Over the years we have used many different products for Bible study with our family from the daily devotionals provided by Children's Bible Hour to an actual Bible curriculum with workbook pages. We now have such a mixed bag of ages that doing any one thing has proven difficult. Although our fourteen and seventeen-year-olds don't mind reading the stories they heard when they were younger, they really need something a little more meaty. However, if you use something that's meaty enough for them, you run into problems with the younger set getting bored and not absorbing what they should. Our family has found one solution that although not a perfect fit comes closer than any other to solving the problem of age differences. That solution is the Narrated Bible.

The Narrated Bible comes in the New International Version and is basically a chronological Bible. An index in the back of the Bible allows you to find specific passages. Reading through this Bible you will take events in their order of occurrence as the editors have judged them to have occurred. There's always room for discussion on the dating of some portions. Chronological Bibles are nothing new. The true difference for this Bible is the narrated text at the beginning of each portion of scripture. This text describes the following Bible portion bringing in additional information and discussion that will heighten your understanding of the Biblical text. These sections are not usually too long. Actual portions of Bible text can be quite long between narrations. If you had just older children, you could read each segment as it comes. However, if you are using it with younger children, you may want to divide sections into smaller chunks. Doing so does not take away from the discussion with your older children.

Reading the narrated text before reading the Biblical text gives children a basis for understanding the text as they listen to it being read. They may find that they disagree with what was stated in the narration after hearing the Biblical text. Often the combination of commentary and Biblical text will spark questions and occasionally ignite the debate which help young people to solidify their own walk with the Lord. Younger children benefit from listening to the Word and from seeing their older siblings and parents discussing the Word. Each family member is able to glean from the scripture understanding appropriate to their age.