Cave men told stories and left messages with pictures. Picturing messages is still fun even though we can use letters for words.

Long before the release my grandsons got to preview The One Year Devotion for Active Boys and give me their feedback. One loved the weekly plexers (picture puzzles of words and phrases) and since then we’ve had fun creating picture and word puzzles for one another.

Here’s a sample of a plexer (answer is at the bottom): Where was Moses put?

NIbasLERIketVER

As a child I loved the doodle puzzles with very simple circles and lines. I enjoyed trying to figure out the messages. Highlights and other kid’s magazines have used rebus puzzles for children to read along or solve for a message.

Books with picture prompts have become popular with kids, especially those struggling with reading. Wreck this Journal, Finish this Book, and My Doodle and Sketch Journal and My Doodle and Sketch Book are a few popular titles.

Several online sites and books use combinations of doodles and prompts to inspire imagination and faith:

http://ministry-to-children.com/sketching-bible-memory-verses/ uses doodles to depict a verse.

http://sundayschoolzone.com/short-bible-verses-for-kids/ uses pictures to aid scripture memory. These are more elaborate drawings to use as memory aids.

http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleVerseVisuals.html#.VVyOQ6aOq0Z uses simple, fun pictures in full color to help children learn scriptures or whole Bible stories.

http://www.picturethescripture.com/how-it-works.html combines humor with pictures in a memory system they sell for memorizing scripture.

Carol McAdams Moore also uses the fun of doodles and pictures to let kids imaginations go wild. A verse and doodle picture prompts them to add their thoughts in her books Dare U 2 Open this Book and Just Sayin’

Answer to plexer: basket in the Nile River