my first hands-on bible (review)

when you have kids who range in age from 9 to 19 months, it can be a little hard to find appropriate material for a family devotional time.

we spent the last few months memorizing various bits of scripture, but we also want to make sure that everyone gets a broad understanding of the bible as a whole.  i don't want my kids to grow up without knowing the various stories that are a significant part of the bible.

when i learned about my first hands-on bible, by tyndale ($16.99), i was curious how a bible designed for preschool age children would work with my older kids.  as you can see from the video, so far it has been a really big hit.

each story contains passages taken right from the new living translation of the bible.  throughout the story, there are "hand-on" moments where kids can act out part of the story, count items in a picture or engage in some other activity to help them stay focused on the story.  zoe (age 9) can tell when i skip over some of the more disruptive activities (i don't really want all the kids to get up from the table because i fear i will never get them back), and she asks if we can do all the activities every night!

at the end of the story, there are additional suggestions for crafts and activities.  we haven't done too much with this because we have enough going on right now with homework, but i could see the kids being interested in these activities during the summer when we have less to worry about.

each story comes with a "Jesus connection" that helps relate the story to what Jesus came to do for us.  i have been just a little disappointed with some of the connections that have been made here.  i recognize this bible is geared for kids in preschool but the connections are really simplistic and, occasionally, almost seem un-biblical to me.

in spite of this weakness, our whole family is enjoying this bible.  it has provided good structure for our time together as a family.  hopefully someone is learning something!  check out our experience:


i received a free copy of this bible from tyndale through mamabuzz media for the purpose of this review. regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.