How do you study the Bible with your children? How do you consistently share the gospel with them? How do you equip them to make disciples?
We do not claim to be experts but thought this was worth sharing. We recently began the “Creation to Christ” Bible study with our children. It has been a delight to watch our kids read the passages, make observations, ask questions, find answers and learn about the story of the gospel through a survey of the Old and New Testament. We are following the “Creation to Christ” Discovery Bible study reference list developed by David Watson (listed below) to determine what we read (in bite-sized chunks) and the Swedish Bible Study method (also called the “star” method) to examine the passage. We go at a realistic pace based on their age (ex: we cover all the 7 days of creation in 7 days, not 1). I love watching our children discover truths about God and His gospel from the pages of Scripture. To help them engage, we also have them draw a picture or act out the passage in a skit and suggest a memory passage. Additionally, we use the Creation to Christ slides to keep the big picture gospel story in front of them as we explore the Bible together.
The Creation to Christ Discovery Bible study is being used around the world to communicate the message of the gospel among the unreached. Our goal/prayer is that our kids will believe in Jesus, grow into His likeness and be equipped to share the gospel with the unreached. If you do not have a plan for studying the Bible with your kids, try this one out. Go at your own pace. If you already have one, stick with it…in fact, share it with us in the comments section. We would love to learn from what you are doing.
Creation to Christ Discovery Bible Study Reference List by David Watson
| Genesis 1:1-25 | The Creation Story: God Created the World |
| Genesis 2:4-24 | The Creation Story: The Creation of Man |
| Genesis 3:1-13 | The Fall: The First Sin and Judgment |
| Genesis 3:14-24 | The Fall: Judgment of a Sinful World |
| Genesis 6:1-9:17 | The Fall: The Flood |
| Genesis 12:1-8, 15:1-6 | Redemption: God’s Promise to Abram |
| Genesis 22:1-19 | Redemption: Abraham offers Isaac as a Sacrifice |
| Exodus 12:1-28 | Redemption: The Promise of Passover |
| Exodus 20:1-21 | Redemption: The Ten Commandments |
| Leviticus 4:1-35 | Redemption: The Sacrificial System |
| Isaiah 53 | Redemption: Isaiah Foreshadows the Coming Promise |
| Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20 | Redemption: The Birth of Jesus |
| Matthew 3; John 1:29-34 | Redemption: Jesus is Baptized |
| Matthew 4:1-11 | Redemption: The Temptation of Christ |
| John 3:1-21 | Redemption: Jesus and Nicodemus |
| John 4:1-26, 39-42 | Redemption: Jesus and the Woman at the Well |
| Luke 5:17-26 | Redemption: Jesus Forgives and Heals |
| Mark 4:35-41 | Redemption: Jesus Calms the Storm |
| Mark 5:1-20 | Redemption: Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits |
| John 11:1-44 | Redemption: Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead |
| Matthew 26:26-30 | Redemption: The First Lord’s Supper |
| John 18:1-19:16 | Redemption: Jesus is Betrayed and Condemned |
| Luke 23:32-56 | Redemption: Jesus is Crucified |
| Luke 24:1-35 | Redemption: Jesus Conquers Death |
| Luke 24:36-53 | Redemption: Jesus Appears and Ascends |
| John 3:1-21 | Redemption: We Have a Choice |
Coopers On A Mission 
So how is the combination of “Discovery Bible Study” and “Swedish” working out? I usually find doing the “3 Column Study” pretty sufficient!
Thank you for asking, Chuck. It is working very well. We have 5 kids and our oldest is 9. The older 3 (ages 5, 7, 9) are eating up daily bite-sized passages and finding things to obey. We have found the Swedish method to be helpful in engaging the text (especially for our children). I found they were not ready for 3-column yet. What fruit are you experiencing with 3-column, Chuck?
The people I’m introducing to the column study and the “Discovery Bible Study” group discussion format love it! In the West (North America) though we are not accustomed when starting to ask “What will I do in light of this?” and then planning to do it.
Thank you foor sharing this