Use Adapted Books to Teach Bible Verses -

Use adapted books to teach Bible verses

Use adapted books to teach Bible verses to children with disabilities, and learn how to use adapted books to create meaningful connections between children and faith. In this blog post, we’ll talk about how to use adapted books to teach Bible verses to children with disabilities.

What are adapted books?

Adapted books are interactive tools that include language that children with disabilities can understand. They also allow for children to move pictures to stay engaged in the lesson. because when eyes are looking and ears are listening, brains are learning!

Why do I need adapted books in disability ministry?

Adapted books are helpful for children with mild-to-moderate-to-significant disabilities, and they can:

help children stay focused on the lesson because they have something to look at
help head off unwanted behaviors because you are giving the child something to touch that goes with the story. In other words, the child isn’t touching others or looking for things to throw.
provide meaningful language for children because children with disabilities often need multiple meaningful repetitions of concepts for true understanding. Adapted books help get in those repetitions.

Adapted books help children learn new words and concepts

The Bible is full of words and concepts that are familiar to us as adults but not always to children. The patterns in Bible verses don’t always match our everyday language and can be particularly hard for children to understand. Adapted books break down the meanings of Bible verses so that children can understand the meaning.

Not sure if an adapted book will work for the children you serve? Here is a free Adapted Bible Verse Book for you to try out.

Here are the downloads!

How do I use adapted books in my ministry?

During the lesson, open a Bible and read the verse. Always read from The Bible so that children know where the instructions is coming from. Then, while The Bible is still open, go through the adapted book. While you are retelling the verse, you or a buddy can encourage the child to move the corresponding picture over.

Children with disabilities learn best when lessons are repeated, so you can repeat the adapted book for 2+ Sundays in a row.

Some ideas for using the adapted books:

If a child has significant disabilities, guide them to point to a picture OR hold up two pictures and ask them to point to one picture, making the correct choice very obvious.
If a child thinks the book is for younger children, ask them to read it to a younger child. They get the instruction plus the ability to help.
If a child purposefully chooses the wrong picture, read it and laugh, and then place the correct picture in the spot. It is always okay to lead the child to the right answer and reinforce them.
If a child talks about a page or picture, follow their lead and continue the conversation.

Conclusion

Children with disabilities often learn more when adapted books are used. Use adapted books to help children with disabilities learn the words and meanings of Bible verses.

To gain access to ALL our visual supports, Join The Adapted Word Membership!

Here you will find hundreds of lessons and an ongoing addition of resources.

Use Adapted Books to Teach Bible Verses