One of the top goals for any ministry to children or teens should be to encourage them to engage in independent Bible reading and study. If it’s not a habit their parents have already instilled in them, however, it can be difficult to motivate them. Prizes can work short term, but studies have found that when incentives are offered, the minute they stop, so does the desired behavior.
To get young people engaged in meaningful, lifelong Bible study, we need to find ways to engage them with the scripture itself. Once they begin doing that, the Holy Spirit will draw them in deeper.
There are a lot of things you can do, but here are a few of our favorites.
- Scripture scavenger hunts. Prepare scavenger hunts for each book of the Bible or scripture passage you would like them to read. Give a copy to each student to take home. Basically, the scavenger hunt consists of questions about the scriptures being read. Make sure some of them are fun, like “find the riddle in this book” or “find the reference to an Aesop’s moral in this passage” or “how many different kinds of animals are mentioned in this book”. For more advanced students, you can have questions like “how many Psalms did Jesus reference in this passage” or make them bonus questions for everyone. Some of the questions should be straightforward and easy to find, while others force them to think about what they are reading a bit more deeply. Don’t make it look like a worksheet, but a scavenger hunt. Celebrate every time anyone completes a scavenger hunt successfully.
- Bible art journaling. Provide sketch pads and colored pencils to interested students. Encourage them to create scripture journaling art for the verses that stand out to them in their reading or illustrate the passage with a drawing of some sort. This won’t appeal to every student, but for those who enjoy art more than reading, it can change everything.
- Table talk. Pair students with interested and vetted adults. Encourage each pair to read the same scriptures each week. Then have them connect for “coffee”, on a phone/Zoom call or via text and talk about what they read. Some volunteers may want suggested questions and answers provided to them so they feel more confident. It can also keep discussions from getting on theologically shaky ground. You may even want to sponsor occasional gatherings where several pairs can get together over a meal and have a lively conversation about what everyone has been reading.
- “Book” clubs. These can be just for young people or be parent/child or mentor/mentee book clubs. Instead of reading a novel for each meeting, participants read a book of the Bible and discuss it. Make it fun with snacks and art or service projects connected to the readings.
- Creativity center. Have an area of your classroom set up with all sorts of unusual art supplies. Encourage students to come in a little early or stay a little late and create scripture art. They can keep it for themselves or share it with someone they feel will be encouraged by the verse they chose. You may want to have a few sample project ideas for students to make who struggle with being creative. I have found even teens are enthralled by art projects now, because they rarely have time to engage with them. These projects can also be soothing for those who are struggling.
Have fun with it, but get your students reading scripture independently. It’s a critical life skill they must have in order to live the Christian life well.