by: Brian Fong

Q. What's the right age to start giving a Bible quiz to my child?

A. The moment that she is able to recognize pictures or symbols. It's never too soon to start teaching a child about God, and a Bible quiz is an outstanding way to do it.

When most people think of a quiz they think of a series of written questions and multiple choice answers. While that may be the way most quizzes work, there's no law that says it's the only way. And even if there is such a law, I, the Great Quizmaster, hereby decree that such law is rescinded!

Even if a child cannot read, they are able to identify pictures, shapes, and colors very early. They also learn to listen, and reason, long before they even learn to talk. With this in mind, you can design a Bible quiz that appeals to any age group. Hey, why focus on just children? Anyone of any age will surely benefit from a Bible quiz.

The easiest way to design a Bible quiz for small children is to tie it in to an age appropriate Bible story. You can find pictures and drawings on the Internet that match concepts that were explained in the story. Print the pictures and paste them to a piece of paper. Then ask your child questions and have them point to the picture that corresponds to the question.

As the child gets older you can replace the picture quiz with a standard Bible quiz that has questions which are appropriate for the child's reading level.

If you want to design a bible quiz for older children or adults, then you need a whole different type of Bible quiz. Rather than designing a quiz that forces them to remember specific Bible passages, you might find that it is easier to keep their attention if you focus on conceptual Bible issues. For example, you may want to ask what the significance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey was. This enables you to design a bible quiz that tests the quiz taker's understanding of the Bible rather than their ability to memorize passages that they may not understand.

If you find that you have a knack for creating a good Bible quiz, you might want to ask your Pastor or Priest if you can have the Bible quiz posted on the Church's web site or printed in the weekly bulletin. People love quizzes and a Bible quiz is a wonderful way to entertain and bring the love and power of God into someone's life.

The Bible says "God's Word never returns to Him void but accomplishes that whereunto it was sent". With that in mind, who knows what will be accomplished when you send a Bible quiz out in God's name.