Do you use age appropriate Bibles with your children? The best Bibles for kids are those that keep them interested, and that they can easily understand. Finding the best children’s Bibles for your own child doesn’t have to be complicated. And I’m here to help you to know what to look for when choosing a Bible for your own children.
Of course, reading to your children from the REAL Bible is important to raising godly kids, and should be a regular occurrence! However, there’s also something vital about bringing the stories and lessons from the Bible down to a level that is appropriate for your child’s age. Doing this can really help them to develop an independent Bible study habit.
There are a lot of great children’s Bibles to choose from. And I recommend selecting more than one for each of your children. The reason being that every children’s Bible doesn’t contain all of the Bible stories. So you want to have multiple Bibles so you can have more of a variety of Bible stories.
Also children can easily get bored. So having a variety of different age appropriate Bibles with different types of pictures, wording for each of the stories, etc. can really help to keep their interest.
But how do you choose the best Bible for your kids that is age appropriate and Biblically accurate? Well, here are some tips for choosing a Bible for your children by age group. Plus some recommendations for choosing a Bible you can read as a family. I’ve also included some suggestions for the best children’s Bibles to try for each age range.
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The best Bibles for kids are those that grow with them!
Before I get into my recommendations for choosing the best children’s Bibles of each age, I want to stress that each of these age ranges do overlap to some degree. As you and your children discover favorite Bible choices, they might stick with them for a long time — longer than you’d think!
There are Bibles that my four-year-old still loves that are supposedly geared towards babies. But he also has times where he loves longer Bible stories that might be geared towards older kids.
It’s not always about age, it’s more about reading level and what keeps their interest. Your child might love the pictures from a Bible meant for younger children. Or, as they learn to read, pulling out the Bibles that you read to them when they were younger might be great because there are fewer words for them to practice reading.
So as you go through these age ranges, be flexible and realize that these are just recommendations. But remember that a lot of these Bibles will grow with your children far longer than you’d expect. They will come to love and cherish certain Bibles that you frequently read to them, even once they are past the age range for it.
But I also want to stress that as they get older, even if they love the Bibles they read when they were younger, it’s good to also encourage them to read from Bibles that will push their reading and comprehension levels higher too. Which is why it’s great to have such a wide variety of Bibles for different age ranges and within their current age range.
Age Appropriate Bibles for Babies (ages 0-2)
As a baby, your child will obviously not be reading the Bible on their own yet. However, they will still love to interact with baby Bibles. And they will definitely enjoy having you read to them.
So make sure it’s an enjoyable experience for them that will help to instill a joy for sitting still and reading the Bible with you. At this point you really want to set the stage for them to enjoy their time in God’s Word.
When looking for the best Bibles for kids who are still babies, be sure to look for:
- Biblically-accurate and based on the Christian Bible
- Stories that are short and to-the-point without too much depth and detail (for short attention spans)
- Lyrical type Bibles that rhyme are a plus
- Bright and colorful pictures that little eyes can enjoy
- Interactive Bible stories are also a big plus (things like lift-the-flap, touch-and-feel, and noise makers)
- Very durable and can take the “loving” abuse from your baby
And here are some great examples of age appropriate Bibles for babies:
The Best Children’s Bibles for Toddlers (ages 1-3)
As a toddler, your child will still not be reading from the Bible on their own. But at this age it’s important that you pay close attention to getting Bibles that are short and easy to understand.
As toddlers, your children are going to have very short attention spans and they will want to wiggle! So the best Bibles for kids who are toddlers are those that either have very short stories, or have some kind of way to keep your child’s attention.
When looking for the best Bible for your toddler, be sure to look for:
- Biblically-accurate and based on the Christian Bible
- Stories that are shorter and even rhyming if possible are great for short and wiggly attention spans
- For longer stories, it can be okay as long as they take up more than one page (with multiple pictures for each page) (the turning pages can keep toddlers more interested)
- Bright and colorful pictures that little eyes can enjoy
- Interactive Bible stories are still a big plus with this age group (things like lift-the-flap, touch-and-feel, and noise makers)
- Durable board books are still the best choice for toddlers
And here are some great examples of the best Bibles for kids who are toddlers:
Children’s Bibles Great for Preschoolers (ages 3-4)
As a preschooler, your child might have a bit of a longer attention span. They still aren’t quite reading on their own, but they might be learning to recognize certain words and letters as you read to them.
Despite their slightly longer attention span, they will still enjoy being able to interact and get up and move. But it’s also good to start training them at this age to sit still for slightly longer periods as they hear a Bible story.
So the best children’s Bibles for preschoolers are those that have slightly longer stories, but not too long, and might incorporate some kind of way that they can have fun and interact with the story.
When looking for the best Bible for your preschooler, be sure to look for:
- Biblically-accurate and based on the Christian Bible
- Slightly longer stories, but not stories that are too long
- Stories that span multiple pages with multiple pictures
- Lots of bright and vibrant pictures will keep their eyes on the page
- They will still love interactive stories, but at this point ones that will get them moving as you read will be the ideal type of interactive
- Durable board books are still good for this age, but they might also do well with paper pages at this point too
And here are some great examples of the best Bibles for kids who are preschoolers:
The Best Bibles for Children Who Are Pre-Readers (ages 4-6)
As a pre-reader, your child is beginning to learn sight words and might be able to recognize a few words here and there. You will still be reading the Bible to them at this point. But there might be good opportunities to point out familiar words to aid in them preparing to learn how to read.
Children at this age will typically have a longer attention span and will be able to sit still for longer stories. But they will appreciate stories that span multiple pages because the change in pictures will help to keep them more interested. They will also still love Bibles that have interactive prompts.
So the best children’s Bibles for pre-readers are those that are slightly longer to train them to enjoy sitting still to read, but not so long that they get too antsy. Also consider having some Bibles that have some of the more interactive features that you found in the Bibles you chose for them as preschoolers.
When looking for the best Bibles for kids who are pre-readers, be sure to look for:
- Biblically-accurate and based on the Christian Bible
- Slightly longer Bible stories that still have lots of pictures
- Bible stories that span multiple pages are still good for this age range
- Continue to use Bibles with interactive prompts that will allow them to get up and move from time to time
- At this age they should not need board books as you teach them to care for and respect their books and Bibles
And here are some great examples of the best Bible choices for children who are pre-readers:
Age Appropriate Bibles for New Readers (ages 5-8)
As a new reader, your child is beginning to read on their own. There will still be times that you read to them, and there will still be guidance on your part. But now is the time to mix in Bibles that will give them opportunities to practice reading God’s Word for themselves.
Children at this age will have longer attention spans and be able to sit through listening to you reading longer stories to them. However, the stories that they themselves will practice reading still need to be short to encourage them and not discourage them.
So the best children’s Bibles for new readers are a mixture of those that they can practice reading and longer stories that you can read with them. For stories that they can practice it might not be a bad idea to pull out some of the younger-aged Bibles for them to practice reading. Or, you can look at buying some specific Bibles geared towards early readers that will aid in this. There are also a lot of great early reader books for individual Bible stories too.
When looking for the best Bible for your new reader, be sure to look for:
- Biblically-accurate and based on the Christian Bible
- Some Bibles that are slightly longer with pictures that you can read with them
- Bibles that are designed for early readers to practice reading on their own from
- Bigger and easy-to-read fonts are a good choice for those that they will be practicing reading from
- Lots of vibrant and beautiful pictures are still good for this age to keep them interested and help them draw visuals for the story
And here are some great examples of the best Bibles for kids who are new readers:
Choosing the Best Bible for Kids Who Are Tweens (ages 9-12)
As tweens, your child now knows how to read the Bible on their own. But now it’s a battle for keeping them interested. With flashy TV shows, video games, and inappropriate books vying for their attention, you’ll need to take care to choose a Bible for them that will speak to their age level.
You will typically want to choose a Bible that is a word-for-word translation at this point. But it’s also good to have a Bible that will present them with deeper insights. This is a great age to introduce an age appropriate study Bible for them.
And while they certainly don’t need pictures at this point, there are some great comic style Bibles that will greatly appeal to this age range. So if you have a child who doesn’t like to read, these might be a great option for them.
So the best Bibles for kids who are at the tween stage are those that will equip them with more information about God and The Bible. Bibles that will challenge them to think deeper. But also the best children’s Bibles for tweens are those that will help keep their attention by speaking directly to their heart.
When looking for the best Bible for your tween, be sure to look for:
- Preferably a word-for-word translation of The Bible (except for comic style ones)
- Biblically-accurate side studies and wording that stays true to the Christian Bible
- Includes notes, tips, and fun facts that will teach your child to think deeper about God’s Word
- Comic style picture Bibles that will appeal to their age if they aren’t that into reading
- Points them back to Jesus and God’s plan of salvation
- Gives them tips and ideas for facing the struggles they’re going through
And here are some great examples of age appropriate Bibles for tweens:
The Best Bibles for Teens (ages 13-18)
As teens, your child is more than capable of reading from any adult Bible. But at this age they are still facing the issues that they did as tweens: distractions. Distractions from other forms of entertainment, their own thought life, and from other children that might not be a good influence on them.
Your teen also is also going through a lot of life changes. They might be going through puberty, seeing more worldly things in their everyday life, and more. So it’s important that you choose a Bible for them that will speak directly to these issues and how they can handle and navigate them as a Christian teen.
So the best Bibles for teens are those that will help them to dig deeper into God’s Word and teach them how to apply what they’re reading to their own life. They are Bibles that will address the issues that they are facing and demonstrate what God’s Word has to say about these critical issues.
When looking for the best Bible for your tween, be sure to look for:
- Word-for-word translation of The Bible
- Biblically-accurate side studies and wording that stays true to the Christian Bible
- Includes notes, tips, and deeper ideas about what they’re reading that will connect their real-life issues to what The Bible says
- Points them back to Jesus and God’s plan of salvation
- Directly addresses and guides them to where in God’s Word they can get help for the struggles they’re facing
And here are some great examples of age appropriate Bibles for teens:
The Best Bibles to Read as a Family
When you come together as a family you’ll want to think about what Bible to read from together. I highly recommend taking time to read from a standard translation (no picture) Bible as a family on a regular basis. This gives your children opportunities to see just how to do that and to see the joy that you find in doing that.
But it’s also good to consider choosing Bibles that will appeal and hold the attention of all the children in your family. If you have a wide range of ages of children then you might be unsure or intimidated with choosing a Bible to read as a family. But I’d like to offer some tips and suggestions that might help.
When your children are within the same age range
First, if all of your children are within the same age range, then don’t hesitate to read from Bible in that age range as a family. So if all of your children are under four, then stick to Bibles appropriate for younger children. Or if all of your children are teens, then simply read from a standard Bible together.
When you have children who are a mixture of different ages
But if you find yourself with a mixture of ages and still want to read the Bible together then my suggestion is to mix it up between reading from a standard translation with no pictures, and reading from a translation that has pictures throughout. Bibles with longer stories and lots of pictures can be the best of both worlds. Because older children will still sit and listen (and even help read), while younger ones can still enjoy looking at the pictures as they listen.
Finding a Bible that tells it like one big long story
It’s also nice to choose Bibles to read as a family that tell the Bible as a story and help to connect dots. These types of Bibles help children to draw the line from the beginning of creation all the way to Jesus and these make for great Bibles to read as a family. Also, if you can find a family Bible that includes additional challenge questions, that’s great too. Although if not, then these types of questions to dive deeper will more than likely be in your family devotional.
Don’t let finding age appropriate Bibles stop you from sharing God’s Word with your children
I know that finding the best children’s Bibles for your own kids can seem intimidating. There are so many to choose from and you want to make the right choice.
I hope that this list of tips has helped you with choosing a Bible for your children. But if you still feel intimidated, simply make sure that the Bibles you choose for your kids are accurate, enjoyable for them to read, and point them back to Jesus. These are the things that really matter.
So it doesn’t have to be super complicated. And like I mentioned before, it wouldn’t even be a bad idea to have multiple options on hand for your children to choose from. So don’t think you have to choose just one Bible for your child. Immerse them in God’s Word in every way possible!
But most importantly, don’t wait until tomorrow to pick up age appropriate Bibles for each of your children. Grab what you need today, so that you can start reading God’s Word with them more frequently tomorrow! You don’t want to wait to start introducing your children to The Bible — the earlier the better!
Learn how to raise godly kids!
If you liked these tips for finding the best Bible for kids of all ages, then you’ll love my free guide, 17 Ways to Raise Godly Kids. Where you can learn all the different things you can do as a mom to lead your children towards Christ. Just fill out the form below to grab your copy.
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