Read the Bible with your children through the church year. Start with short stories, a song, and a prayer. Follow the story from Genesis to Revelation, then add longer readings and discussion as your children are ready.
"One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts."Psalm 145:4
Deuteronomy 6:6 to 7 tells parents to speak about God's words during daily life. Choose a time you can keep, such as bedtime, a meal, or a walk. Read aloud and talk together.
Return to familiar stories. Pictures give children details to point to while they listen. A small study of preschoolers found differences in brain-network activity across audio, illustrated, and animated stories. It supports using illustrated read-alouds, but does not establish one reading method for every child.
James Fowler described early faith in terms of trust, images, stories, and the example of trusted adults. His framework informs the age bands here. Use those bands to plan what you read and discuss. They are guides, not fixed stages that every child reaches on schedule.
Sofia Cavalletti's Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Jerome Berryman's Godly Play inform the use of simple story materials and open questions. Read the passage, let your child handle a relevant prop, and ask what they notice or wonder. Give them time to answer.
A note on Dr. Allen Tennison. The older bands draw on his teaching about reading difficult biblical passages in context and discussing work and calling. The source list below identifies the talks used in this plan.
Follow the Bible's main story from creation to the new creation each year. The younger bands use selected stories. Older bands work toward reading the full text. Alabaster Co.'s A Beautiful Year with Jesus, a 365-day devotional, is one reference for regular reading across a year.
The nine chapters below organize the readings around the church calendar. Advent introduces creation and God's promises. Christmas focuses on Jesus' birth. The following weeks cover Exodus and the kings. Lent and Holy Week follow Jesus' ministry and death. Easter covers his resurrection and the early church. After Pentecost, read about the church, the letters, and Revelation. Include Psalms and wisdom readings throughout the year.
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." Isaiah 9:2
Covers: Creation, the Fall, the first promise of a rescuer, Abraham, and the prophets. Read these stories across the four weeks before Christmas.
"For unto you is born this day a Savior." Luke 2:11
Covers: Jesus' birth in Luke 1 to 2 and Matthew 1 to 2. Return to the nativity readings throughout the twelve days.
"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14
Covers: Moses, the plagues, the crossing of the sea, and the covenant at Sinai. Trace how God rescues Israel in Exodus.
"The LORD looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
Covers: Judges, Ruth, Saul, David, and Solomon. Discuss the kings' choices and failures, and the promise of a king who will rule justly.
"He was pierced for our transgressions." Isaiah 53:5
Covers: Jesus' parables, miracles, and teaching as he travels toward Jerusalem. Read the related prophetic passages alongside the Gospel accounts.
"He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:8
Covers: The events of Jesus' final week across the four Gospels. Follow them day by day, with short readings and time for questions.
"He is not here; he has risen!" Luke 24:6
Covers: Jesus' resurrection appearances and Acts 1 to 12. Read how his followers respond and how the early church begins.
"I will pour out my Spirit on all people." Acts 2:17
Covers: Acts 13 to 28 and the letters from Romans through Jude. Continue the Psalms and wisdom readings. Finish with Revelation before Advent begins again.
"Behold, I am making all things new." Revelation 21:5
Finish the year with God's promise to make all things new. Read about the end of tears, death, and night. The next season begins with Advent.
Keep the chapter sequence. Adjust the reading and each child's part in it. They may listen, point, act out a story, read with you, or read independently. The detailed Year One plan starts in Band 01. Choose another band if its activities fit your child better.
Sing, read aloud, and use a short bedtime blessing. Hold and respond to your baby. There are no lessons to complete in this band.
Read roughly 12 to 16 key stories from a picture-book Bible, such as The Jesus Storybook Bible. Repeat them across the seasons. The Year One page lists the books, weekly readings, songs, and refrains for this band.
Read three to five stories per chapter from a fuller storybook Bible. Offer felt figures or simple props for retelling. Ask an open question, such as "I wonder what they felt," and listen to the response.
Read short passages from a simplified Bible translation alongside the storybook. Follow the same chapters. Invite your child to read a refrain or a few lines aloud.
Use a one-year chronological reading plan organized around the seasons. Read one of the 52 questions in The New City Catechism for Kids each week. Discuss difficult passages in context, using Tennison's teaching as a reference.
Your teenager manages a one-year plan to read the full Bible, including every letter and wisdom book. Discuss genre, historical context, questions about faith, and work and calling. Tennison's "Four Greats" teaching is a reference for that last topic.
This first-year plan is for families starting in Band 01, around 18 months to three years. It follows selected stories through the church year. The dates below belong to this edition.
Set a regular reading time. Before Advent, choose a bedtime slot, use the same short prayer, and rotate five to eight picture books.
Read about creation and the promise of a rescuer. Light one candle each Sunday and add one figure to the manger scene. Refrain: "We are waiting for Jesus."
Read the same nativity pages each night for twelve days. Let your child point to familiar people and animals.
Read about Moses and the sea. Say: "God's people were stuck, and God made a way through."
Introduce the empty tomb with this sentence: "Jesus died, and then he was alive again." Continue reading the familiar stories from your basket.
Wave a palm branch or leaf on Sunday. Keep Saturday quiet. Use the Holy Week objects to help your child follow the week's events.
Repeat "He is risen" and leave time for your child to respond. Notice when they begin to use the words on their own.
Tell your child that God's Spirit is with them.
Ask what your child wonders about familiar stories. Notice when they retell a story through words, gestures, or play. Use those observations to decide whether to try Band 02's props and additional readings.
Begin Advent again with the same four key stories and candle ritual. Invite your child to switch on the flameless candle.
Use the week-by-week page for daily reading. Each Sunday has a story, refrain, song, and activity. The page also includes the book list, supplies, and five printable sheets.
Set aside fifteen minutes on the Saturday before Advent each year. Review the plan and decide whether each child is ready for another band. Update the dates, readings, and activities for the coming year. Keep the chapter sequence.
The Tending page explains the review. Use its checklist, readiness observations, calendar through 2040, and Year Two outline. Record your decisions on the one-page log.