Teaching the Bible with the GLC Reading Plans
A Bible reading plan for the whole family that takes 1, 2, 4, or 8 years to get through the entire Bible, chronologically.
Yesterday, my girls read aloud in 1 Samuel, while I assembled ingredients for scones for the tea time we had planned for the day. The girls were reading from our STAR Bible reading plan, and we have chosen the plan that will take us through the entire Bible in four years, just reading on school days, four days a week, for twenty-eight weeks. When my husband walked by and heard the girls reading, he came over to me and whispered "This is good." Yes, it is! Reading God's Word is very good. In fact, I think I could argue, it is the most important subject we study in our homeschool.
One of our tutors at STAR began reading the Bible, cover-to-cover, every year, when she was thirteen years old. I won't tell you how old she is today, but, let's just say, it's been a few years! I am proud to say that she is our apologetics tutor for the fourteen teens we have at STAR this year! Personally, I don't think any degrees or credentials or work experience would matter more than reading her Bible all the way through, every single year.
When I began developing the curriculum for STAR, I knew that guiding homeschool families all the way through the Bible was going to be an essential piece. I hesitated at first, because Bible reading plans can be found through churches and all over the internet. I never want to overload families with too many options to choose from or too many things to do. Of course, I didn't want families feeling like they had to go through their church's "read through the Bible in a year" plan and STAR's plan, too. Nobody needs that kind of stress.
The thing is, so many of those "read through the Bible in a year" plans are overwhelming for the homeschool mom. I have tried them with my kids--multiple times--and I always felt like a failure when I realized that none of us had the capacity to make it through that much reading. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE God's Word. I WANT to get through it with my children. I think, perhaps, I was attempting this when my kids were too young and my voice was getting too tired, reading so much on my own. We also struggled to get through readings seven days per week. The weekends are different. Daddy is off work, and sometimes we do house projects or fun things. I found that we fell behind on our Bible reading plans quite often.
I had a goal of creating a Bible reading plan that was adjustable and doable for a family with children of any ages, and that a mother would be able to get through the plan with her children on school days. And, that the reading load would be less intense, so that if the family has a day full of dentist appointments or a field trip, they can catch up the next day, or on the next break.
This Bible reading plan can be used to read through the Bible in one year, two years, four years or eight years. I will share the reading plan below. The Bible reading plans are free, because I would love for every homeschool family, everywhere, to be reading the Bible. If you would like to join us in reading all of the subjects through the cycles, make sure to subscribe. If you would like to simply go through the Bible with us, you may follow our plans below and on the cycle pages.
These Bible reading plans are in chronological order, and as I mentioned above, the readings are designed for a four day per week schedule.
The charts that follow include weekly assignments instead of daily assignments, as follows:
Cycle 1
You can find the pdf on the Cycle 1 Bible Reading page.
Cycle 2
You can find the pdf on the Cycle 2 Bible Reading page.
Cycle 3
You can find the pdf on the Cycle 3 Bible Reading page.
Cycle 4
You can find the pdf on the Cycle 4 Bible Reading page.
Reading Through the Bible in One Year
In order to read through the Bible in one year, you will need to get through all of the reading scheduled for all four terms of all four cycles. To do this, I suggest that you read both Plans 1 and 2 of Week 1 of every cycle in Week 1. Then move on to Week 2 of every cycle, then Week 3, etc. Alternatively, read four weeks of Plans 1 and 2 in one week's time. Or, read eight weeks of Plan 1 in one week's time and then move on to Plan 2 when all of Plan 1 has been completed.
Reading Through the Bible in Two Years
To read through the Bible in two years, you will need to get through all of the reading scheduled for all four terms of two cycles. To do this, I suggest that you read both Plans 1 and 2 of Week 1 of two cycles in Week 1. Then move on to Week 2 of every cycle, then Week 3, etc. Alternatively, read two weeks of Plans 1 and 2 in one week's time. Or, read four weeks of Plan 1 in one week's time and then move on to Plan 2 the following year.
Reading Through the Bible in Four Years
To read through the Bible in four years, you will need to read Plans 1 and 2 of the cycle you are in. Alternatively, you may choose to read either Plan 1 or Plan 2 of two cycles in a row.
Reading Through the Bible in Eight Years
If you have young children and cannot make it through all of the reading for a one, two or four-year Bible reading plan, choose either Plan 1 or Plan 2. If it is your first time going through this cycle, I suggest starting with Plan 1. The next time you go through this cycle, read Plan 2. By the time you have gone through all four cycles twice, you will have completed the entire Bible with your children--in eight years.
Let your children hear your voice reading the Bible. And, let them practice reading it aloud themselves.
It is so important that our children learn to hear the Word and also read the Word. I do make use of the audio version of Bible Gateway sometimes, when my voice is particularly tired and the chapter consists of a long list of names that are difficult for my girls to pronounce. Mostly, I want them reading the Bible aloud and hearing my voice--their mom's voice--reading God's Word to them. I want that memory stuck in their heads as they mature.
I really hope this reading plan blesses you and encourages your family to dig into God's Word on a regular basis!
Click on the images below to see the cycles: