Auditory Learners and the Bible

One of the things my mom talks about is the need for parents to think ahead to the skills and knowledge their children will need. Although no parent can see the future, parents do have insight into their child’s personality, strengths and weaknesses, interests, and can make some educated guesses about what their child needs to know.

Here is my question I’ve been asking myself:

How can I help an auditory learner learn to take responsibility for learning the Bible? Because the Bible is written, a strong reader already is able developmentally to learn the Bible (with the Holy Spirit’s working, but I’m talking about apart from that). But what about children who cannot read well? Or children who can read well, but really don’t learn from reading as well as from listening? If a preferred way to learn is by listening, the child is listening to another person, and can easily develop an attitude of wanting someone else to take responsibility for spiritual growth.

• Through music– certainly
• Audio Bible– important  (need to download for the mp3s in the house)
• Encourage taking notes in church– need to be an example if I think this is important
• Somehow getting scripture into the internal audio in the brain– systematic memorization
• Helping my children understand how they learn. Why learning in one way is easier (and sticks better) than another way.
• I need to encourage the enthusiastic hearers of the Word, but not neglect to encourage the obedience of the Word. How a person learns is not as important as what a person obeys.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

I started this topic of thinking by worrying about my children, but I’m encouraged as I remind myself that spiritual growth is not dependent on the linguistic sensitivity of my children. I do need to be helping my auditory learners know how to fill their minds with Scripture, but I need to be teaching them all that we must not merely be hearers of the Word, but doers also.