22 Feb 5 Great Bible Resources for Children
I remember the first time that I read Deuteronomy 6 as a new mother; these imperatives jumped out at me, producing a holy fear and awe of the responsibility to train my children in God’s Word:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (vv.4-9)
In the scripture above, the Lord gives a clear command to parents: We are to keep God’s Word in our own hearts and teach them diligently to our kids in our homes, on the go, in the evening, in the morning. Basically God is saying, “Talk about my Word all the time to your kids…It’s that important!”
I began to spend time thinking about how I could immerse my children in God’s Word and utilize resources that would equip me for this task. Over the last 8 years, I have discovered and tried out many children’s bibles and devotionals, among other tools. I would like to highlight five resources that have shone above the rest in terms of their impact on me and my kids. I hope that some of these will serve you in your efforts to train up your children in the Word of God.
We are big fans of the Jesus Storybook Bible in our home! This beautifully written and illustrated story bible for children weaves the message of the Gospel into every biblical story. It is a great bible to read to children of all ages, but I’ve found with my kids it has been most helpful in the age range of 2-6 years old.
The Praise Bible is 52 stories from the Bible which focus on turning the hearts of our children towards praising and thanking God after we read His Word (which I love). We bought it after we had literally read the Jesus Storybook Bible so much it fell apart. The Praise Bible is unique in that the pictures reflect the wide variety of beautiful and diverse people God has made. One thing that has annoyed me in other children’s bibles is when Jesus and all his followers as white instead of middle-eastern decent.
I like the One Year Devotions for Preschoolers – these are good to do either in the morning or at night. These short little devotionals utilize one verse of Scripture at a time and tell relatable stories of fictional children to teach lesson about character, honesty, and other virtues. I was always amazed to see how the little lessons seemed to be exactly what my girls needed to hear at the time. They also only take about 5 minutes to walk through together.
I love this book: Leading Little Ones to God – I finished it last year with my two oldest children and it is really an excellent primer for Christian theology in a child-accessible format. This timeless devotional focuses on the nature and character of God and covers in detail every element of the Gospel.
Long Story Short is the devotional we are doing as a family right now and we are loving it. It takes you on a journey through the Old Testament. Each daily devotion includes an excerpt of Scripture (usually a large section) and at the end of each week there is always pointing you back to the Gospel message and how the Old Testament stories point us to Christ. There are also fun little activities/games/stories (super simple) that go with the stories that help them come alive to the kids.
These are some of our favorite resources for learning the Bible together as a family. We would love to hear what yours are! Please share in the comments below!
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