Bible I is a required award for Busy Bees Investiture Achievement. This award is an introduction to using their Bible, a few Biblical events, and most importantly, God’s incredible love for each of them. Over the next four years, they will fill in their Bible timeline with more key events.
Bible Basics
Requirement #1: Own a Bible
Ideally, each Adventurer has their own Bible. They will need it at meetings to look up Bible verses. Each club will want to handle this requirement in whatever manner makes the most sense for their families and their church.
In my club, we give each Busy Bee (and each new Adventurer older than Busy Bees) a Bible at Induction. When we request they bring their Bible to each meeting, we know this requirement won’t cause a hardship for the families. Another local club doesn’t give out Bibles because their Sabbath School gives the kids a Bible. When my eldest was a Busy Bee, the teacher told us he needed a Bible, and I took him to a Christian Bookstore to pick out his first Bible. Use whichever route works for your club. Ideally, you’ll have Bibles available for requirements 2 and 3, but they could be club Bibles or Bibles from the church.
Requirement #2: Explain how to show respect for the Bible and how to care for it.
This is a simple discussion with the kids. This list is to give you ideas, but I bet you and the kids won’t have any trouble thinking about how best to treat a Bible. If you like workbook pages, you’ll enjoy the one in the Busy Bee workbook. If your class isn’t into worksheets, you can simply chat.
- Should you use your Bible as a coaster?
- How about under a table leg to level the table?
- When stacked, the Bible belongs on top, however, we also want to protect our Bible, so setting in on top of a tippy stack of smaller books might not actually be the most respectful location.
- When I pack my Bible in a Backpack, I place it between two other books to protect it.
- Notice how thin the pages are. We want to turn the pages gently and take care to not dog-ear the pages.
Requirement #3: Name the first and last books of the Bible and tell who wrote them.
Have each Busy Bee pull out their Bible and find the first book of the Bible. Many Bibles will tell the authors of each book on the first page of the book. If their Bibles do, they can discover which book is first and who wrote it and also the last book and who is commonly credited with writing it. (Genesis: Abraham; Revelation: John)
Bible Stories
Requirement #4: Tell or act out the following stories:
- Creation
- The First Sin
- Jesus Cares for Me Today
- Jesus Comes Again
- Heaven
This section of the award is the most time-consuming part. I like to break this up over multiple weeks. I read one Bible story at the beginning of the meeting. My favorite Bible storybook is the Jesus Storybook Bible. For “Jesus Cares for Me Today,” we read about Daniel in the Lions’ Den and then discuss how Jesus’ angels protect us now like they protected Daniel. While I am reading, the Busy Bees color the corresponding picture. The pictures are in the Busy Bee workbook. I have shrunk the pictures to the size of trading cards. You can learn more (and grab the free download) here.
Memory Verses
Requirement #5: Locate, read, and discuss three of the following Bible verses about Jesus’ love for you. Memorize and repeat two of them.
- John 3:16
- Psalm 91:11
- John 14:3
- Psalm 23:1
- Your Choice
I break this up over a number of meetings too. We start by using our Bibles to read the verse. Most Busy Bees are not strong readers (or readers at all). However, we can still start teaching them how to use their Bible. I use the method in this video to help kids find the Bible verse.
After each child has found the verse, I read it aloud. If the class is reading well, we can read it altogether in chorus. After we read the verse, we discuss it. Who is speaking? Do we understand all the words? What’s the point of this verse? After we understand the verse, we start the memorization process.
Memory Verse Erase
My club’s favorite memorization game is Memory Verse Erase. I write the verse on a white board (ideally before the meeting starts). We read the verse together once. Then one adventurer erases one word of their choice. We read it again (including the missing word). Another adventurer erases a word. And we repeat this process until the board is blank or they are able to recite the verse.
Although I encourage the kids to recite the verse by themselves, I also welcome them to choose a buddy to recite with them. Yes, the buddy can be an adult. Although Memory Verse Erase is easiest for kids who can read, reading is not essential – as long as the teacher can read. As you read, the kids are listening and will start to join in as they learn. My high school geometry teacher alway said “Repetition is the key to learning.” He said it so often, I’ve never forgotten. And repetition is the best way I know of to learn Bible verses.
Memory Verse Catch
Another game we play is Memory Verse Catch. Write the verse up where everyone can see it. Toss the ball to the first person. Either they say the verse alone or everyone says it together. Throw the ball to the next person, and repeat until either your time is up or the kids know the verse. This works best for shorter verses or reviewing verses you’ve already begun working on. For young first graders, repeating the verse all together will likely work best.
We chose to read John 3:16, John 14:3, and Psalm 91:11. We memorized John 3:16 and John 14:3.
Illustrate a Bible Story or Parable
Requirement #6: Make masks to illustrate a Bible story or parable OR Create a Bible story in a sandbox or with felts.
This year, we used blocks or Lego to illustrate a Bible story. The club has a bin of foam blocks, and I borrowed some of my kids’ Lego. We reviewed all the stories we read this year before we started building. I encouraged the Busy Bees to build whichever Bible story they wanted. Kids chose their building medium – fortunately there was an even divide between using Lego and blocks. I gave them about ten minutes to build. After the building, we went around the circle and each person (kids and adults) showed off their creation and told the Bible story that inspired the build.
The kids enjoyed this activity, and it was exciting to see how much they remembered. Neither the Lego nor the blocks had any people/animals. No one seemed to mind – it just made them get creative in depicting people!
Keeping on Track
I break this award up over five (or more) weeks. To keep track of where each Busy Bee is in finishing their requirements, I use a printed checklist I keep in my Busy Bees notebook. After the meeting, I check off what we have finished that night. You can find the checklist here. (Make a copy of the Google sheet to add your adventurers’ names and to edit to your hearts content!)
Special thanks to my Lego builder for his help on this blog post.
What is your favorite way to help kids memorize verses from the Bible? Please tell me about it in the comments. I’m always looking for new ideas!