Book of John Reading Plan
My homeschool co-op is doing a Bible-in-a-year plan, but I think that’s just too much of a firehose of details for much to be retained (for anyone, not just kids).
I’d rather have space to savor and study the words by doing a slower-paced plan.
When I meet someone who is a new Christian, I often point them to the book of John as a starting place. He provides a first-hand narration of the whole life & ministry of Jesus.
John was one of the 12 disciples, so he was actually there to witness the events he talks about. And he identified as the “beloved disciple” or the “one whom Jesus loves,” so there’s such a beautiful depth to his relationship with Jesus.
Additionally, I’m doing the BSF year-long study of John with an online group, so it’s a great excuse for extra reading repetitions for myself!
I made a bookmark to put in my son’s Bible (the one we read from each day). He has an CSB Explorer Bible. It’s the actual CSB bible, not a paraphrased version for kids. But it does add some additional information/photos geared towards kids’ questions and interests.
The way we do this together is the same way we do any Bible reading:
Pray
Read the passage
I ask my almost 6yo to narrate back to me what we just read. This holds him accountable to listening and allows him to paraphrase anything into his own words, which helps with remembering what he read.
Discuss/answer questions
(Optional) art - this is really dependent on the day and what happened in the passage. Sometimes it works/makes sense/adds to the study, and sometimes it doesn’t. Listen to your kid(s) interest and gauge if it makes sense to draw something.