We desire to equip families to disciple their children to the best of their ability. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of resources that we pray will help you in your journey of discipling your children. The resources have been organized by category and include a recommendation from families in the church.
Parenting Resources
Equipping Families to Disciple Children
Be Part of the Church
There is no substitute for prioritizing the church family. Children who know that local church involvement is a priority to their parents know that the local church is a priority. As the days grow darker, we will need each other more and more.
The church plays a big part in this as well so another piece of advice I always give is that parents should be very purposeful to put themselves under sound biblical teaching in a solid church. If it means rearranging jobs/turning down higher paying jobs elsewhere, or however that looks individually, the church should be a priority. This has such huge downstream effects that I can’t even begin to list them.
Philosophy of Parenting Books
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp:
This book gives some important goals and techniques for parenting. At the same time, it’s only a book. There is no formula for perfect parenting, and I maintain that each family has its own dynamic, depending on family size, temperaments, and parents. Read it, but it’s not the Bible.
Entrusted with a Child’s Heart by Betsy Corning:
This is an excellent book explaining goals and techniques, but again, it’s only a book. There is no formula or perfect recipe for perfect kids and perfect families.
Parenting by the Book by John Rosemond
Rosemond argues that respect for others – rather than self-esteem – guarantees happier, more emotionally healthy kids. He lays out a simple, Bible-based model for successful child rearing.
Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
This book is not a “how-to” type of parenting book. It is a book that talks about how God uses parenting to change us as parents. It challenges our paradigm to look at how parenting can affect us as well as our children.
Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
This is our favourite marriage book, which is one of the best things parents can do for their kids, have a good marriage.
Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul Tripp
Tripp has written a book for parents that get to their own hearts while getting to the root of the children’s hearts as well. His transparency helps parents feel that they are not alone in their battles and provides real gospel-centred solutions to help raise our children in a way that is honouring to the Lord.
Family Worship by Don Whitney
An easy and quick read, yet filled with rich writing that helps families understand how to practice family worship together and the importance of it. A wonderful gift for fathers.
Bibles/Story Bibles
Big Picture Bible by David Helm
This is a great Bible that really focuses on the big story of the Bible. It has a gospel focus and the stories are a bit shorter than the Jesus Story Book Bible which helps when reading to younger kids. It also includes stories that many story bibles would skip over. An example is the inclusion of the story of Jesus and Nicodemus from John 3. It is a solid collection of stories but as with every storybook bible (see Jesus Story Book Bible) it can only have so many stories.
365 Great Bible Stories by Carine Mackenzie
With one story a day this book will give you enough Bible stories to last all year. There is also an opportunity to track a theme such as Salvation; The Holy Spirit; God’s Word and by looking out for the key picture as you flick through the book. Be sure to remember that this book is not about how fast or slow you read, or how many days you spend going through it. This book is about discovering the good news about Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation. You can also make a special friend, Jesus Christ, the true Saviour. He is with his people always no matter what time of day or what month of the year it is. God’s word is true always. Read it and learn from it and follow it all the days of your life.
There are illustrations and gospel-centred devotions related to key Bible stories and it is good for guiding families through the entirety of God’s Word over the course of a year. Each devotion also includes discussion questions and suggestions for additional reading, helping families develop a habit of reading the Bible together and applying its truth to all of life.
Theology Books
Truth and Grace Memory Book (1, 2, & 3) by Thomas Ascol:
These are excellent for catechizing the children in Scripture memory and sound doctrine. Buy them and use them.
Everything a Child Should Know About God by Kenneth Taylor
A great little book to take your children through. It has about 90 mini-lessons that take your child through various truths about God. Each section is very short so it is good for kids with short attention spans. It teaches truth in a very accessible way. It is not a book of bible stories. It is a book that teaches about God. Good for ages 2-6. It is very generic as it is written to be interdenominational. Although the things taught are biblical, one of the shortfalls are the lack of scripture references for the things being taught. Not the Bible but helpful.
Big Truths for Young Hearts by Bruce Ware
This book is rich in theology. It is a systematic theology by a respected theologian that is produced for the express purpose of teaching children the timeless truths of our Lord. It is accessible and would benefit even the parents. There is great use of story to convey truth and every chapter has a memory verse and questions to ask. Good for ages 8 to end high school. While it is something you could read to your child, the book’s format is not designed with a child in mind. As your child gets older this is less of an issue but it will take some imagination to get the younger kids to engage.
This is a great catechism that you can use to teach your children the basics and essentials of the Christian faith. We are currently using it to teach our grade 5s in the church. It is based on the traditional catechisms but is more accessible to modern day society. There is a version for kids as well as adults and every question and answer comes with a Bible verse to memorize. It is also digital as it has an app for Android and Apple and you can go to their website to find videos and other resources.
66 Books One Story by Paul Reynolds
The Bible has one author – God – so we need to see the Bible as a whole, as God’s Word. Every book of the Bible is the breath of God and the plan of Salvation spans all of Scripture. In this Bible overview each book of the Bible is summarized; background given; themes and theology explained.
The Ology by Marty Machowski
The Ology is a Systematic Theology book for kids. It is over 250 pages explaining the full range of biblical doctrines and includes a thorough Q&A section on the material covered in the book. Every page has attractive illustrations, an explanation of biblical doctrine, and a number of Bible verses that you can look up with your child. This is a great resource to go through with younger children, and for older children to read on their own to become familiar with the precious truths of Scripture.
Books
Hardcover Series of Biographies by Simonetta Car
These stories inspire courage and virtue, as they also fuel the sanctified imagination of the children. Buy them, and read them.
Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Outside of the King James Bible, this might be the most popular English book ever written. Unfortunately, many now have forgotten about it. There are many updated versions in contemporary English, which makes it accessible to children. It should be read and discussed regularly in every Christian home. Each character and event in the story is important in developing frames of reference for each child.
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs by John Foxe
Like Pilgrim’s Progress, it was once one of the most popular books in the English language. It too has largely been forgotten. It tells the story of courageous men and women who suffered for Christ and received the martyrs crown. I firmly believe we need to be training a generation of children who are ready to stand in courage and pay a price for it.
Hero Tales by Dave & Neta Jackson
This is a fantastic series of books on the lives of Christian heroes. Perfect for homeschool, but can be used in family devotions or otherwise to teach Bible lessons in the context of real-life experiences of famous Christians in the past.
Discover for Yourself Kids (Precept Ministries)
We have used the first three books for Genesis and have thoroughly enjoyed the lessons along the way. The books in this series have helped the children to lay a firm foundation of scripture, learning that all scripture is God-breathed (2Tim3:16) that God’s Word alone is to be trusted and how the entire world since Adam and Eve sinned has been affected by sin. Additionally, this series by Kay Arthur points children to the scriptures to understand the holiness of God and the gravity of our sins and our need for a Savior. Children will learn how to study the Bible and how to cross-reference while following along with a fun storyline.
Bible Road Trip by Danika Cooley
This is a 3 year through the Bible program. Ideal for homeschool, but can be used for family devotions as well or other bible teaching programs.
Teens
- The Most Important Thing My Parents Did
- 8 Items for Christian Parents to Ponder
- Do Your Children Play Video Games?
These are a few excellent blog posts that are an encouragement and challenge to parents of teens and children.
Stop Trying to Make the Bible Relevant to Teenagers
When a teenager is rebelling or seems indifferent toward the things of God a temptation to panic can arise. During this time our responsibility is still to trust God. His Word is always relevant, regardless of the culture or age of the person. This blog post points to this fact. The Bible is relevant for teens. It always has been. It always will be.
The Ultimate Proof of Creation – Dr. Jason Lisle
In this video Dr. Lisle presents a method for defending the faith that is biblical and simple. Dr. Lisle uses great pictures to illustrate his points with greater clarity. This is very helpful for youth. If you haven’t learned this apologetic approach before, then this will forever change how you think about evangelizing unbelievers.
Websites
An engaging book for the whole family, particularly children aged 9-13. I recommend sitting down together and doing a family read-a-loud, following along together as a family unit. The story begins with a few friends who become student police cadets at their local police department. While solving the case of an unidentified skateboard, readers will discover how to use crime-solving techniques to investigate the life of Christ. It helps them think logically while learning about Christ.
Media
This is a companion to the above theology book, The Ology. The songs teach kids about God and the gospel. They are catchy and fun while teaching deep truths. We have worn out this disk in our van. It’s very cool to hear your 4-year-old singing out something like, “No one is good, not even one, but God can make us daughters, God can make us sons. Jesus paid the price when he offered up His life. So we could be part of God’s great family.” Great for playing in the car when driving or for singing as a family. Also available on Spotify
These are a series of audio stories published by Focus on the Family. Each story reinforces lessons on virtue and Christian worldview. Albeit many are from an American context, I do find them excellent. Audio stories are much better than television and video because they foster the development of imagination in the mind’s eye in a way that visual media cannot.
A wonderful, gospel centered podcast to encourage mothers to live each moment for Christ and how that looks practically. The women who are behind this podcast talk about many issues close to moms hearts including but not limited to, finding rest in Christ through the busyness of motherhood, how to get to the heart of our children and living life as the helpmate that God has called us to. Recently they have been focusing on encouraging moms to study scripture for themselves inductively, providing resources to equip women while emphasizing the importance of reading the whole account of God’s Word, from Genesis to Revelation.
Who doesn’t enjoy getting real mail? This bi-monthly magazine is a wonderful resource for both parents and children. With a mini children’s magazine inside each edition, there are lots of gospel centred topics to discuss. Answers in Genesis does a wonderful job to help equip families to understand science through a biblical lens and helps teach families how to defend the truth. Many of the articles are written by creation scientists that are focused on the six literal days of creation. Another way to encourage families to sit together and discuss real-life matters that once again focus on the gospel.
Protecting Kids and Technology
Technology can give us, as parents, many advantages as we seek to disciple our children. However, the web and technology can be a dangerous place. With that in mind, we have a guide that will help make the internet in your home safer. It is not a substitute for conversations, teaching and diligence, however, setting barriers against the darkness is very wise.
Web Protection Guide
Equipping Families to Worship Together
Visit our resource page for families seeking to grow in their ability to worship and sing together on a regular basis.
