The Scripture Lady loves creating Bible review games! Here are 3 terrific ways to teach your children how to use a concordance.
Hear (or in this case, read) this statement: If your child can use a library, he can learn to use his concordance. In my mind, it is absolutely essential to being a reader of God’s amazing Word! Yet, the concordance, for many, remains unopened and unused.
But what is a concordance? I give my kids this simple definition: The concordance is a kind of dictionary that helps us find the “address” or reference of a Scripture by looking up the most prominent or important word of a verse.
Bible review games will help your children learn God’s Word in a fun way and here are 3 terrific ways you can use to help teach your children how to use a concordance.
1. Give your kids the following assignment: “Find 5 verses using the word (fill in the blank).” Show them where their concordance is in their Bible and have them find the word you gave them. For example, maybe you assigned them the word “hope”. Have them look up “hope” in the concordance and show them how to quickly read the different snippets of verses there are on “hope” and have them write down 5 of the ones they like best after looking up each one in their Bible.
2. Play the “Concordance Game” – You will need at least 2 players for this game and each player must have their own concordance. One child calls out a word that will most likely be found in the Bible, such as “peace”. Say, “On your mark, get set, GO!” and the first one to find “peace” is the winner for that round. Another way to play is to give the children a Bible verse without the reference. For example, you might say, “For the joy of the Lord is our strength.” After you say, “GO!” the children must decide what word is the most important in that verse and look it up in the concordance to try and find the “address” or reference to the verse first. In this case, the word “joy” should end up leading them to Nehemiah 8:10.
3. Finally, share about your week and how you needed something like peace, trust or help with your finances. Then show your children how you went to your concordance and looked up the word that best described your need and the verses that best ministered to what you were going through. Your kids will be blessed to know that God wants to meet their needs by encouraging them through His Word.
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Thank you so much, I am the librarian at Morthland College in Illinois. We are a Christian College where the employees must be Christian, but the students do not have to be. So, many of our students have never heard of a concordance. I teach library literacy to all the classes, and I’m going to use your game ideas to teach the students how to use one!
Thanks Sheila! I agree. We do have the computer now-a-days, but it’s still important to learn to use the concordance!
I definitely agree that the concordance is a great, but under-utilized tool for Bible study–and that children are definitely capable of using one. These would be some fun ways to help children get acquainted with the concordance! 🙂
I am government auditor by profession. I teach Bible Lessons to kids aged 6 to 12. I am looking forward that your bible lessons and activities will make our Sunday School more lively and interesting. May you continue to be a channel of God’s blessings.
I recently opened your link, and I thank God for directing my path. Everything that I read have been enlightening. I was appointed as a teacher for my Sunday evening HYPU which is an extension of our Sunday School which is held once a month. I’m so excited, I haave almost completed my lesson for next month. Thanks and continue to let God use you.