Bible Tabs: What They Are, Why They Help & How To Use Them

**Thanks to Dayspring for providing the tabs used in this post. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

If you ask me, anything that helps us to get into the word more readily is ALWAYS a good thing and I love finding tools that can help with that. Today, we are going to take an in depth look at one such tool- Bible Tabs: what they are, why I like using them, and how to apply in your Bible. Let's break it down, shall we?

What are Bible Tabs?

Simply put, they are-as the name suggests- tabs that go in your Bible. When I've talked about Bible tabs in the past in relation to Bible journaling, I am typically speaking of the more decorative tabs that can add visual interest and help us mark pages to find particular topics later. These are fantastic, but for today's post we are going to be looking specifically at a style of tabs that ANYONE can use in any Bible. These tabs indicate the name of each book of the Bible so that you can find the correct page at a glance. 

Why Use Bible Tabs?

There are several reasons that people may choose to use Bible tabs, but I think for the most part it comes down to two primary benefits:

• They make Bible reading easier. Now, some of you might have all of your books of the Bible memorized and I think that is absolutely fantastic for those that do. Frankly, I am NOT one of you. I can barely remember my children's name correctly the first time, let alone which order every book falls in! Using tabs allows us to know exactly where a book is at a glance. This is certainly useful for those who DON'T have the order memorized, but it can also save time for those that do as well...allowing us to flip right to where we need to be very quickly. I cannot tell you how often I find myself searching for the correct verses during church services but these tabs truly take out the guesswork. 
• They add style to your Bible. Okay, okay... maybe it isn't a super helpful reason to add them, but it's true nonetheless, especially with the new styles from Dayspring like the Blue Watercolors I've added to my own. While you can certainly find more basic, just functional styles... I like pretty things, and I truly love the way this makes my already beautiful (in)courage Bible look. 

Now that we know what they are and a few reasons to consider using them, the final question remains:

How Do We Add Them?

These particular tabs are incredibly easy to use. They are stickers so you simply add to the edge of your page and fold over to apply. Still, there are a few tips to keep in mind:

• First and foremost, this is a long process so make sure you have plenty of time. Though it's not especially difficult, there are a lot of books to tab, so it can be rather time consuming.
• Placement is up to you. Some prefer the top (and I do like that look for journaling tabs), but personally for this particular type of tab, I think the side makes the most sense. We naturally turn pages on the side, so it really is instinctual this way. 
• Make sure you have just one page. Bible pages are generally very thin so it's not hard to accidentally grab an extra one. Before applying the sticker, make sure you have JUST the first page of each chapter. 
• Don't miss a book. The first page of this set of sticker tabs is pretty good at keeping all the books in order, but one sheet does leave a bit more room for mistakes. It is important with those shorter easy to miss books that you are making certain you are applying in the correct order. You could certainly go back and add if you missed one, but it would throw off your tab placement if you did so. 
• Reinforce if necessary. I have heard of others who don't care for using tabs because they've had issues with pages ripping where the tabs are, due to thin pages and lifting on the tabs. I personally have not had any issues with that, but if it is a concern you can certainly reinforce the page a bit using either a decorative washi,OR a basic scotch tape. 

Ready to start tabbing your Bible? You can find this set and more at Dayspring!

Do you tab your Bible? What do you love about it? How does it help you? Which set from Dayspring is your favorite?