The Bible is a big book with big truths, so breaking it down in a way kids can grasp is key. God’s Word is the most important information you could ever tell them about because it is the beginning of life, connects us to the source of our life, gives examples of how and how not to live in this world and how and who to love.
Most importantly, it is the source for how we discover who God is and our identity. That’s why it is so important to teach our children about the Bible.
But for many of us parents and educators, the struggle with explaining the Bible to kids is about when, how much do you tell them and the how!
We researched some of the most asked questions about explaining the Bible to kids and will try to answer some of them here:
There were more detailed questions like how to explain love or forgiveness, but the general list was overall about connecting children to Christ.
Here are some ways to present biblical concepts to kids:
Use Everyday Examples –
Focus on Jesus’ Teachings –
Ask Open-Ended Questions –
Keep It Age-Appropriate –
Consider Learning Styles-
Pin to remember!
Use Everyday Examples – Relate biblical principles to things children already understand, like kindness, forgiveness, love, joy, patience, the creation of the world, sharing, or family.
Focus on Jesus’ Teachings – The life and love of Jesus help children see the heart of God’s Word. We can teach children to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and walk as He walked, how to love others and how much He loves them.
Ask Open-Ended Questions – Encourage thinking and reflection rather than just giving answers. You can tell by looking in their eyes the way children are processing the information you are giving them. Also ask questions that encourage them to continue being curious.
Keep It Age-Appropriate – Kids understand more than we parents realize. Try to answer questions through Scripture and use simple explanations for young kids and deeper discussions for older ones. You know your child/children better than anyone and how they learn .
Consider Learning Styles- Everyone has a different learning style that is their strength and one that is is their weakness. Providing bible knowledge in your child’s strong learning style will help them learn and retain the most valuable information for their life and your’s. Are they visual, auditory, strong readers or hands on learners?
You know your child better than anyone else. Every child is different even at the same age. Some young kids enjoy watching videos and others have no attention span. at all.
Some kids enjoy books read to them while others not so much.
It has been said that the Bible was written on a 9th grade level of understanding. With that said, there’s some concepts in the Bible that young children are not ready to read or comprehend.
When I was raising my children, I wanted to read the Bible to them rather than a Bible story book. All was great when we started in Genesis 1 and 2 with the creation of the world and all that is in it.
We were holding strong in chapter 3 explaining sin.
But things got tricky after that. There’s a lot of stories, events and people’s actions in Genesis alone that can raise some eyebrows!
Does that mean you don’t cover those hair raising situations? NO! Tell kids the truth!
But it does mean you help them understand the importance of living in obedience to God and the consequences of our actions when we don’t.
That’s where the age appropriateness comes in and how your child is processing the information. The book of Genesis covers just about every human action you can think of…. so be prepared for simplifying answering hard qustions and thinking fast on your fee!
As a parent or educator, you teach children letters, sounds and words. You tell them how things work, how to eat, drink and how to function in this world.
They learn yes and no and right from wrong all from you.
Kids learn best by watching you and the example you set for them.
We can help you with ideas, creativity and printables to help your child or children learn the Bible in their level of learning.
The Bible is the most incredible book—filled with stories of faith, wisdom, and God’s love. But how do we help children not only learn about the Bible but also develop a lifelong love for God’s Word?
Whether you’re teaching toddlers, preschoolers, or older kids, you can make the Bible engaging, understandable, and fun. Let’s explore creative ways to introduce children to the Bible and help them build a strong foundation of faith.
More on this coming soon!
Young children are naturally curious, and even toddlers can begin to learn about God’s love. Keep Bible learning simple, repetitive, and hands-on. In all your conversations talk about God. Tell them all the things He made and how amazing the details of creation are to use.
When situations arise such as dicipline issues, attitudes or what obedience is, remind them in Scripture.
Read Bible Stories Aloud – Choose colorful board books or storybook Bibles with simple language. How you read, the tone you read and the love you have for God’s Word will transfer to them!
Use Actions with Bible Verses – Teach verses through songs, hand motions, or everyday conversation. Remember, we all learned our ABCs through song. We learned “bye bye and peekaboo” with hand motions. Your kinesthetic learners love hands on learning!
Introduce Prayer – Model how to pray and why we pray with simple prayers to help them talk to God. They can learn thankfulness, worship, adoration, vulnerability and how to ask God for help by communicating with their heavenly Father.
Bible Play Activities – Use toys or puppets to act out stories like Noah’s Ark or Jonah and the big fish. Stuffed animals can become David, Moses or other people from the Bible.
At five years old, children begin to understand more complex ideas and love to ask questions. Keep their learning interactive and engaging. Incorporate a Bible Timeline with your story so they can see the order of events.
How do you explain all the other questions in life kids ask? Some days there are a lot of “whys” asked.
How would you explain how a tv works, gravity, volcanoes or the internet?
You answer them one question at a time, by breaking it down and filling their little spongy minds with knowledge. If you don’t know the answer, dig in the Word for it. Look for answers the same way we answer all the “why” questions in life.
Also remember that engaging their learning styles will help the information you give them hold in their memory! Most of the time, those moments of creative learning also hold in our memories just as it does kids.
Storytelling with Props – Use stuffed animals, figurines, or felt boards to tell Bible stories. We love a good old fashioned felt board! Those fabric figures are still in my mind today almost 50 years later! It’s tactile, hands on and good sensory and motor skills which adds to their learning. Puppets are a huge hit with kids. Look for items around the house that can be used as visual aids while you tell the storied in the Bible.
Journaling & Coloring – Provide printable Bible activity sheets where they can color and trace verses. We have thousands of Christian printables designed to engage a child’s creative learning side. Color while you read or recite a verse together adds to memorizing and knowledge.
Bible Verse Memory Games – Turn verse memorization into fun challenges or use visuals as cues. The more you expose your child to a theme, concept or visual the better it will stick in their minds. You’re exercising their brains and increasing Bible knowledge in one game!
Encourage Questions – Allow kids to ask what they don’t understand and guide them with simple, clear answers. You know by the look on their face and their eyes if they are understanding and processing the information. If you don’t know the answer, dig in the Word. They learn by watching you, how you study and pray for guidance from God. the
Like most books, start in the beginning, but we talked about Genesis and the topics you will encounter. You can read and study the days of creation for a year.
Psalm is a great book to read and contains many simple verses children can begin to apply to their life such as Psalm 56:4. It’s a great verse to help children remember when they are afraid to trust God.
You could also look at discussing each book of the Bible’s theme, writer, people written about using simple words such as:
Genesis- beginnings
Exodus- exit
Leviticus- laws
1 John – love
The Bible verse you should teach your child first depends on what your child needs and how you want to approach guiding them in the Word. I like to make a list of issues or themes that I know children will experience. It’s nice to have a reference of these and where we can find answers, help or guidance in the Bible.
God’s Word is multiple concepts for us at once that can seem contradictory without explanation.
Those are abstract concepts to most kids and in truth, many adults. So a great place to begin teaching Bible verses is start at the beginning… Genesis 1:1. The world struggles to recognize who God is and people struggle with identity. Give kids a solid foundation in Scripture!
Memorizing Bible verses is a great way to teach the Bible to kids, but it’s also important to know how to use the power within Scripture.
Let’s use the example of Psalm 56:4 again.
A child can memorize that verse, but in a time they are afraid will they remember it? It’s great to know 100 or even 1000 verses, but does us no good if we don’t know how to use or live those words.
Discover ways to memorize and know Bible verses for all age and all learning styles.
Below are some of our favorite Bible verses to teach young children. You can get very creative with ideas to help them memorize them and explain how powerful God’s Word is in their life.
Psalm 139:14
Psalm 8:1
Genesis 1:1
John 3:16
Psalm 56:4
John 1:1-3
Isaiah 40:11
Galatians 3:22-23
Romans 12:12
John 10:30
Engaging your child’s creative side is a great way to help them remember Bible verses. We love to design art lessons for kids and Bible verse printables for all ages. These are available in our free Bible printables area, some in our shop and all are available in our Bible Art Membership which is really Bible resource library.
Looking for ways to study and know more about God’s Word? Welcome to our Bible Verses and Bible Studies page. Here you will find resources to help you dig deeper into the Bible, know who God is and discover who and whose you are as His child. There’s something here for all ages.
Discover how we love combining 2 of our favorites to teach Art using the Bible and Bible using Art. This post is filled with how creativity is a God given gift we all have and can use to glorify Him in many ways.
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