We need to learn out books of the Bible

[Alana in Canada]

ugh.
I can't think of anything more boring.
But I asked my son to look up something in Hebrews today and I was appalled he had to turn to the table of contents to find it.

Is there any way we can make this fun, painless and take less than 10 minutes a day?--oh and with no prep by me. I'm drowning in prep.
Thanks.

[profmom]

We did it this year by saying the first few books every day and then adding more once those were learned, etc. We just added this around our morning prayer time and the kids picked them up quickly! I thought the OT would be difficult, but they had no trouble.

There are songs out there too, but my dc didn't want to go this route.

ETA: I also had them look up a verse in each book as we added it.

[Quiver0f10]

I bought some small candy bars and had all the kids sit down. I called out a verse and the first to find it got the candy. We did this every day for a few weeks and even my teens had fun and they learned their way through the Bible pretty fast.

[Ellie]

I taught them in Sunday school by categories:

Old Testament
Books of the Law
Books of History
Books of Poetry
Major Prophets Minor Prophets

New Testament
Books of History (the Gospels and Acts)
Pauline Epistles
General Epistles
Prophecy

Breaking down the 66 books of the Bible by category seemed to help the children as they could remember them in small groups, KWIM? We also practiced looking up Scriptures (using the "Sword Drills" book from BJUP).

[Kathie in VA]

I like the idea of learning them in groups, I may go back and do that.

We did the books of the bible when we were in AWANAs. Some did it with songs or small chants and others did it with small flash cards. The cards can also be index cards with the name of each book of the bible on a different card. Then you can give out a few and ask them to put them in order. Eventually they'll be able to put them all in order... even if they can't pronounce them!

Sword drills are also fun. Our Sunday school does these for the kids in 5th & 6th grade.

[Tina in WA]

I used the awana tape that has the song for learning the books of the bible. :D

[Alana in Canada]

Thanks, Ladies!
Flashcards and candy bars, I like it!

Someday, I'll have to find out what this awana thing is all about.

[Bassoonaroo]

There is a CD (or casette) by Wee Sing called Bible Songs and it has a catchy little tune for the Old TEstament books and one for the NT books. Nothing award winning, but if you hear it a few times, you'll get it.

I like the idea of candy bars for "sword drills" (first person to find a particular passage). Practice always helps, of course, so be sure to keep those kids looking up verses. When our local Family Bookstore had a Bible sale, I bought four inexpensive Bibles in different versions and often during devotions, we ask the kids to "find that verse in the Bible you're holding." Someone will give the NIV verse, someone the NASB, and yet another child the NKJ and we enjoy dscussing the differences.

Maybe choose a small reward (an ice cream, a dollar, a half hour on the computer playing games) for each child when he gets it down!

And, then keep practicing!

[WTMindy]

There is a CD (or casette) by Wee Sing called Bible Songs and it has a catchy little tune for the Old TEstament books and one for the NT books. Nothing award winning, but if you hear it a few times, you'll get it.

I like the idea of candy bars for "sword drills" (first person to find a particular passage). Practice always helps, of course, so be sure to keep those kids looking up verses. When our local Family Bookstore had a Bible sale, I bought four inexpensive Bibles in different versions and often during devotions, we ask the kids to "find that verse in the Bible you're holding." Someone will give the NIV verse, someone the NASB, and yet another child the NKJ and we enjoy dscussing the differences.

Maybe choose a small reward (an ice cream, a dollar, a half hour on the computer playing games) for each child when he gets it down!

And, then keep practicing!

Yes, I liked the Wee Sing Bible songs. That is what we learned. Of course, today we were talking about the prophet of Zephaniah, and I said, "You know, like the book in the bible." The kids looked at me and didn't believe me that there was a book of the Bible called that. They have only known and sang that song for about 7 years now! We sang the song and stopped at Zephaniah and they laughed. So, I like the candy bar idea.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

We learned them five at a time. We just chanted the first five about 5 times a day. After about 3 days, they knew them, and we added five more. We'd chant the new five, five times, then we'd do all 10 together five times. When they knew them, we added five more.

Boring? Not really. It only took a few minutes a day (or less). They didn't have time to get bored. You develop a rhythm with the sound of the words, and it becomes almost a song. I like learning them in fives because it helps with recall later. It's easier to find the book if you can associate it with the books around it.

Oh, and if YOU think it's boring, your dc will too. If you approach it matter-of-factly, like brushing teeth, and you chant it with them, like a choir, they'll enjoy it.

[Ellie]

When I taught this in Sunday school, this is how I did it (warning: preparation time involved:D:

I made flash cards, with each category written in a different color marker (that was it for prep time). I bought one of those pocket charts from the teacher supply store, and I'd put all the cards for a category in the pockets, and we'd practice (you know how to drill stuff like that).

Rewards were thus:

Reciting all the books in each category in random order (categories in random order, but books in each category in order) for OT: 1 bronze star (I found little plastic pins).

Reciting all the books in the OT from Genesis to Malachi: 1 silver star

Reciting all the books in the NT in categories in random order: 1 bronze star.

Reciting all the books in the NT from Matthew to Revelation: 1 silver star.

Reciting all categories (OT and NT) in random order *and* Genesis to Revelation, 1 gold star.

[Donna T.]

Wee Sing Bible Songs did it for us.

[Mom2jnb]

this might help...

http://www.ebibleteacher.com/children/songs.htm

Alison

[Shannon]

We used Wee Sing, too! It made it fun for me as well as my son! ;)

Shannon

[Alana in Canada]

Mom2nb--thank you so much!

It really doesn't seem that hard when they're in songs, does it?

Wee Sing, unfortunately, would drive me mad.

[Shelly in MD]

I taught my dc a chant that I was taught in high school - you chant: "5, 12, 5, 5, 12, 5, 21, 1, Hoo-ah!" (OK, I'm having a hard time putting a chant into email form - haha!) Anyway, it is the divisions of the books - 5 Pentateuch, 12 History books, 5 books of poetry, 5 Major Prophets, 12 Minor Prophets, 5 Gospels/Acts, 21 Epistles, 1 Revelation.

In addition to just reciting the books themselves to learn them, we do speed drills during Bible study time. I will give a verse, and the kids flip through their Bibles to find it. We set a bowl of M&Ms or Skittles on the table, and whoever finds the verse first gets a piece of candy. Yes, it's bribery, but competition sometimes does amazing things!

Really, though, just recitation, recitation, recitation. It is boring, but it will probably work more quickly than you anticipate!

Shelly

[LadyNancy]

In our church, we have "children's church" for the 6-11 year olds. They do all sorts of fun stuff and then have their own Bible lesson. When they play their games, instead of saying 1-2-3-GO!, they all have to yell:

Matthew-Mark-Luke-John-GO!
or
Genesis-Exodus-Leviticus-Numbers-Deuteronomy-GO!

This is how they teach them the books of the Bible.

[TXMomof4]

We used the Wee Sing songs to learn the books. All 3 of the girls can sing them without problem now.

[stephanie]

ugh.
I can't think of anything more boring.
But I asked my son to look up something in Hebrews today and I was appalled he had to turn to the table of contents to find it.

Is there any way we can make this fun, painless and take less than 10 minutes a day?--oh and with no prep by me. I'm drowning in prep.
Thanks.

We're doing the same thing. We actually started 4 weeks ago and this week we finished up the OT. We do 10 per week and we do it to a little rhythm. I set the timer for 10 minutes, and then we stop. I've been surprised at how quickly they've learned them too. My dd6 even has them all down. We're starting the NT this week,and we should be finished by the middle of April. Just stick with it and it'll work!

[frogpond1]

as a child and all my children use them too. In AWANA club, the kids without the song really struggle through this, and then a few months later it is gone again. The songs stick hard and fast.