Daily Devotion
Flexible plan for family devotion, daily homeschool devotion, or studying on one's own
1. Bible reading. Read the Bible account (provided in the God's Word icon at the top of the page) from an age-appropriate Bible history or the Bible. For middle-graders, consider using the NIrV Bible which is written at about a grade 3-4 level. Read aloud or have children read silently to themselves.
2. Story. Read the Pairable story. The story will refer to the Bible account and illuminate its core meaning.
3. Discussion. Discuss what the children in the story discover and how it parallels the Bible account.
4. Prayer. Close with the prayer at the end of the Pairable. Encourage kids to add their own prayer.
Bonus: Check out the Pairables blog for related activities, games, and recipes.
Bible in Two Years
Weekly plan for Sunday schools or small groups based on a 30-minute session to read 104 major accounts of the Bible in two years.
1. Bible reading. Read the Bible account (provided in the God's Word icon at the top of the page) from an age-appropriate Bible history or the Bible. For middle-graders, consider using the NIrV Bible which is written at about a grade 3-4 level. Bible readings are 5-10 minutes. Longer stories can be summarized by leader.
2. Story. Read the Pairable story. The story will refer to the Bible account and illuminate its core meaning. Story is about 5 minutes.
3. Discussion. Discuss what the children discover in the story discover and how it parallels the Bible account. 5-10 minutes.
4. Prayer. Close with the prayer and encourage children to add their own prayers, as a group or privately.
Four Days per Week
For curriculums that reserve a day for hymnology, praise music, or recitation of memory verses
Monday - Bible lesson: Read the account in the Bible or age-appropriate Bible history book. Discuss.
Tuesday - Life application: Read the Pairable story and prayer. Discuss.
Wednesday - Bible verse: Re-read the verse at the top of the story. Discuss its Bible context. Think of how it applies to the story and daily life.
Thursday - Bible search: Use a Bible to look up both the account and the memory verse. Search for other verses on the same topic in the concordance, in the Pairables Bible index, or online.
Bible in a Year
Weekly plan for Sunday schools or small groups to read 104 major accounts of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in one year.
1. First Bible reading. Read the Bible account (provided in the God's Word icon at the top of the page) from an age-appropriate Bible history or the Bible. For middle-graders, consider using the NIrV Bible which is written at about a grade 3-4 level. Bible readings are 5-10 minutes. Longer stories can be summarized by the leader.
2. Story. Read the Pairable story and prayer. The story will refer to the Bible account and illuminate its core meaning. Story is about 5 minutes.
3. Discussion. Discuss what the children discover in the story and how it parallels the Bible account. 5-10 minutes.
4. Break. Take a snack or stretch break. 5 minutes.
5. Second Bible reading. Repeat the process with the next Bible account. 5-10 minutes.
6. Second story. Repeat the process with the next story and prayer. 5 minutes.
7. Discussion. Discuss the second story. 5-10 minutes.
8. Bible progress. Encourage children with a progress chart. Mark their chart after each lesson and give stickers or small incentives to celebrate progress.