Train Up a Child...in Sound Bible Doctrine

by Lori Verstegen

Berean Bible Ministries

This is a self-contained, creative Bible curriculum, originally written for home Bible clubs, but easily adaptable for home school, Sunday school, or other settings. There are no extra student books or answer keys to purchase.

Lessons center around basic, non-denominational Protestant Bible doctrine--God, the Bible, creation, the fall, sin, redemption, salvation, our position in Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit.

Lessons are laid out very clearly. The objective is stated, followed by a list of materials needed (photocopies of cut-out pages from the book, craft materials, etc., but nothing very expensive or hard to find). The lesson is presented from the book, using visual aids in the book or a flannel board. (Patterns for flannel board items are in the book.) Every lesson includes both a craft and an activity, and these more closely reinforce the lesson objectives than do most crafts and activities in other Bible curricula I have reviewed. Memory verses and songs are also incorporated into each lesson. There are a total of fifteen lessons, so the book will take about four months to complete. Lessons should take about an hour and a half in a larger group--less time with one or two children. For practical purposes, homeschoolers should do parts of each lesson each day (following the author’s suggestions for how to do so) rather than an entire lesson in one day. The author suggests using the curriculum with children ages 5-11, but it seems to be most appropriate for the early elementary grades--children up to about ages 8 or 9. Consider having an older child prepare and present the crafts and activities for younger siblings.

Train Up a Child is also a good introduction to the idea of conflicting worldviews. A number of lessons use pictures of sheep (to be cut out as cards) with doctrinal statements that sound correct. While some of the statements are true, some of them are what the world would have us believe instead of the truth, so, if you flip the card over, there is a picture of a wolf on the reverse. Children use the cards as a game activity to see if they can separate truth from falsehood.