You know the words by heart… "Be kind to your brother." "Say you're sorry." "Listen the first time". You've said them so often your kids can finish the sentence for you. The Relationships Series takes them back to where those words started. They open the Bible, read what God says about the people in their lives, and have His words ready for the next hard moment.
The Relationships Series is a set of five Bible studies that teach kids what Scripture says about obeying, loving their siblings, making peace, serving others, and choosing friends. In every lesson, kids find the answer in Scripture. Each study has 20 daily lessons written for your child's age.
The five studies start close to home and work their way out. Your kids begin with what God says about obeying Him and honoring the parents He gave them. From there they move on to loving their brothers and sisters, handling conflict, serving others, and choosing good friends. These are the people your kids are dealing with every day, and each study gives them a fresh chance to love them God's way.
One mom told us her son grew in his “heart to serve, obey, and maintain peace with his sibling.”
Watch to see what happens when the whole family studies what God’s Word says about relationships.
You're finishing the dishes when it starts. Someone took someone's seat. Someone said something mean. Within a minute you're standing between them, hearing both sides and deciding who's right.
Other days it's a different fight. Arms crossed, feet planted, and a small voice saying, "You can't make me." Or your daughter comes home hurt by a friend, and you're searching for the right thing to say.
That doesn't mean something's wrong with your family. Kids who live in the same house are going to bump into each other, and they're still learning how to get along God's way. They're in training, not taking the final exam.
But when the same fights keep coming back, it's hard not to wonder if anything you say is getting through.
Your kids can hear it straight from God's Word.
When I was a little girl, my mom would always say my sister and I were fighting like cats and dogs. I've been there with my own kids, too. That's why I wrote My Brother's Keeper: to help siblings understand God's purpose for their relationship. My kids have done it four times. We need a little practice. It's probably true in your house, too.
There's a difference between hearing Mom say, "You need to forgive your brother," and opening the Bible to read what God says about forgiveness.
When your kids read the answer in Scripture, you're no longer the one who has to win the argument. Your authority still stands, and God's Word is what it stands on. You can point them to what God says instead of trying to find the perfect words yourself.
Recognize what God says about authority and make wise choices about who to obey.
Take greater responsibility for how they treat their brothers and sisters.
Work through disagreements with practical, biblical steps instead of simply reacting.
Notice opportunities to use their gifts to serve God by serving the people around them.
Recognize the qualities of a good friend and make wiser choices in their own friendships.
Recognize what God says about authority and make wise choices about who to obey.
Take greater responsibility for how they treat their brothers and sisters.
Work through disagreements with practical, biblical steps instead of simply reacting.
Notice opportunities to use their gifts to serve God by serving the people around them.
Recognize the qualities of a good friend and make wiser choices in their own friendships.
Kids can handle sound doctrine. We hold that the Bible is the absolute authority in matters of faith and practice, so we never print the verse for them and we don't teach along denominational lines. Every question sends your child to their own Bible, in whatever translation is already on your shelf.
Kim Sorgius Jones holds an M.Ed. in curriculum design and taught kindergarten through second grade for ten years, which is why every study comes in three age levels plus a Parent Guide. These five studies deal with how your kids treat the people closest to them, so every lesson starts with the same question: what does God say? As Kim tells parents, "Answers are in the Bible." We can show your kids where to find them. The change in their heart is God's work, not ours.
You hear it from the kitchen. You hear what you’ve heard a hundred times by now: raised voices, a toy being yanked away, then name-calling you won't even repeat.
You put down the dish towel and head for the doorway, already working out what you'll say.
It goes quiet before you get there. Then you hear him mumble, "Okay, I take that back. That's kind of calling God a liar." His sister says, "Yeah, it is," with way too much satisfaction.
You're still standing in the doorway, holding a dish towel. The Word got there before you did.
It won't go this way every time. They're still kids, and some days you'll be the one stepping in. But they've read it in God's Word for themselves, and they're starting to catch it before you have to. That's what these studies build, one short lesson at a time, with a Bible open in their lap.
Inside every study: a daily key verse to look up, questions, an activity at your child's level, and a closing prayer. The Parent Guide adds discussion questions and tips for leading the family conversation.
Note: The box and bonus items are not included with the Parent Guide set.
Each child needs their own books at their age level. One bundle includes all five studies at that level, so choose a bundle for each level your children need. The Parent Guide is a separate set and does not include the box or bonus items.
No. My Brother’s Keeper is written for siblings, but Obey, Making Peace, Becoming a Servant, and Navigating Friendships fit every child.
Your kids will still be kids. These studies take them to God’s Word and give your family truths to return to when the next disagreement comes. One mom said, “The kids still act like kids, but they have more language and reference points for godly behavior and character.”
No. Obey teaches kids who God asks them to obey. It also includes a lesson on when to say no and get help, such as when an adult asks them to keep something from their parents.
Each study stands on its own, so start with what your family needs right now. If you’re unsure, Kim recommends beginning with Obey, because obeying God comes first in every other relationship.
We are Bible-believing evangelical Christians. It's our mission to create products that handle the Word of God accurately and literally. We aim to get families into the Word for themselves and challenge them to read and think about it carefully rather than relying on the words and ideas of others. We believe all families should be asking about the theology of the resources they use, as nothing is neutral and everything has a worldview. Here is what we believe:
The Bible is God's Word and the final authority for everything we believe and how we live. It is completely true and trustworthy in all that it says, given to us by God down to its very words. There is one God who has always existed as three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God created all things, including human beings, by His own direct act. Salvation is a free and forever-secure gift, received by grace through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus came in human flesh, was born of a virgin, and rose bodily from the grave. He will one day return in person, in His own body, to reign on the earth for a thousand years. This return will be personal, bodily, and premillennial.
Read our complete Statement of Faith here.
This is by far the most common question we get around here. Please check out this video. I'll show you the differences between the levels and walk you through how to use them as a family!
Each Bible study is a slightly different length, ranging from 20 lessons to 28 lessons. We suggest doing one lesson a day. Most kids find that it takes about 15 minutes a day.
There is no scripture written out in our studies, only references. When it comes to growing faith, it's crucial that kids look up passages in the Bible for themselves and our studies are written to help them do that!
We study and write using ESV, as well as a variety of translations. Special attention has been given to make sure kids can answer questions regardless of the translation they are using.
