The Action Bible Anytime Devotions

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Reading God's Word daily is so important, not only for adults, but for kids, as well. We were able to review The Action Bible Anytime Devotions from David C Cook which is designed to grab kids' attention while teaching them truths from the Bible.

David C Cook began publishing Sunday School materials for homeless children all the way back in 1875 after the Great Chicago Fire. His nonprofit publishing ministry, which was officially established in 1942, has become the largest interdenominational supplier of children's ministry curriculum. The company's mission "to aid and promote the work of religious education without profit to any person or group" is made evident by reaching 97 countries with materials in 50 languages worldwide. Even though reaching children is the heart of the ministry, they also offer resources for men, women, pastors, teens, groups, and more.

The Action Bible Anytime Devotions was written for kids 8-12 years old to connect with God through Biblical truths.  Each of the 90 devotionals follow the same format:

• Learn God's Word with a Bible verse
• Apply it to your life -- a brief story or examples to get the child to think
• Relate it to real people in the Bible -- a short description of a Bible character that matches the theme
• Think about it to help you grow -- questions for reflection
• Talk to God using simple prayer guides -- a sample prayer
• Share with others through both questions and actions -- suggestions for putting the application into practice
• Take it further by additional Bible reading -- the Scripture references that correlate to the character in the lesson

Each devotion addresses topics that are relevant to tweens--anger, discouragement, honesty, weaknesses, thankfulness, bullying, leadership, jealousy, humility, friendship, and so much more. The lessons are designed to build their faith in God and strengthen their character. They offer applicable stories, practical applications, and encouraging advice. Each one directs the child to seek God through the Bible and godly counsel. The devotions fall into 8 main qualities--love, courage, hope, trust, kindness, faith, strength, service--which can be found both in the contents section and marked at the top of the pages in black tabs.

The pages are full-color with comic-book-style art. The colorful illustrations grab your attention as they portray scenes from Bible stories. Three to four stories are shown at the bottom of each devotion. There are 16 groups of two-page spreads that are repeated throughout the book. Every now and then, an illustration matches the story, but for the most part, the pictures are random.

The Action Bible Anytime Devotions can be used as a tool for parents to explore biblical truths with their kids or be used as personal devotion time for kids by themselves. The past few weeks, my 10-year-old has been reading through the book during his daily time with God. The book references a different version of the Bible than we do, so he looks up the verses in his own. The lessons are easy for him to understand on his own, while challenging him to have a stronger faith, a more passionate love, and a dedication for personal morals. He hasn't learned anything new necessarily, but the daily reminders are beneficial and essential for a growing relationship with the Lord.

I love that The Action Bible Anytime Devotions not only gets kids in the Word of God, but also challenges them to put the lessons into action along with encouraging them to seek advice from their parents. My boy and I have had some sweet discussions as he'd worked through these devotions. I pray he always has a heart for the Lord and continues to follow Him.

If you're looking for a devotional book for kids that grabs their attention and helps them connect with God, this might be the book for you.

You can connect with David C Cook on the following social media sites:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

YouTube

You can read more reviews of how homeschoolers are using this book on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

Christianity Cove

Are you looking for a place that has fun Bible lessons, games, crafts, skits, and activities? That can be used for both church and home? And some things that are free? You should check out Christianity Cove. They offer many resources that make teaching kids the Bible fun, easy, and interesting. We were able to review Daily Dilemmas: 26 True-to-Life Devotions for Kids along with the Fruits of the Spirit Activity Kit.

Each day, while the kids were eating breakfast, I'd pull up the e-book ($29) on either the laptop or the iPad, grab my Bible, and read our devotion. Each devotion presents the kids with a real-life dilemma, something that they might experience. After setting the story, there are 3 Bible verses that pertain to that situation. Finally, there are 4 options for how the child in the story should respond. 

I'd read the scenario, and we'd discuss it. I'd read the verses, and we'd discuss them. I'd read the options for the most Christian response, and we'd discuss them. Then, I'd read the explanation for the correct answer that was given.

I really like the idea of allowing the kids to safely experience different dilemmas or problems that they might encounter in their childhood before ever being put in those situations. Some of the moral challenges that are included in this teaching tool are bullying, cheating, peer pressure, revenge, jealousy, bribes, respecting authority, and lying.

The book is geared toward kids ages 6-12, but I used it with my 7, 5, and 3 year old. I had to explain a lot. While I know that 2 of my kids are a little young, I believe that the overall age range for the book would be closer to 10-13. There were many situations where my 7-year-old would not be. A lot of the kids in the dilemmas seemed to be in the middle school age.

I didn't always agree with what the author said was the correct answer for the best way to respond and I didn't always think that the Scriptures used were completely relevant. But, it opened up a lot of good discussions with my little ones and presented them with situations that made them think. It's my job as their mother to train them and guide them before they are ever in a place where they are tempted to do wrong. Then, when they are faced with those dilemmas for real, they will have a better understanding of how they should act and why.

 

The fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance - are so important in the life of a Christian. These fruits are the results of living a Spirit-filled life. You can't be close to God without these qualities shining through.

The Fruits of the Spirit Activity Kit e-book ($19) includes object lessons, crafts, snacks, games, song, science experiment, and worksheets for ages 4-12. Each aspect of the kit is used to teach children the fruits and help them to understand and apply them.
 

The lessons are written for a Sunday School setting and even include a word-for-word script for the teacher. Again, we used these materials at home during school.

My kids love hands-on activities. The object lessons were a big hit. They especially liked playing in the dirt to pull out the "weeds of sin" in their lives. We talked about how we need to let God remove our sin (praying, reading Bible, etc.) so our fruits can grow. They each ate an apple and then planted the seeds.

The funniest part was trying to jump rope while singing the Juicy Jump Rope song. Oh, my. My kids have tried jumping rope only a couple times before. I showed them how to do it.

 In Ga-la-tians five, twen-ty two and twen-ty three, The Fruits of the Spir-it were writ-ten for me . . . 

Let me tell you, I am out of shape! I jumped a little while before collapsing on the grass. Jake (7) tried next. He was less gracefully. Haha, we laughed so hard watching him try over and over. We kept taking turns jumping and singing the song. We had so much fun and reviewed the fruits at the same time.

 
I really liked the Guess Which Fruit game. We had to adapt if to fit our homeschool setting with little ones, but it worked well to give them a better understanding of the meanings behind the words and helped recognize the fruits.

Christianity Cove offers many other materials, like a Bible memory game, Easter pageant scripts, puppet shows, adult Bible study lessons, and so much more. They even have a list of featured articles that include free coloring pages, crafts, and many helps.

If you work with children, whether at home or at church, Christianity Cove has a resource for you.

Looking for different materials for teaching the Bible? Many of my Crewmates reviewed other materials from Christianity Cove. Head to the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to read more reviews.