1 Corinthians 10:11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. NIV

When our son Blaise was almost four he asked about a man who had just made a set of serious bad decisions in his life, culminating in him fleeing town. He asked, "Is he running from God just like Jonah did?" I was a little shocked and had to think about it for a second and then I said, "Yeah, that is exactly what he is doing!"

That’s pretty profound for a three-year-old! I’d love to have our children know and apply Bible stories to their lives like that. Jonah is not the only story in the Bible that has real life application. 1 Corinthians 10 talks about many of the events that happened to Israel and says they were written down for us as examples for us to learn from. All the stories in the Bible contain incredible gems of truth about who God is and how He relates to man.

With young kids you can have them watch videos that cover Bible stories. They will watch them again and again and again. What an incredibly easy way to pass truth on to your children. You can also tell the stories yourself using dramatic gestures and funny voices. As kids are older you can have the kids tell the stories to you, or even have them act them out. Have older kids read stories to younger kids. Other resources include children’s story Bibles, the Bible on tape, and audio tapes that have Bible stories. On some days you may have a theme: Have them read Jonah, watch a video on Jonah, and then quiz them on the book of Jonah before bed.
The Bible is an exciting book, full of life changing stories. Your kids will love learning it.