Bible-in-Life Sunday school curriculum review

Bible-in-Life is David C Cook’s most popular Sunday school curriculum. Its unified lessons cover ages two through adult. With its four basic goals (connect, teach, apply, motivate), Bible-in-Life enables churches to clearly communicate the power of the gospel while motivating life-changing application.

This in-demand curriculum equips students to grow in grace and truth with fun, challenging, and age-appropriate lessons. Already stellar, this curriculum has been updated with input and feedback from committed users, which exemplifies Cook’s commitment to effective, high-quality study materials.

(By the way, if you are looking at this review because you’re trying to choose your next Sunday school curriculum, you might want to check out my complete guide to making that decision.)

What makes Bible-in-Life great

It engages kids with insightful questions

In one study on creation, elementary-aged kids gather in groups to create a new creature of their own (an incredibly fun activity for creative kids). Then they name their creature and share it with the rest of the class. Afterwords they’re asked questions like:

• What things has God created?
• What things have people made?
• What’s the difference between what God created and the things people make?
• Is there anything we use that didn’t come out of something God made?

The genius doesn’t lie in the complexity of these questions, but rather in their simplicity. With this simple line of questioning, kids begin to understand how amazing God’s creation really is, and how all the things people have made have been using God’s creation. That’s a really helpful and mature way for kids to see the beauty and usefulness of creation.

It isn’t easy to come up with simple questions that can help kids come to profound personal discoveries. Throughout Bible-in-Life, you’ll find questions that lead conversation without being obvious and typical.

Connects everyday conversations to biblical wisdom

Every lesson starts with a “Bible Readiness” section. This might include an activity or game, or it might just be a conversation that prepares the kids for jumping into Scripture. Between the “Bible Readiness” section and the Bible study section, there’s a “Tie to the Bible” section that helps the teacher facilitate the segue.

In a December lesson the opening discussion revolved around anticipation for Christmas (a subject every child can contribute to). The “Tie to the Bible” section said, “People in Bible times looked forward to something that is related to our Christmas celebration. God had made a promise that something great would happen. Let’s find out what it was.”

At first glance, it might not seem like an important element of this curriculum, but it actually is. First of all, it helps give teachers a tool to make the connection between one section and the next. But what I love is the way it helps teach kids to make connections between their everyday conversations and scriptural ideas. To teach kids to recognize the intersection between daily conversations and biblical concepts is an incredible byproduct of Bible-in-Life.

It’s made even better through Disciplr

Bible-in-Life is a beloved, fantastic curriculum with a strong history, but having it within the Disciplr ecosystem—the most innovative curriculum format available—takes it to a whole new level. As I scrolled through each lesson’s easy-to-read format, and was able to click links to information and tools I needed, I thought “How did I ever teach Sunday school without this tool?”

The resources I need are a click away. The materials I need for each lesson are already in a list that I can add to and check off depending on what I need and what we already have. All the references are instantly readable through Reftagger integration.

Even the font and layout are perfect for reading and scanning, and adapt to whatever device I’m using. Want to lead Sunday school from your tablet or even your phone? It’s easy.

>> Access all Bible-in-Life lessons with a free trial of Disciplr

What you need to know

Bible-in-Life is best for:

Age range: All from toddler through adults
Denomination: Nondenominational
Bible translation: NIV & KJV
Publisher: David C Cook

Format and media:

Class format: Classroom
Material format: Disciplr
Includes video? No

Timeframes:

Scope and sequence duration: 2 to 3-year cycle (Toddler through High school), 6 to 8-year cycle (Adult)
Follows ISSL? Yes
Mid-Week/Supplemental? No, but lessons can be supplemented with HomeFront, a free monthly resource.