and criticism. Let the teaching, moral and spiritual, reach them without much personal application.
Volume 1, page 251
The children themselves will discern and keep fast hold of the essential…
Volume 1, page 251
That being said (or quoted), we simple read and narrated the Bible.
CM actually prescribed that parents read (for themselves) a commentary so they could discuss the Bible more thoroughly with children, but I haven’t gotten to that part yet.
Keeping portfolio samples
Bible Picture Study
The study of such pictures as [The Holy Gospels with Illustrations from the Old Masters] reproduced should be a valuable part of a child’s education; it is no slight thing to realise how the Nativity and the visit of the Wise Men filled the imagination of the early Masters, and with what exceeding reverence and delight they dwelt upon every detail of the sacred story… and the child who gets [this sort of impression] in early days, will have a substratum of reverent feeling upon which should rest his faith.
Volume 1, page 252-253
Sometimes, when I remember to, I check if an artwork for a particular Bible story is available and then we do a Picture Study of it.
I simply do a keyword search in Art and the Bible and if available, it would result to artworks by different artists and I would choose one which appeals to me.
Family devotion
We also read the Bible as a family, outside school. We read the Psalms or Proverbs in the morning and a survey of the Bible at bedtime.
Unfortunately, the download links to the reading plans we follow are no longer available online. But you may check this for a one-year reading plan of the Psalms & Proverbs, and Penny Gardner’s Bible highlights (which you can use as a Bible survey) which I mentioned a while ago.
Because I want my kids to be accustomed and comfortable with Filipino and English, we read the Bible in both languages using a diglot (bilingual) Bible.