Several years ago I was planning my homeschool curriculum for the coming school year, and I realized there were a few subjects I didn’t have covered. I was already overwhelmed, knowing when school started I’d be nursing twin infants and have a two-year old to look after.
How could I add more to our plate? With every subject I added, that was more time spent on school.
How Write Through the Bible was Born
Handwriting. Dictation. Vocabulary. Bible Memorization. These were the subjects I needed to add to our homeschool day.
As I pondered the subjects I felt my son needed, I knew there had to be a way to integrate them. There had to be a way to make this all feel less overwhelming.
Thus was born my vision for Write Through the Bible. (I didn’t call it that then. It was just a document on my computer.) I spent time thinking through how I could integrate these subjects. Then, I spent my evenings putting together a printable workbook for my son. I started putting it together in the Spring before my twins were born and had it done by the time we started in the Fall.
It worked really well for us. With Write Through the Bible, I was able to integrate all of these subjects into one daily activity. Let me tell you, I definitely needed simplification that year!
Write Through the Bible Expands
My husband and I just had a baby blog at the time. We hadn’t been at it for long, but as Luke saw how well Write Through the Bible was working for us, he suggested we consider sharing it with the “world” on our blog. If you remember those days—well, you’re just one of a few because we didn’t have many readers back then!
I was uncertain. I didn’t think anyone else would really care about this workbook I came up with for my son. But I figured, why not? We could try. So I asked my dear friend Sarah, a very talented graphic designer, to make us a cute cover for the book. I threw it online. Wow…was I surprised.
Within 6 weeks we had over 4,000 downloads of the book.
People were asking for the book in different fonts, different versions of the Bible, different Bible passages. What started as one book—the book I made for my son—has now turned into 45 workbooks.
Now for Preschoolers! A Junior Version is Born
People started asking for a workbook they could use with younger kids, for kiddos just learning how to write.
I had to mull this over for quite some time. I really wasn’t sure what to do with this request at first. Finally, I began to form a vision for this product, especially as I saw my growing twin boys gearing up for preschool. I wanted it to be interdisciplinary, like it’s predecessor, but it needed a bit of a different spin given it’s focus on a younger age group. I decided to focus on:
- Fine motor coordination
- Beginning letter sounds
- Letter formation
- Bible memory
- Biblical study
- New vocabulary words
We call it Write Through the Bible, Junior.
I’m excited about how this program has turned out. And from preliminary input, I think others are excited too! I absolutely love that I can encourage children to learn and memorize the Bible.
What Others Are Saying…
Here are some of the comments I’ve received via e-mail and on social media about Write Through the Bible, Junior.
“Using our new Write Through the Bible Jr book from @trishagilkerson. Doing the art first to help with dyslexia. I LOVE that he can use his creativity RIGHT in this book to overcome dyslexia!” – Kelli Becton, Adventures In Childrearing
“My son just turned 4 last month and this is really great for him…he looks forward to doing it everyday, unlike the other handwriting book I bought for him a while back. He’s really having fun with cutting and gluing.” – Damian N Gabrielle
“Write Through the Bible, Jr. is a refreshing, scripture-based method to teach writing, improve fine motor development, vocabulary, and Bible memory. I love the 5-step daily lessons that begin with scripture, move on to mechanics and letter recognition and end with prayer. My 5 year old son loved the coloring page and even asked to pray by himself after I did!” – Mandy Pagano Suburban Stereotype
“The 4 year old I watch gets very bored while the babies are napping in the afternoon, so I’m always looking for things for her to do. I printed out all the letter “A” lessons and began going through them with her. She enjoyed it so much that we worked through all of the “A” lessons in one day!” – Kendra, A Proverbs 31 Wife
Want to Learn More?
If you’re interested in learning more about this program, I’d invite you to check out all the details here. If you have a preschooler or Kindergartener that is ready to begin handwriting, I think you (and they) will enjoy this lesson.
I know how busy it can be having young children, so I developed a program that wouldn’t be too overwhelming for mom or child. This is a program that can be completed during the short attention spans our littles have! It also takes virtually no preparation. Pick it up and go!
Is the Write Through the Bible Junior Philipians 2 only? Or is this the first installment? Thanks so much!
Yes. We only have a Philippians 2 version. In the future, we are looking to make more of these. Do you have a passage you’d like us to cover?
Hi, I am considering purchasing the Write Through The Bible Junior Stick and Dot version for my daughter. She is 3 years old (Dec 2011). She has started to take an interest in writing her letters and has been primarily self-directed and loves to write and trace her letters. As of right now she can write 5 uppercase and 3 lowercase letters. She would write all day long if she could. Even though she’s 3, do you think this program would be a good fit for her? We start more structured homeschool this fall with her, but I am looking for tools to feed her love of writing.
Hi Amanda,
I think this could be a good option for your daughter. She is definitely on the young side, but every child develops a little bit differently. You could always purchase the book and if it seemed too advanced, pull it back out in the fall. I’ve done that with numerous books with my kids :). Another option, is if you purchase now during our launch, you’ll also receive the book “Basic Shapes for Beginners” as one of our bonus books. That is a 6 week program you can go through with your daughter that will give her a firm foundation for beginning Write Through the Bible, Junior. I hope that helps!
Trisha
Also, be sure to do plenty of fine motor skill activities with her. That will only strengthen her ability to be a good writer! Here is a post with lots of ideas.