Visual Faith For Kids

Visual Faith For Kids

As a former Early Childhood Educator I have seen many students with many different learning styles.   All children enjoy a kinesthetic/tactile learning environment where learning takes place while manipulating or touching objects. Most children retain material better in this setting rather than sitting and listening and sitting and watching. As a Children's Minister I understand that faith formation at an early age is important.

This blog post is to encourage parents and teachers to explore the world of Visual Faith, Praying in Color and Bible Journaling with their children and students.

Illustrating the Scripture

This student who attended Summer Sunday school last year used watercolors to give her  journal page some color . She then wrote Matthew 5:16 on some scrap paper that she found and also created the focal piece, which she wanted to be the sunshine. From the verse she created two statements that simplified the passage. God is our Path. The sun is our light.

This journal page was created by cutting apart a verse printed from the computer and glueing it to the page. A simple encouragement card and stamped footprints illustrated Proverbs 3:8

A small travel size notebook is perfect to have students doodle a scripture passage using different colors of pens/markers, stickers and other assorted craft type supplies. Giving the page a tab using a descriptive word helps to give the passage a personal meaning.

Gifting the Scriptures

Repurpose large flash cards. Washi tape and free words of faith printables found on the web make fun bookmarkers or gifts for sharing.

Using faith based stamps and craft supplies turns a plain brown tag into a meaningful way to share encouragement or a favorite scripture.

Illustrating on the Bible Page

One of my sweet 1st graders had parent permission to take her own bible and illustrate the crucifixion and the resurrection. 

Workshops and Bible Studies

At a recent Visual Faith workshop this sweet child made paperclip bookmarks for bibles and journals  using fabric and washi tape. She had a whole room full of adults wanting her paperclip goodness. With her big ole servant heart she gladly gave them away.

Free Resources

Doodle art has become very popular with children and adults. Doodle Art Alley has many designs and scripture pages for free downloads. For several years now I have used this prayer doodle to encourage children to pray for their friends. Each Sunday at the end of class I turn on soft music and each child child writes the names of friends who were not in attendance in the white space of the word. In addition they always include the pastors and their family on their prayer page. They then color the doodles until the music stops. Almost always, you can hear a pin drop in the room and no one gets up until the music is over. Interesting isn't it.

Older children enjoy using the "Hey God" page. I wanted to take them a step futher in their meditations to ask prayers on behalf of themselves as well as family and friends and to practice gratitude. This page offers space to color and to make brief comments in each section. I have saved this page as a jpeg so you should be able to click and save it and print it.

This baptism activity sheet serves a tool for the worship service when a baptism is taking place . One can be reminded of their own baptism. It is a jpeg file as well.

Classroom Devotional Calendar

Middle schoolers might enjoy marking the passage of time using sticky notes made from devotionals. This is a past calendar hanging in my office. For this particular month I decided to post points or phrases that I wanted to remember for the daily devotion. Some are doodles and some are just filled with many words.This is a great concept for day planners using the smaller sticky notes.

Get the word out ! Take advantage of people traffic.

I have created a display outside of my office for scripture coloring sheets, encouraging those throughout the week and on Sunday morning with ways to add to their prayer life. Praying the scriptures is a great  way to put the verse to memory and mediate on what the meaning is for each individual. Take it one step further and find the verse in the bible and perhaps make notes in the margin or illustrate on the bible page. Faith based coloring books can be found everywhere these days. I recently purchased praying the Psalms and praying Proverbs at my local Dollar General Store.

Share your Faith!

I enjoy my time in my bible. Coloring. Doodling. Praying the scriptures. Gives me focus. Calms my nerves. Gives me strength and courage to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

For The Next Generation

And my HOPE is that one day it will be a source of comfort, encouragement, direction and strength to others. Here, in between this leather cover, is my legacy of faith. The most important possession I can leave behind.

My seven year old grand daughter has her own Inspire Journaling/Coloring Bible and when she visits she has her space to slow down and quiet down.

A portable art cart with all kids of pencils, crayons, markers, stamps and stickers keeps supplies in one place and ready for her. She is an organizer....it has to be kept this way! Notice the orange porcupine pencil holder. It was her great grandmothers, a second grade teacher. I am sure it had a place on her desk in her classroom.

Visual Faith for kids ! Yes, indeed. Perhaps praying can be works of art. Perhaps scripture can be gifted rather than just put to memory. And perhaps coloring is more than just coloring!

For more information on Visual Faith workshops and bible study groups contact me 

Belinda Bost, Children's Minister , Concordia Lutheran Church and Christian Day School 

bbost@concordianc.org