Hidden theology in children’s Bible story books

One of the questions most asked by Christian parents on forums is: What Bible should I get my child? Most of us start with Bible story books, and storybook Bibles, re-tellings of Bible stories. They make the Bible more accessible to our children and often feature great illustrations, such as those by Jago in the … Read more

Bible Character Mini Books (or Minion Marys)

These cute little books are a fab way to explore Bible stories from the perspective of a character in the story. This could be one of the main characters or someone who observed, one of the crowd or the family of the ‘main protagonist’. Thinking about what they saw and heard, what they might have … Read more

Paper angel prayers

Cut out paper angels and write or draw prayers on them and send the to the person you are praying for. Sometimes when praying for people, we wish we could be there, but actually, someone else is there who is much more useful! God, who is everywhere, is with them, and I believe also commands … Read more

Big Bible Story

I was recently at a Forum organised by Children Matter where we were looking at faith at home and the big story of the Bible, and how we help children to engage not just with individual stories but with the Big Story in the Bible. While this was looking at the story in the WHOLE … Read more

Your Question: Lent & Easter for Non-Christian Families

This week I was asked by a friend on Facebook: “I’d like to start introducing the children to Christianity but no idea where to begin. I thought pancake day/lent/ easter would be a good place to start. Do you have any recommendations for a family of non-Christians?? I have a good understanding of the Bible/the … Read more

The GodVenture Lazarus Book – a slow, prayerful read of his story

Have you seen my family activity sticker book: GodVenture through the story of Lazarus? It’s a collaboration with Yvonne Morris from the Diocese of Oxford, and perfect for use during Lent due to the poster in the middle with 40 days of Bible verses and activities. Don’t worry! It’s designed to be easy to use, … Read more

Review: Story Stacks

Title: Story Stacks Author: Becca Stileman Useful for: parents of children age 3-10 wanting to do faith together at home, childrens groups where Bible stories are shared Best bit: large sturdy, bold character cones Worst bit: the cardboard box they arrived in was a bit worse for wear to use to keep them in Price: RRP £34.99 for 25 … Read more

Write-your-own ‘magnetic’ poetry

This activity provides an open-ended opportunity to respond to a story using words. I’d probably use it for children age 7+ after sharing a Bible story with them as I don’t want negotiating the words to become the focus for early readers. For them I’d use something similar but picture based like this. This set … Read more

Review: Diary of a Disciple

Title: Diary of a Disciple Author: Gemma Willis Useful for: children age 8-12ish or anyone wanting a new slant on the Jesus story Best bit: brilliantly retold and designed Worst bit: you’ll finish it quicker than you want to Price: RRP £10 Only £6.99 here at time of writing It’s not often I come across a book I feel deserves … Read more

DIY Christmas Story Photobook

Free Download! I love making books (being a publisher, that helps!) so here’s a way to make your own Christmas story photobook. We often make photobooks with FreePrints which print 20-page photobooks for reasonable prices. All you need to do is download their phone app, upload the photos and wait for your luscious new book! … Read more

New Year with God

New Year isn’t necessarily a particularly family event especially for younger children. My youngest, currently four, has put in a request to stay up late this near year, and watch The Beegees, which is what she considers to be ‘New Year’. (Just to clarify, last year we DID watch a documentary about the Beegees with … Read more