As schools have announced an extended break due to COVID-19, our kids are going to have a lot of extra time at home. For most of them, it probably means even more screen time and binge-watching; and, when you combine that with social isolation, it can lead to an increase of anxiety and depression. So, here are some resources for your students that will keep their minds engaged and centered on Christ. I’m starting with books today, but I will add some other resources later.
For Everyone
The Bible. This is a great time to start reading the Bible together as a family or to help your older students become regular Bible readers.
You can start with Luke and then go to Acts, since these two books are written as a unit. When going through Luke, have your students look for the various ways that Jesus is shown to be God’s promised Messiah. When going through Acts, have them observe the changes that following Christ made to the lives of the earliest Christians.
The YouVersion app has some great Bible reading plans that your teenager will love.
Or, if you want to watch some videos together while learning about the Bible at the same time, check out the resources from The Bible Project.
For “The Littles”
The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung is a wonderful children’s book that provides a fantastic overview of the story of the Bible.
If you are an Alameda member with elementary age children, you will be getting one of these books soon – for free!
For 8-12 Year Olds
Andrew Peterson’s WingFeather Saga series of books are imaginative stories that your kids will love.
For Teens
Bob Goff’s two books – Love Does and Everybody Always – effectively communicate the Christian virtue of love and inspire every reader to grow in their capacity to love others as Christ has loved us.
For College Students
These three books – Mere Christianity, The Reason for God, Making Sense of God– will help you “dip your toes” into the waters of Christian apologetics and help you understand the “why” behind the doctrines of Christianity.
Family Worship
This is also a great time to start a weekly (or even nightly) family worship time. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use the Discovery Bible Study method. You can find those resources here and here. Simply use the bookmark as the discussion guide. The readings are on the other side of the bookmark – just pick one passage to read and discuss each time you do it.
For a deeper discussion and ideas for family worship, check out this sermon from my friend Matthew Dowling.
What books would you recommend?
rusty tugman 