I’ve only had my hands on Help Your Kids Learn & Love the Bible by Danika Cooley for a couple of days and I can already see the passion that Danika has for us as parents to help our children to know God’s Word. My book is already marked up with post-it flags all over. She calls us to be a part of #GenBible, a generation of families “who love their kids and point them to Jesus through the careful and diligent study of his Word.” (21)
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First Impressions of Danika Cooley’s Book
Danika Cooley believes “God promises to bless our time in his Word, and we can pray and trust that he will bring a harvest in the lives of our kids, a hundred times greater than we can imagine.” (19) She emphasizes the importance of reading through the entire biblical text as a family and teaching even your youngest kids a sound doctrine of Scripture.
Yet, she isn’t some stuffy theologian that wants us to bring our children to the Word with force and solemnity. Danika embraces fun and enthusiasm. And, if you know me, you know that those are two of my favorite tools for pointing our children to Jesus.
I especially love that the verb in the title is “help.” This implies that we can only do our part. We do as we are called, invite the Holy Spirit to move, and then allow our children to make the choice. We are stewards of our kids, but their faith is their own. As we prepare to hand them back to God at 18ish years old, we want them to choose to continue to love, turn to, and read the Word. This book will provide you with tools to help.
Who is Danika Cooley?
Danika is:
- a wife
- a homeschool mom of four
- an award-winning children’s author
- a Bible curriculum developer
- University of Washington Grad
Topic’s Covered by Danika Cooley
When you read Help Your Kids Learn & Love the Bible, you will learn:
- How to overcome major concerns about teaching the Bible to your kids.
- To successfully develop a consistent family Bible reading habit and plan.
- How to interpret and apply the Bible rightly.
- Skills for hosting meaningful Bible discussions with your kids.
- To be prepared to answer tough questions.
- Age-appropriate ways to share the gospel.
- To prepare for tough and busy days with unique ways to focus on Scripture.
- Tips and tricks for making the Bible fun and engaging.
- Tools for Bible memorization.
- To structure Bible activities and discussions to your child’s God-given strengths.
Danika Cooley’s End Goal for Teaching the Bible
So often when we don’t know why we are doing something, we lose momentum and the habit fizzles out. Sometimes, reading the Bible can be that way with our kids, especially little ones. We know we should do it and we want our kids to know Jesus, but they are bouncing off the walls while you try to read. You decide you will try again in a few years when they can pay better attention. A few years later, your schedule is full of sports, dance, and music lessons. So it keeps getting pushed to the side.
Danika Cooley and her husband, Ed, know their “end goal” and stay in the game. It is a powerful one and I love it!
Our goals in teaching the Bible to our kids are to increase their familiarity and knowledge, to help them recognize and understand God’s overarching story, to introduce them to Jesus, and to help them discover God’s commands and principles for our lives and then apply them. For our teen believers who know and love God, we want to help them share the gospel, contend for the faith, and live for Christ.
Help Your Kids Learn & Love the Bible p. 138-139
I love how she keeps it age-appropriate and doable. This seems so practical and each goal easily builds upon the others. Danika Cooley recommends writing this goal or your own and tucking it into your Bible.
Practical Tips for All Ages
One thing that I absolutely love about this book is how she really addresses problems, tips, and ideas for ALL-age kids. For example, when she is describing how to teach the doctrine of Scripture, she gives suggestions for what and how to teach little ones. Then, she shows how to expand on that in elementary school. Finally, how to give it even more depth once your kids are teens.
Danika does this throughout the book with topics such as discussion, how to read the Bible together, memorizing verses, and even how to pray the Scriptures.
The author is also very practical when it comes to what to expect from children, our schedules, and the unexpected.
Also, she is offering a free 130-page Family Bible Study Tool Kit and you can’t beat that!
Final Thoughts:
Help Your Kids Learn & Love the Bible by Danika Cooley is a phenomenal resource. She shares her passion for teaching our kids God’s Word with knowledge, simplicity, enthusiasm, seriousness, grace, and a bit of humor. It is hard to not become newly excited about helping my own kids fall in love with Scripture after even just a few pages of this book. I love the practicality and tips she offers in each chapter. She breaks it down for all ages of children, which is so helpful. Whether your kids are toddlers or teenagers, this book will equip you with the skills you need to start or grow your family’s love for the Bible.
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