Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Connect: 

• page numbers and headings help us see our way around God’s Word, like a lamp on a path.

Use one Bible up front and go slowly.

1. Page numbers: “Where do I turn?”

• Show a Table of Contents entry: e.g., “Luke …… page 1,020” (whatever is in your pew Bibles).
• Point: “This number tells me what page to turn to.”
• Actually turn to that page.
• Emphasize: “If the number is bigger, I turn further toward the back. If it’s smaller, I turn closer to the front.”

2. Headings: “What is this part about?”

• With the Bible open to that book, show a bold heading above a paragraph (e.g., “Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand”).
• Explain:

1. “These headings were added later to help us. They are not verses, but they tell us what the next section is about.”
2. “They’re like mini titles that help us quickly find the story we want.”

3. One worked example:
Pick one well-known story (e.g., “Jesus Calms the Storm” or “Daniel in the Lions’ Den,” depending on your Bible’s headings):

• Start with: “We want to find the story of ______.”
• Step 1: Which book? (Kids answer.)
• Step 2: Use TOC to find the page number for that book.
• Step 3: Turn to that page.
• Step 4: Scan headings on the page and the next one until you see a heading that matches or is close to your story name.
• Circle the heading on a poster or write it down to show how it guided you.

Keep bringing it back to: 

• “TOC + page number + headings = powerful combo.”
  

Give each group Bibles and 3–4 simple story prompts (matched to your specific Bible’s headings), for example:

• “Find a heading about Jesus’ birth.”
• “Find a heading about a storm.”
• “Find a heading about a parable/story Jesus told.”
• “Find a heading about the early church.”

For each prompt, they must:

• Decide OT or NT and pick likely book (leader can guide).
• Use the TOC to get the page number and turn there.
• Scan the headings on that page or nearby pages to match the description.
• When they find a heading, they put a small pencil mark or sticky flag at that spot.

Younger groups: 

• leaders can give book names directly (“Look in Luke” / “Look in Acts”) and just practice scanning headings.

Two or more teams, each with one or two Bibles of the same edition (so headings match).

Prepare a list of 6–8 headings or partial headings from your Bible, such as:

• “The Sermon on the Mount”
• “The Birth of Jesus”
• “The Lord’s Supper”
• “The Armor of God”
• “The Fruit of the Spirit” (or whatever your heading style uses)

Relay:

• Leader calls one heading.
• First runner from each team runs back, uses TOC + page number (if they remember the book) + headings to find it.
• When they think they’ve found the right heading, they raise their hand; leader checks.
• If correct, they tag the next runner; if not, the leader gives a hint (“It’s in Ephesians… it’s later in the New Testament”).

Keep the pace light, with lots of “Well done for using your TOC and headings!”

Short, reflective close.

Give each child a small bookmark that says:
“When I’m lost in my Bible, I can use:

• Table of Contents (find the book)
• Page numbers (turn to the right place)
• Headings (see what this part is about).”

Have them place it either at the front (TOC) or at a favorite book.

Pray briefly:

• “Lord, thank You for giving us a Bible we can really open and read. Help us use page numbers and headings wisely to find and love Your Word.”