Nobody. Everything we know had a beginning — people, animals, the world. God is the one thing that did not. That is hard for grown-ups too, so it is fine to say so: “God has always been there, and that is why He could make everything else.”

Be plain and gentle. Death is real, it is sad, and God is sad about it too. Then say the Christian hope simply: Jesus died and came back to life, and He has promised that death is not the end of the story for those who belong to Him.

Does God still love me when I am naughty?

Yes — and this is worth saying out loud often. God's love is not a reward for being good. He forgives, and He helps us do better next time. A child who believes love must be earned will hide from Him instead of coming to Him.

Is the Bible true, like really true?

Yes — it is a record of real people, real places and real things God did. Some parts are poems and pictures, and it is good to say which is which. Honesty about the hard bits makes the rest believable.

Why does God let bad things happen?

The Bible does not pretend this away. It says the world is broken, that God hates the brokenness, and that He came into it Himself rather than staying away from it. “God is not the one doing the bad thing, and He is not far away from you in it.”

For parents

Family Bible time, in ten minutes, without it falling apart.

Most family Bible time dies of ambition — too long, too clever, too dependent on everyone behaving. Here is the small version that survives real evenings, what changes at each age, and honest answers to the questions children actually ask.

Start with a free page See the story books

The ten-minute plan

1. Pick the same ten minutes every day

Not the best ten minutes — the most likely ten. After supper, or the last thing before lights out. A time that already exists survives; a new time in the diary does not.

2. Read one short piece, out loud

One story, or a handful of verses. Read it yourself, slowly. You do not need to explain it first — children take in far more from hearing it read warmly than from being taught at.

3. Ask one question, not five

“What do you think that was like?” or “What did God do there?” One question invites talking. A list of questions turns it into school.

4. Give their hands something to do

A colouring page from the same story lets a young child stay in the room without having to sit still. Older children can draw the moment they liked best. Busy hands make longer conversations.

5. Pray in one or two sentences, then stop

Thank God for one thing, ask for one thing. End while everyone still wants more. Ten good minutes done daily beats forty minutes done once.

What to do at each age

The same story, told at the right length. This is exactly how our books are built.

Ages 1–2

3–5 minutes

One picture, one sentence, one name for God. Repetition is the whole lesson — the same story every night for a week is a win, not a rut.

Ages 2–5

5–10 minutes

A whole short story with a clear beginning and end. They will ask the same question again tomorrow; answer it the same way. Colouring while you read works beautifully here.

Ages 6–9

10–15 minutes

They want the details and the fairness of it: why did that happen, was that kind? Read the real passage, not only the retelling, and let them argue a little.

Ages 10–12

15–20 minutes

Now the honest questions arrive. Let them. Say “I don't know, let's look” when it is true — that answer builds more trust than a tidy one.

The hard questions children ask

Who made God?: Nobody. Everything we know had a beginning — people, animals, the world. God is the one thing that did not. That is hard for grown-ups too, so it is fine to say so: “God has always been there, and that is why He could make everything else.”
Why do people die?: Be plain and gentle. Death is real, it is sad, and God is sad about it too. Then say the Christian hope simply: Jesus died and came back to life, and He has promised that death is not the end of the story for those who belong to Him.
Does God still love me when I am naughty?: Yes — and this is worth saying out loud often. God's love is not a reward for being good. He forgives, and He helps us do better next time. A child who believes love must be earned will hide from Him instead of coming to Him.
Is the Bible true, like really true?: Yes — it is a record of real people, real places and real things God did. Some parts are poems and pictures, and it is good to say which is which. Honesty about the hard bits makes the rest believable.
Why does God let bad things happen?: The Bible does not pretend this away. It says the world is broken, that God hates the brokenness, and that He came into it Himself rather than staying away from it. “God is not the one doing the bad thing, and He is not far away from you in it.”

When it goes wrong

They will not sit still.

They do not have to. Give them a colouring page from the story and read while they colour. Listening happens with hands busy.

We keep missing days.

Do not restart from scratch and do not apologise. Pick it up tonight where you left off. Missing three days is not failing; quitting is.

My child says it is boring.

Usually it is too long, not too dull. Halve it. Read the story, ask one question, stop. Boredom almost always means minute eleven.

I do not know enough to teach it.

You are not teaching a class, you are reading with your child. Reading a story well and saying “I don't know, let's find out” is enough — and it is honest.

Bedtime is chaos.

Move it to breakfast or the car. Nothing about family Bible time requires a bed or a candle.

Start tonight with one free page

Print it, read the story while they colour, ask one question, pray one sentence. That is a whole family Bible time.

See the free pages

Or take the preparing off your plate entirely.

Every ADAM Ministries story is already written for a specific age, with the memory verse, the questions to ask and the colouring pages in the same book. You open it and read.

See every story