Bible

Does Bible even require a curriculum?

I certainly understand that view. After all, the Bible is sufficient in and of itself, right?
Well, I think at first it may seem so. And there is no substitute for reading the Bible for itself. However, let me just make this point, the Bible was written for us, but not to us.
Hold on, what does that mean?
The Bible spans thousands of years. It contains information about various cultures and was written by dozens of God-inspired men. To be able to understand the application of what the Bible is teaching, we need to do our best to understand the context of who it was written for originally.

In addition, I am a big believer in reading the Bible in a modern language your child can understand. There are several excellent modern translations that your whole family will benefit from reading aloud.

So, you want a Bible curriculum now. Isn't that a pretty easy decision?

At first this may seem like a pretty straightforward subject...
Well, a quick pan around at all the different church denominations out there may give you a different perspective.
Personally, I believe the Bible is the Word of God and has been accurately handed down to us with the information God wanted us to have.
I believe it tells us why we are here, why things are the way they are, how we got here and how we can get out of here.
But, that may not be your view.
When purchasing a Bible curriculum, take some time to look at the statement of faith of the publisher you are interested in. It may save you from trying explain away things you disagree with in the curriculum while teaching your little one.
Nothing is perfect, and it is good to have the habit of reading a bit ahead of your child to see any potential, "oh no they didn't," moments in your chosen curriculum.

Cool Other Stuff

So, we all know that curriculum is cool. Sometimes the curriculum comes with everything you need, but other times you really wish there were more things.
I am a big picture kinda gal. And, especially with Bible, I like to have an idea of when exactly these events were happening. That is why I always recommend timelines and other helpful charts.