Child learning the Bible.

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For effective Bible study, it's essential to be familiar with the order of the 66 books. With the teaching tips provided below, even preschool children can grasp this knowledge.

This Learning objective is found in the:


Piggyback Songs

Piggyback songs cleverly introduce new words to familiar tunes. When children sing the books of the Bible to a melody they already know, it becomes easier for them to learn the sequence. In the videos below, discover how I've adapted the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Stars" to teach the books of the New and Old Testaments.  I suggest teaching the songs one slide at a time.  For additional song teaching tips, please refer to the song teaching tips

   ABCJesusLovesMe Old Testament Song

  ABCJesusLovesMe New Testament Song

 

Old Testament Song   Original Source Unknown
Tune:  10 Little Indians

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,  (1 little, 2 little, 3 little Indians)
Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges, (4 little, 5 little, 6 little Indians)
Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, (7 little, 8 little, 9 little Indians)
First and Second Chronicles (10 little Indian boys)

Oh - Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Lamentations,

Oh - Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel,
Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

 

Additional Song Ideas

Numerous songwriters and groups have crafted enjoyable songs designed to assist children in memorizing the order of the books of the Bible.  Here are a few options to explore.

30 Bible Songs and Bible Stories

This CD contains both "The Books of the Old Testament" and "The Books of the New Testament songs.

Bigsby Show YouTube

The Bigsby Show - Bible Books on You Tube

Go Fish - Bible Book Bop Song

Seeds of Truth (Vol.11)- #9 - Now We Know (Old Testament)

Seeds of Character (Vol. 6)  - #12 - The Only Way (New Testament)

 

 

Books of the Bible Teaching Tips

Learning the books of the Bible isn't an easy task, but

1.  Repetition is key.  Work on the list in the car, in the bathtub, while swinging, at the dinner table, or during family time.  My kiddos learned the books (without a song) while riding in the car to school each morning.  

2.  Because some of the book names are hard to pronounce, break the hardest names into syllables to practice individually.

3.  It helps give the process meaning when you tie Bible stories with the books of the Bible.  For example:  Queen Esther with Esther, David and Goliath with I Samuel, Jesus with the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

4.  For children who can read, create flashcards.  Click for a free option.

5.  Teach with Hand Motions 

Although most of the meanings behind the hand motions are above a preschooler's understanding, using hand motions is one more way to learn the books of the Bible. Hand motions reinforce the major theme of each book.  (Feel free to put together a fun program in which a whole group of kids perform the actions together.)  Reprinted by Permission

Old Testament Hand Motions              New Testament Hand Motions

6.  Break each testament into small groups and then focus on one small section at a time.  See the list below, which explains how and why the groups can be created.

Old Testament Books

The Old Testament begins with Creation and ends with the world waiting for the coming King.

New Testament Books

The New Testament begins with the life of Christ and the First Church and concludes with the teachings of the apostles.

The Pentateuch or Law - The first five books of the Bible, all written by Moses
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy

Historical Books - Follow the story of Israel.
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther

Poetry
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon

Teachings of the Major Prophets
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel

Teachings of the Minor Prophets
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

Gospels - Four different men write about the life of Christ.
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John

History - Explains how the church began and grew and how the Good News of Jesus Christ spread across the world.
Acts

Letters by Paul - These are letters written to different people and churches to explain what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon

Letters by Others
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude

Prophecy - A book explaining what is going to happen at the end times.
Revelation

 

 

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