Ready to get your kids to read the Bible on their own but don’t know where to start? Check out my picks for the best old and new testament bible books for kids to start reading.
old testament
there are some crazy things that happened in the old testament, events in history that show how powerful god is. but not all the books of the old testament are suitable for children, if you know what I mean. I wouldn’t start them with the singing of songs or Habakkuk! my selections from the old testament reflect the awesome power of god and the people who followed him despite how difficult it turned out to be.
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joshua
I love the book of joshua. he was a young leader who had to put himself in the shoes of Moses himself. Can you imagine how discouraging that was? i’m sure it wasn’t easy to do, but joshua leaned on god time and time again and during his ministry he had the incredible privilege of leading the israelites to the promised land. Through this story, our children will see that life presents us with difficult options, but that God will never leave us or forsake us. he is always there to help us when we lean on him. They will also read about some of the amazing miracles God performed. i mean crossing the jordan river? amazing!
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here are some questions you can ask your children as they read joshua…
- name three ways joshua trusted god even when it was hard.
- what are some of the ways you saw god’s power and might in the book of joshua?
- what are some tough decisions you face and how can you trust god in those situations?
route
my wedding ring is inscribed in hebrew with a shortened version of ruth 1:16, “wherever you go, i will follow you.” the reason i love the book of ruth is summed up in that scripture. she didn’t have a selfish bone in her body. she would have made sense for her to return to her homeland after her husband died and i don’t think anyone would have blamed her but instead he told her mother in law naomi he would go with her.
One thing I’ve learned from watching my kids and my own behavior is that our natural instinct is to become selfish. we have to be taught otherwise. i think reading the book of ruth is a great start to learning the blessings of selflessness! here are some reflection questions…
- how did ruth express selflessness?
- what are some ways you see god’s kindness and love for ruth?
- what is what you can do? week that demonstrates the selfless love of God?
new testament
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i love the new testament because it offers us the teachings of christ himself and we can learn how great is god’s love for us when he came to earth with the purpose of dying on the cross. i also love how many parables (teachings in story form) are told by jesus in the gospels. stories have a way of drawing us in. Jesus is brilliant at this as he helps us see the changes we need to make in our lives. below are my picks from the new testament!
lucas
i think all the gospels are great, but i chose luke because it contains the parable of the good samaritan. this has to be one of my favorite parables as it challenges me to always be kind, especially when it’s inconvenient. here are some questions to help apply the words of jesus in the gospel of luke…
- In your own words, write the account of the birth and death of Jesus. How do you see Jesus’ love for you through his life and death?
- What is your favorite parable in Luke and why?
- Reading the story of the good Samaritan, what makes it “good?” What are some ways, like the Good Samaritan, that you can be kind this week?
Ephesians
It may seem like an odd choice for kids, but Ephesians is absolutely one of my favorite books in the bible. did you know that the words “in christ” appear more than 35 times in the book of ephesians? i believe that one of the most significant ways to help our children become confident adults is for them to be grounded in who they are in christ, to walk fully in their identity in him. Ephesians is just the book to help lay that foundation. here are some questions to help solidify your identity in it…
- what does the book of ephesians say about who you are in christ?
- ephesians 5 tells us to walk in love. in what ways can you walk in love this week?
- in what ways can you put on the armor of god?
I suggest you choose a version of the Bible that helps your children understand what they are reading. Thomas Nelson’s New Color Code Bible is a great place to start because it was written in the New King James Version for Children. is highlighted with themes sorted by color. what a great way for kids to make connections about things like salvation, prayer, and thanksgiving throughout the bible!
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