Why I Created the Words and Speech Family Bible Study
You spoke. I listened.
You said you were using the Ruby’s Rambles kids’ Bible studies as part of your family devotional time. I heard that you needed better resources for families to study the Word together – not just homeschool Bible curriculum for your kiddos to use independently.
So I made something for you. And I’m looking forward to hearing if this meets the need you have. If so, I plan to create more studies on more topics. (Please message me if there’s a specific topic or theme you would like to see a study created for. I’m listening!)
Why a Words and Speech Family Bible Study?
I think every parent has a moment (okay, more than one) when they realize that the words and conversations at their house are not the kinds of words and conversations they want to be hearing around their home.
Sometimes it’s because there is a child who is testing out whether lying will be beneficial to them or not. (Age 5, anyone? Developmentally appropriate, but can be SO challenging to navigate in a loving and effective way as a Christian parent.)
Sometimes it’s because there is a lot of potty-talk. (No? Just my house? I am a #BoyMom, after all.)
Sometimes it’s because they realize their own words are sounding angry, harsh, unkind, and the younger members of the family are starting to copy what they are hearing. (I know it can’t be just me that has had moments of noticing this.)
And sometimes there’s a stage of intense bickering between siblings, or of tattling, or of angry flare-ups over silly things.
While this Bible study won’t address all the underlying factors for WHY those things happen (and they are worth looking into!), I hope that the discussions that happen around these verses will help bring awareness to the whole family of just how powerful our words are, and of how God wants us to use our words and speech.
How To Use This Words and Speech Study
Any member of the family old enough to write should be given their own copy of the study questions to answer. Any member of the family too young or unable to write answers in their own Bible study notebook will still be able to participate in answering questions verbally, and in the discussions that happen as verses are read. I recommend having each member of the family take turns reading the verses (as possible).
Family members that are unable to either read or write should be given other ways to participate. For example, they could illustrate the verses read with paper and crayons.
This study begins with going verse-by-verse through James chapter 3 to provide a solid foundation for the WHY of controlling our tongues in our words and speech.
The second section of this study takes a closer look at verses throughout the Bible that involve the tongue, speech, and conversation – the HOW of it all. As you work through this section, I recommend your family create two lists as a group project. (You can use notebook paper, although a poster for your wall would be more effective. It’s helpful to have this comparison side by side while working through these verses, and to use as a visual reminder even after the study is complete.) List one: Ways we should use our tongue and our words. List two: Ways we should NOT use our tongue and our words.
Feel free to use this study in the best way for your own family. You may choose to read only one or two verses each day. You may decide to work through 5-6 verses each day because you have older kids with longer attention spans. My personal recommendation is to spend 10-15 minutes, leaving plenty of that time for discussion about the verses and about how it applies to our lives.
I have purposely not included much (if any) personal commentary, as the point of this study is to help YOUR family dig deep into Scripture. One of the main reasons Ruby’s Rambles exists is to provide tools and training for HOW to study Scripture. This family study is no exception. The questions in this PDF printable are intended only as prompts to encourage a closer look at the verses, to provide discussion points, and to urge personal application of God’s Word.
Happy studying!