Best Bible Book for Children to Read First

Recommendations from a seasoned Children'southward Ministry Director of the best children's bibles for every historic period of child (and how to avert all the bad ones).

If you're looking for tween and teen Bibles, check out our curated listing here.

Equally both a former children's ministry director and family events managing director for nigh 17 years and a mom of three children (currently ages 10, 12, and fourteen), I've read my share of children's Bibles over the years.

Here'due south the matter. There are a LOT of bad children's Bibles on the market. It'due south important for parents to understand that.

So, today I desire to share with you what I've learned virtually selecting the best children'due south bibles for every historic period, including:

1. The "big picture show" about why to read the Bible to your kids from early on.
2. How to select a good children's Bible (and avert the bad ones).
3. A review of our families' favorite children's Bibles that nosotros read again and again with our kids.

Why is information technology of import to start reading the Bible early on?

My hubby and I lead a form for new parents at our church building. One of the things nosotros always encourage them to do is begin reading a children's Bible to their babies from very early on. Why is it then important to start this routine early on on? Well, here are some of the benefits to start this routine from infancy or as soon equally possible with your kids:

• Your children will expect that reading the Bible is a part of their mean solar day. This is setting the stage for them to independently read God's Word by themselves as they mature. A study by Notre Dame professor Christian Smith shows that children who learn this subject from early on are more likely to go along in their organized religion through the teen years and on.
• Kids gain a longer attention span to sit and read. This is preparing your kid to focus long enough to actually sit and read the Bible after in life. And so many of u.s., including me, struggle to sit down still long enough to study and reflect on God'south Discussion. Information technology's important that we assist our children acquire to heed to, age-appropriately discuss, and pray over what they read in the Bible from their earliest years. This requires practice and consistency.
• Children volition gain an understanding of the primary storyline of the Bible and the Gospel that will help shape their worldview from early. Y'all've probably heard it said that children larn more in their first five years of life than any other fourth dimension. This is prime time for shaping their view of God and the Gospel. And, approximate what? If you don't shape their worldview, someone else volition whether you want that or non. PBS will. Disney will. The school system will. Start reading the Bible early and you will give your kids a filigree to see life through that makes the most sense. Yous will help them see their sin, their demand for a Savior, and the hope that is found only in the Gospel.
• Reading and assertive God's Word produces good fruit in our lives over fourth dimension, by the grace of God. ii Timothy 3:xvi says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and grooming in righteousness…." In Psalm nineteen nosotros see that it refreshes the soul, makes wise the simple, gives joy to the heart, and gives low-cal to the eyes. These are but a few of the promises about the piece of work of God'south Word in believers'–including even young children'southward–lives.
• The Bible promises blessings for the family that faithfully instructs their children. I trust that the Lord's control in Deuteronomy 6 to all Christian parents is there for a reason. If we, as parents, are true-blue to read God'south Word to and talk about it with our kids, likewise as strive to live it out (imperfectly and just by God's grace, I might add), in that location will be blessings for the family unit. Information technology opens the door for God to do a groovy piece of work in our kids' lives as they grow upward.

What makes a children'southward Bible adept?

Information technology's important to utilize discernment when selecting a children's Bible. Think, these are just storybooks, not the verbatim inspired word of God. And humans are prone to error. When selecting a children's Bible, I look for these characteristics:

• God-centered, not human being-centered. Practice the stories focus on who God is and what he has done? Or do they just focus on the heroic traits of people? A good children's Bible makes it articulate that God is the center of the story, not humans.
• Grace-centered, not moralistic. Do the stories focus on our need for a Savior and God's grace in sending His Son to rescue us? Or do they focus just on what we should do? The point of every story and volume in the Bible is to ultimately bear witness us God'south plan of redemption for sinners in need of a Savior. A children's Bible should never leave a child thinking that the main betoken is to carry. That's but not Christianity! We tin can never earn God's favor or our salvation through good deeds. It'south actually the other way around–practiced works are born out of a middle that has been changed by God.
• Written well. Practise the stories go along their target age of child engaged? Do your kids say fundamental phrases out loud with you? Do you every bit a parent enjoy reading it? Those are ofttimes the signs of a well-written story Bible. Some of the great ones listed below have a mode of drawing children into them through the culturally relevant retelling, clever sense of humor, or use of literary features like rhyme or onomatopoeia.
• Proficient illustrations. Do the illustrations accurately and age-appropriately reflect what is going on in the story? Is there excellence in the drawings? Some story Bibles practise a better job of this than others, only you'll find that ones like The Jesus Storybook Bible and The Action Bible describe children into what is going on in the story and creatively illustrate some important truths.

Review of the Best Child's Bibles for Every Age

I find information technology's helpful to accept several different kinds of these Bible story books to read from, since each one has a slightly different emphasis or way of telling the story. Owning several provides variety for the kids and a fresh style to hear different Bible stories.

Here are some of our other favorite children's Bible story books that nosotros go back to again and again…

Notation:Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Nosotros are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Plan, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for u.s. to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Here's our full disclosure.

Read Aloud Bible Stories – For Ages: Infants – 3

We love this classic children'southward story Bible for three reasons. 1) God is the hero not the people. At the end of each narrative is a helpful page titled "What did you learn?" It states a few cursory God-centered points in order to promote give-and-take with your child. 2) Lindvall has the souvenir of reducing complicated Bible concepts down to elementary ones while remaining faithful to the original text. 3) The illustrations past H. Kent Puckett take always captured the attention of my young kids as nosotros read together before bed. With large pages full of colorful and simple images, the kids' eyes are glued to what is happening in the story.

The Biggest Story ABC – For Ages: Infant – 4

This children's story book Bible is a little different from the others on my listing, as it doesn't include individual Bible stories in full. Instead, you can read this board book (thank yous thick pages that don't tear!!) in one sitting. It helps kids make connections from Genesis to Revelation. Each page introduces a new letter of the alphabet with engaging and whimsical illustrations retelling the biblical narrative in one continuous story. This board book is a fun fashion for parents to introduce their minor children to the larger through-line story of the Bible. My merely complaint equally an educator: he chose "Gnat" to stand for the letter Thou! Really? A silent One thousand to introduce that letter's sound? Ha!

The Rhyme Bible Storybook for Piffling Ones – For Ages: Infants – two

This small book has a elementary, one folio rhyming story and picture for each Bible story. It's a perfect Bible for immature kids with a short attending span.

The Rhyme Bible Storybook – For Ages: 1 – 5

The beauty of this Bible for kids is that our children memorized many of the stories and helped united states of america retell them considering of the clever rhyming patterns.

The Large Motion-picture show Story Bible (plus audio download) – For Ages: 3 – 7

This has been my kids' go-to Bible during the preschool years and even early on elementary. They have learned then much from it. The advantages of this i are that it comes with a free audio download of the author reading the stories, it emphasizes the Bible has ane big story with Jesus at the middle, and the stories have depth but are uncomplicated enough for preschoolers. Note: I thing I noticed is that all the people in this storybook take white pare, which isn't a true representation of what people in the Center E would have looked like at that time. A lot of older children's Bibles make this mistake, but the content is still actually bang-up. I hope they update the illustrations for accuracy at some signal.

Laugh and Learn Bible for Kids – For Ages: four-8

A friend of mine who directs our church's Simple Ministry recommends this newer family Bible by VeggieTales® creator Phil Vischer. After reading through it myself, I can highly recommend it, also!

TheLaugh and Learn Bible for Kids volition guide readers from Genesis to Revelation, retelling love Bible stories AND tackling tricky questions like "What is sin?" and "What is the Trinity?" Each story is vividly illustrated, takes just five minutes to read, and includes a family connection to encourage family Bible report and aid readers learn, talk, and pray together in but 5 minutes a twenty-four hours!

The Jesus Storybook Bible – For Ages: four – 8

I'll never become tired of recommending this Bible for kids. This children'south Bible is a beautiful narrative that helps families understand God's honey for his people and how Jesus–God's greatest gift to us–is at the middle of every story. My married man and I often tear up while reading information technology considering it is so moving. The illustrations are admittedly beautiful and depict the reader into the story. It is, however, missing quite a few key Bible stories, so it's of import to round this out with another Bible story books.

As well, a actually good investment is in the Collector's Edition, considering it includes the audio CDs and DVDs of each story. My married man and I bask listening to these as much equally the kids!

The Action Bible – For ages five – 11

I tin't say enough adept things about this Bible. Written in the form of a comic volume notwithstanding faithful to the biblical text, this storybook Bible has engaged my older son and the uncomplicated children at our church building in ways that I've never seen earlier. I like that it hits on the oftentimes missed portions of Scripture in children'south Bibles–Judges, the minor prophets, Psalms, etc.

P.Due south. I highly suggest buying the Audiobook version, along with the hardback. It's really exciting! My kids listened through it several times equally they followed along in the book.

NIV Hazard Bible – For Ages: 8 – 11

My kids all used this NIV Run a risk Bible in elementary school, every bit practise many families with uncomplicated-aged children at our church. The elementary curriculum-writing squad I was on for years at our church uses this NIV Adventure Bible in all our lessons and classrooms for uncomplicated kids, as well.

NIrV Adventure Bible for Early Readers – For Ages: 5 – 10

This is a simpler version of the children's NIV Bible that is created for younger readers. Information technology's perfect for Thousand-5th, besides. I really like this easy-to-sympathise translation as a first Bible for children.

The Ultimate Bible for Girl (NIV) – For Ages: 8 – 12

If you're looking for a girl version of the NIV, my 7th form girl was and still is a large fan of this one. Packed with exciting features that help tween girls improve understand themselves and Scripture, this version teaches girls that the Bible is real, relevant, and, best of all, that the story of God and his people is too their story.

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More Resources for Christian Families

9 Must Have Bibles for Tweens and Teens

We've also curated the most engaging, relevant, and accurate Bibles on the market for teens and tweens here.

5 Devotional Books Our Family unit is Loving

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Source: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/7-excellent-childrens-bibles-ages/

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