Skip to main content

Strategies for Making Bible Bee Part of Your Summer Routine

 

Summer can be a challenging time to do regular Bible study and memorization.  Between special summer activities, vacations, and other commitments, you may be struggling to get through the Discovery Journal units each week.  Here are some ideas that may help as you find ways to fit Bible Bee into your family's normal routines.

Be the Early Bird

Do Bible Bee first thing in the morning once you are ready for the day.  Get it done before you head out the door for those fun summer activities.

Be Consistent

Find a time of day that you can commit to studying every day (or which ever days of the week you determine).  Make sure that you sit down with your Bible and Discovery Journal at that time each and every day, even if you are unfocused, have interruptions, or have a shorter time that day to do it.  Sometimes building a habit means that you have to make the thing happen no matter what.

Pockets of Time

Is there a time of day when your children normally do homework?  Or a little down time that naturally happens before or after meals?  Sometimes we just need to look at what our days/weeks look like to find those little pockets of time to fit in a new habit.

Weekends

I know!  Weekends are often harder than the weekdays, but if you have time, consider completing an entire unit of the Discovery Journal over the weekend.  Make some printable flashcards or a Quizlet set that you can review during the week.

Every Other Day

If studying every day doesn't work, set aside 2-3 days a week.  This could be consistent throughout the entire summer (i.e. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) or it can change each week depending on what your schedule allows.  Be sure to work through 2-3 lessons each session.

Have Some Fun

Sometimes, the best way to motivate our kids to do something is to do it with them.  Try a family study session.  Sit together at the table and work independently or go through the lessons together.  What about a group review session?  You can simply open up the Discovery Journal and ask some simple review questions, or create a game such as BINGO or Jeopardy.  Add in a fun snack, some good music, or a special treat at the end to boost morale.

Blitz Bible Bee

No one wants to cram, but the reality is that sometimes we have weeks that are so busy that we struggle to fit in Bible Bee each day.  Find the days or weeks (even the weekends) when you have a little more free time than usual and blitz through as much of the Discovery Journal and review that you can.

Don't Give Up!

Finally, don't give up!  Even you feel as if you are behind in the Discovery Journal, keep working.  Giving up ensures that you won't finish.  A little persistence can go a long way to helping you reach the finish line.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everything We Did to Prepare for NBCC 2025

Each year, as we begin our journey of studying for the National Bible Bee Competition, I try to reach back to the recesses of my brain to remember what we did *last* year. There are, of course, things that we do every year, but things are always changing and I find that I am constantly making adjustments. Also, getting started with study materials is daunting, even if you have been doing it for several years. So, in the name of posterity and as a help to others (and my future self), I decided to document the study materials that we actually used this year. My preparation focuses on materials for the Study Passage (useful for everyone) and all things related to Primaries. Our Junior kids are often somewhere in between independence and needing some support, so I did have some Junior-specific materials this year. However, the Seniors are on their own! Mom's BB Notebooks. :) Planning Gathering study materials for NBBC is a big task, and like all big tasks, planning is key. I usually st...
1 comment
Read more

All About Cross-References, Part 2

Continued on from here .  What about context? Context is the key to interpreting Scripture.  The list below may seem overwhelming, but it is really just a list of questions that you can ask about a passage of Scripture to help you understand its meaning in its literary, historical, geographical, and cultural context. Not every questions applies to every passage. The best place to begin is by asking yourself, "What information is not provided in the passage that is necessary for me to understand what is being said/what is happening?" Here are some considerations as you get started. When looking at the context of cross-references, it is important to note the following: Literary Style - What type of writing is the passage?  Then ask some of the questions listed under each style.  You do not need to ask all of the questions.  In fact, some passages will not have answers to all of them.  For descriptions of the styles look here . Epistle Who is writing? Who i...
Post a Comment
Read more

NBBC 2025: A Bible Bee Mom's Perspective

As I was preparing two dozen sandwiches in our family's three-bedroom suite at the Kalahari Resort, the thought crossed my mind that I could document what Nationals week looks like from a mom's perspective. Why should the kids have all the fun recording their memories from such a monumental week? At the time, I was thinking that I would mainly focus on practical things: How do we feed everyone? How do we get people ready for various rounds of competition? What does it *really* look like for our family of eleven to attend the NBBC? You know, those "behind the scenes" type thing. I didn't realize that this would be the end of a long chapter for our family's participation in the NBBC. NBBC Meal Prep Hack: make sandwiches ahead of time to grab on busy days. Our very first time going to NBBC was in 2015. Our oldest son Joshua was eight and our oldest daughter Hannah was seven. It was a long drive from Virginia to San Antonio, and it was a stressful week with six ch...
Post a Comment
Read more