Published by Moody Publishers on June 6, 2023
Genres: Children's, Bible Stories
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Helping kids fall in love with God and His Word as they study the Bible for themselves.
What to Wear is your kids’ journey into their truest identity—Jesus Christ!
The Apostle Paul tells us that our identity is in Christ, and we need to dress the part. All who follow Jesus—kids included—must take off and put on certain things. What to Wear is an eight-part study of these items of “clothing” Paul teaches about in Colossians 3. How do we put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love?
This study shows your kids how Jesus perfectly embodies these virtues and how He enables us to grow in them. Apart from Jesus Christ, our attempts to form these traits in our children will fail. Yet when tied to identity in Christ and our belonging in the church, we see the fruit of these qualities developed in our minds and hearts.
Kids are encouraged to learn algebra, science, instruments, and athletics. The goal of this study is to help our kids live into their calling to know and love Jesus by studying His Word. In this study, kids will learn the method of observation, interpretation, and application. As kids learn how to read the Bible for themselves, they’ll also grow to delight in God’s Word.
What to Wear provides the encouragement and guidance needed for your kids journey into looking like Jesus!
In this Bible study for kids, Catherine Parks takes her readers through Colossians 3:1-14, helping kids understand what it means to put on Christlike character. There are eight lessons in the book, each with material for five days of study. The daily sections are typically about three pages long, and there are different fill-in-the-blank comprehension exercises and reflection questions. At the beginning of each week, Parks shares a brief anecdote to illustrate an ethical dilemma or a frustrating situation, and then she helps kids study Bible passages. At the end of each week, she encourages kids to write an ending to the opening anecdote, imagining how the characters might choose to react based on that week’s lesson.
Although this Bible study is primarily about Colossians 3:1-14, it also covers multiple different passages from the gospels, moving through Christ’s ministry, death, and resurrection. As Parks guides children through the study, she highlights how Jesus lived out each of the virtues listed in Colossians, and she writes about the importance of forgiveness in Him and sanctification through the Holy Spirit. She addresses the heart issues behind why it’s so difficult for us to be compassionate, humble, and gentle, and instead of giving kids a checklist for behavior modification, she leads them to Christ. The gospel focus helps this book stand out from others that tend to focus more on how adults want kids to act.
What to Wear: A Kids Bible Study on Looking Like Jesus is great for older elementary students and middle schoolers. This study covers universal issues with explanations and applications that are geared towards a young audience, and even though some of the examples will seem a little too young to some middle school students, the author never talks down to her readers and doesn’t try to be trendy. Parks’s voice feels authentic and honest throughout the book, and this is a great option for families who are looking for a meaningful, gospel-centered Bible studies for tweens.