Bible Reading Teens

I’m sure you remember being a teen. If you were anything like me, reading was not a hobby for you!! And if reading was a hobby, then I would imagine that for many reading the Bible was not in your Top 10 list. Reading the Bible can be a difficult task for adults. It never fails as I try to read the Bible before bed, sleep usually hits me like a mack truck shortly thereafter. I have corrected this by reading after I wake up in the morning.

How can we make sure our teens stay interested in learning and reading God’s Word?

There is no one size fits all answer but I hope to provide some tips I hope you can implement to hopefully make it easier to get them motivated.

#1. Find a Relevant Bible.

There is nothing worse to a teen than reading something that they can’t relate to. I’m sure we all have a King James version lying around somewhere in our house, and many of us still use them, but let’s admit it, it may not be the best teen-friendly version to use. The NIV Teen Study Bible by Zonderkidz is a great option. This Bible includes color maps, fun bible quizzes to test their knowledge, and great relevant study topics that they can apply in their everyday lives. They even offer many different cover design options.

#2. Read with them.

It can be easy to assume that once you tell a teen something that they will listen. However that couldn’t be further from the truth during these years. We need to encourage their study time by actively engaging with them and leading them through their time in the Word.

#3. Reward them.

We have implemented this system in our home. If our kids commit to reading the Bible a certain amount of time each day, they can trade in those minutes for extra time doing other things. If they can quote from memory a passage that they read during the week, then they get extra allowance money. This is a tricky one, as my kids started memorizing whole chapters to increase their payout! I would suggest adding guidelines.

These are just a few examples of how we can encourage our teens to study the Bible. As parents, it is also important that we model the virtues and behavior we want our kids to learn. We want to do as we say.

Any time you can truly help your child connect and learn God’s word is time well spent. You are making an eternal investment.

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Your Turn

What advice would you have to encourage teens to read God’s Word? Leave a comment on our blog! We would love to hear from you about coaching teens in Bible reading!