Reading together is a great way to spend time while homebound. Bible stories offer a lot of variety along with the promise of God’s love, which is reassuring for children in anxious times. The Spark Story Bible has a question or activity at the end of each story that would be great for families to discuss together. You could read a story every day and see how far you get before our days return to normal.
For older children, the paperback Spark Bible (regular Bible) has stickers in the back and reflection questions throughout all the books of the Bible. The first few pages of the Bible explain ways to use the stickers and other tools on each page. For a family read-along in a “regular” Bible, I recommend starting with a chapter or shorter section a day from the gospels of Mark, Matthew, or Luke. That way, you’ll cover a lot of stories and read the whole story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
For any story that you read together from any Bible you have at home, here are some good questions for conversation. You can adapt these questions for the ages of your children and youth. These are also good for individual reflection or for writing in a journal. Younger children could draw their responses.
What word or phrase stands out to you?
What stories or memories does this passage remind you of?
What confuses or challenges you in this passage?
What delights you or fills you with comfort or hope in this passage?
What is God up to in this passage?
How does this passage apply to your life today?
You can always act out a Bible story, too! Any dress up clothes or props you have on hand could work well for that! For reading the Bible online, https://www.biblegateway.com is a good resource. The translation we use in worship at Reformation is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). Let me know what Bible stories you discover!—Pastor Paige