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Would you think it was weird if I told you that I’m kind of obsessed with children’s Bibles? I hope not, because I am! “Why?” you may ask—because having one or more really well-done children’s Bibles is one of the absolute best ways to get our kids interested in God’s word! It is never too early to start teaching our kids the truth, power, and importance of the Bible, and having nice illustrations for them to look at is a great way to keep them engaged and to prompt question-asking.
We like to incorporate Bible reading for our kids as part of their bedtime routine and in the morning time when my husband and I are trying to read our own Bibles, but we also often find our kids flipping through the pages of one of their Bibles here and there throughout the day. It’s precious and we love it.
I personally have all four of these children’s Bibles I want to share with you, and I hope your kids will love them as much as mine do.
1. The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories
The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories has been my favorite Bible for when my kids have been really little (around ages 1-3—it’s advertised for ages 2-6) because the Bible stories are really simplified to get down to a young child’s level. The illustrations are large and colorful and the font size of the text is large as well. It’s not at all overly wordy, so it doesn’t take long to get through reading each story which keeps page-turning happening quickly which keeps my little ones nicely engaged.
I will confess that we have gone through three of these Bibles so far, because the covers have become detached from the rest of book and, once that happens, we start to lose some pages. But even so, my kids and I have loved this Bible so much that I haven’t minded purchasing a new one when the old one has started to fall apart.
2. The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible
I have yet to find illustrations as good as those in The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible. They are detailed, colorful, realistic and are full-page with the text overlaid on top. My kids absolutely love looking through all of the pages at the pictures and pointing things out or asking questions. This Bible is advertised for kids ages 4 and older because the Bible stories themselves are a bit longer and more detailed as well.
This Bible hasn’t held up the best either (our first copy got kind of destroyed after the cover became detached and our second copy’s cover is hanging on by a thread), but I think it’s reflective of my kids just getting so much use out of it and, for that reason, I’m okay with it.
3. Jesus Calling Bible Storybook
Jesus Calling Bible Storybook I find to be in a very similar category to the The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible in that the illustrations are detailed and realistic and the Bible stories are a bit longer and more in depth for slightly older kids—it is advertised for ages 3-6. What distinguishes this Bible from the others is that at the end of each Bible story there is a Bible verse relevant to the story and a little paragraph meant to represent what God would want to say to the child as it relates to the practical applicability of the story.
Just like the other Bibles, the cover of this one hasn’t held up in our home either, but again I think it’s just wear and tear from getting so much use!
4. Children’s Holy Bible NIrV
If you’re looking for a real Bible for your kids as they’re getting slightly older, the Children’s Holy Bible NIrV is a great choice. While it’s advertised for kids ages 6-10, it almost hardly has a “kids” feel to it—the inside looks like a legit, full-blown adult Bible in terms of the books, chapters, and verses, although there are some pages with nice illustrations dispersed throughout the text. It utilizes the New International Reader’s Version, which is based on the New International Version and is easy to understand and very clear.
This Bible has held up the best out of all of our children’s Bibles, though some of the front pages and cover have started to curl up a bit.
Concluding Thoughts
It’s so extremely important to my husband and I to do whatever we can to help grow our kids’ love for God’s word, and these four children’s Bibles are some of the best we’ve found to assist us towards that pursuit. Introducing them to the Bible at such young ages is surely to pay dividends as they grow older with some knowledge of God’s word already under their belts and, hopefully, an emerging desire to know more of God Himself.
