Family Devotions: The Dig for Kids {a Review}

The Dig for KidsSince writing and releasing Clean on the Inside: A Family Devotional for Holy Week this past Easter, many of you have asked about resources for family devotions that you could use throughout the year.

When Ruth from The Better Mom started posting about The Dig for Kids, I was super excited and knew it would be a fantastic resource for you! I e-mailed her, asking if I could review a copy, and when I received it, I wasn’t disappointed.

The Dig for Kids was written by Ruth’s husband, Patrick Schwenk, who is a pastor and a parent to young kids. He’s definitely qualified to teach the Bible to his children, and I love that he has given every other parent a tool to do the same. He says,

“The truth is, every parent should be (and can be) a pastor to his or her children.  The Dig has been my personal desire and attempt to teach our children the Bible from an early age…The Dig is an effort to simply and systematically help you as a parent study through books of the Bible so you can help your child.  Out of the experience you create, biblical principles are learned and lived.”

In the beginning of the book, Patrick shares a few important words about discipling our children. Do you ever feel like you’re the exhausted, grouchy mom ordering everyone to the table to “do devotions” together and then stressing when everyone is distracted and no one is listening? Yea, me too. He has a great reminder and encouragement about that!

This first volume of The Dig for Kids covers Luke 1-12. There are 51 short lessons. Each includes:

• a “map” — this tells you where you’re going and is a summary of the day’s lesson
• the “dig” — the day’s Bible passage and questions to review what you’ve read
• the “treasure” — the key point
• the “display” — a way to apply the “treasure” to your life.

There are also 8 review lessons and coloring pages built into the book to help your child reflect on what you’ve gone over and retain what they’ve learned.

Here’s what I love about the book:

• It gets you and your child into the Word. You are not just reading someone else’s words about the Bible, you are in the Bible, reading together.
• The key point is shared so you know what to focus on. This is especially helpful if, like most parents, you feel inadequate to guide your kids through the Word, unsure of where your focus should be.
• The daily lessons are just the right length to keep your kids engaged. They aren’t too long or complicated, but are simple and to the point.
• It’s systematic. This volume of The Dig for Kids is only the first one! There are many more to come and will help walk you through the Bible with your children.
• It’s portable! Put it on your computer, iPad, Kindle, Nook … you name it! Wherever you are, you can have your family devotional right at your fingertips.
• It’s inexpensive! You can have close to two months worth of family devotions for less than many spend on one trip to Starbucks!

This giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to Sarah for winning the free copy!

Question for you:

Does your family have a scheduled time for family devotions?

*I received a free, review copy of The Dig for Kids, but as always, all opinions are my own!