What are the Levels of Biblical Learning?
What are the Levels of Biblical Learning™, anyway? They are biblical concepts—or truths—that kids need to learn as they grow from infancy to the beginning of the teenage years. The concepts are organized by 10 major concept areas, or categories: God, Jesus, Bible, Creation, Family, Self, Church, Community and World, Holy Spirit (school-age only), and Salvation (school-age only). For example under the concept area of God, these are some truths that teachers and parents will want to teach:
• God is good. (Babies–2s)
• God is special. (3s–Pre-K)
• God is special. No one is like Him. (Kindergarten)
• God is special—no one and nothing can be compared to God. (Grades 1–2)
• God is unique—no one and nothing can be compared to Him. (Grades 3–4)
• God is eternal, holy, and perfect. (Preteens)
Kids first learn about these concepts at various life stages as they hear parents and church teachers talk about them. Paul reminds us: “But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? … So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ” (Romans 10:14, 17; HCSB®).
Hearing is only the beginning. The next step is for children to know what the biblical concepts mean as they understand and comprehend Bible truths. This knowledge is more than memorization, although that is often an important element. Knowing God’s Word includes internalizing Bible truths in both the mind and the heart. In writing to his protégé, Timothy, Paul says, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing those from whom you learned, and that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15, HCSB).
So is that it? Hearing and knowing God’s Word? The Bible teaches that obedience is a third necessary component: “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22, HCSB). Kids who are growing spiritually also do God’s Word by applying Bible truths to their everyday lives. However, children who hear God’s Word repeatedly and begin to understand it may not apply Bible truth consistently. Adults need to continually encourage kids to obey God’s teachings.
While we are not responsible for the choices children make, when we help kids hear, know, and do God’s Word, we are laying spiritual foundations for salvation and spiritual transformation. We want kids to learn about Jesus, come to know Jesus personally, and have a lifelong experience of growing to be like Him.
The Levels of Biblical Learning provide the framework for kids to hear, know, and do God’s Word. In other words, they are the biblical concepts that children need to hear, understand, and apply. Think about this idea in the context of building a house. The Levels of Biblical Learning are the blueprint for building the house. Hearing, knowing, and doing God’s Word are the foundation of the house. Kids who know Jesus Christ personally and who are growing to be like Him are the house that God is building. We follow the plans and lay the foundation. God calls children to a personal and eternal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus.
At LifeWay, we work hard to know kids. We take time to understand how they play and how they learn. And we know you need resources you can count on to connect kids to God’s Word—leading them toward knowing Christ and growing in relationship with Him. That’s why LifeWay Kids promises to offer foundational resources that are biblically sound, age appropriate, fun and easy to use. These foundational resources help kids hear God’s Word, know God’s Word, and do God’s Word by learning to apply it to their lives.
LifeWay Kids uses the Levels of Biblical Learning to guide the choices we make regarding what Bible stories and truths are included in all of our curriculum materials—Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, discipleship, and so forth. Examine the content of any month-long Bible study for kids, and you will discover the biblical concepts kids are hearing, knowing, and doing.
Sounds good in theory, right? What about implementation? How can teachers at church help kids hear, know, and do God’s Word with limited time and resources? Purposeful curriculum materials are definitely a must. But as childhood ministry leaders and volunteers, we all know that teaching active kids in the way God has wired them to learn requires a lot of “stuff.” That’s one of the reasons that LifeWay Kids is excited about our new Levels of Biblical Learning Collection resources.
These resources can be used with any curriculum and on any occasion. They include craft packs, bookmarks, games, bulletin board sets, postcards, puzzles, stickers, the ABCs Memory Cross, and digital downloads of life application videos. Teaching a session about the Bible? Download the E-Worship KidStyle Children’s Application Video: Joey B.—Learning to Make Choices, or give kids Bible Did YOU Know? bookmarks (pkg. 25). Need a craft for a session about church? Use the Stained Glass Window craft pack (pkg. 10) to simplify your preparation time. Looking for appropriate stickers? Consider purchasing the Names of God stickers or the Things I Do at Church stickers. Running out of bulletin board ideas? Take a look at the Quick Scene™ Biblical Family Portraits bulletin board set. Wanting kids to think about missions? Provide the Into All the World floor puzzle, or use the Color-in Bible Story Cloth Iron-on craft pack (pkg. 10) to help them tell their friends about Jesus.
At LifeWay Kids we want to provide resources that will equip you to offer kids opportunities to hear God’s Word, know God’s Word, and do God’s Word by applying it to their lives. The Levels of Biblical Learning Collection resources are tools that we have designed to help you teach children truths from God’s Word, truths that can impact kids for eternity.
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