Discover the best Bibles for a beginner during Make a Difference to a Child Month by nurturing spiritual growth in children!
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Importance of Introducing Children to the Bible
July is “Make a Difference to a Child Month” and there’s no better way to make a difference than to pass down your faith to your children. The Bible says to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).
In the New Testament, Jesus also says “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14) and “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” (Luke 10:21)
In teaching our children, we in turn can learn so much from them and their innocent perspective.
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, especially if your kids are in the tantrum-throwing toddler years or the rebellious teenage years. The good news is that we are not called to do this on our own.
In the book of Acts, the church loved, cared, and supported one another: “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4:34-35)
Tips on How to “Train Up a Child”
One way to start is to reach out to mentors in your church, join a parenting class and grow spiritually yourself so that you can model the behavior you want to see in your kids.
Second, remember God knows your child better than you do! Pray for wisdom and discernment in the areas you need to speak to your children. Lean on the Holy Spirit’s guidance instead of relying on yourself to know it all.
Third, get an age-appropriate Bible for your kids so you can teach them how to navigate it! A good place to start is by memorizing the books of the Bible through song. Even as an adult, I still flip through the pages looking for specific books of the Bible humming, “Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…”
Another way to help them look up verses in the Bible is with Bible tabs. You can add them to the outside of the pages for a quick reference instead of looking up the Table of Contents every time. Here are a few of my favorites over on Daily Grace:
Recommended Bibles for Beginners
When it comes to specific Bibles I recommend to kids, here are my top picks. I grew up on all three (note: much older versions but still the same concepts) and passed them on to my children as well.
1. The Beginner’s Bible
This Bible is an excellent resource for babies to early readers. Additionally, my children learned to read with this! It’s such a joy being able to read these stories together before bed and talk about what they’re learning.
The color photos on each page, simplified wording, and large print help my kids focus on the story. As a former teacher, I can appreciate the use of context clues, simple phonics, and sight words included in this wonderful resource!
Features include:
- Bright, full-color illustrations on each page
- Supplemental teaching resources available (including YouTube cartoon episodes)
- Easy-to-read text for young children
- Contains more than 90 key Bible stories
- Still going strong after 30 years with 28 million copies sold!
2. The Adventure Bible (NIrV)
For kids in elementary school, I recommend getting them an actual Bible where they can start looking up verses just like Mom and Dad! However to go from The Beginner’s Bible to Mom’s Bible is a big jump, so I recommend finding one that is a simplified version such as the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version).
This is also a great version for ESL readers! You can find many different styles of the NIrV, but I prefer the Adventure Bible because of the features inside that help children understand what they’re reading. When I was little, I didn’t have the Adventure Bible–I had a pink Precious Moments NIrV Bible (remember those?). Check out the inside of the Adventure Bible below:
Features include:
- Complete text of the easy-to-read New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) of the Bible
- Full-color design throughout
- Suggested verses to memorize
- Did You Know? facts for understanding
- Details about Bible times culture
- Hands-on activities for Biblical application
- Twenty special pages – Bible characters, life of Jesus, prayer tips, love passages
- Book introductions with useful facts about each book of the Bible
- Dictionary/concordance
- Color map section to help locate places in the Bible
3. The Student Bible (NIV)
The Student Bible I owned has a whole lot more wear and tear than the one pictured above, but it contained the same basic outline inside. This Bible was the one I used once I reached middle school and used it throughout high school as well.
It matched the New International Version my parents used (although there are several great versions to choose from!). You can read why I mainly use the NIV in this post here.
The Student Bible also teaches the practice of daily Bible study. The book contains several reading plans and trackers to choose from. It even contains features similar to a reference Bible such as footnotes, subject index, timelines, list of events, weights and measures chart, and other helpful tools.
Features include:
- Reading Plans
- Book introductions and overviews
- Personal profiles on 100 People You Should Know
- Indexes, glossaries, and study aids
- Subject Guide on relevant topics
- Eight pages of maps with index
Additional Resources for Children’s Spiritual Development
There are several other books I use as secondary resources to our Bible study time. For example:
- Write the Word Kids
- Fruit of the Spirit Workbook
- Scripture Memorization Workbook
- Jesus Calling for Kids
- Bible Timelines
- Read it! Pray it! Write it! Draw it! Do it!
- Indescribable: Devotions about God and Science
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I hope you enjoy gifting one of these Bibles to a child when you celebrate “Make a Difference to a Child Month”. Remember, you are making a difference to those around you. He’s with you and will help you along the way!
Before you go, read even more posts like this here:
- Tips on Buying a Bible that’s Right for You
- How to Start a Bible Study Journaling System for Beginners
- What are the Most Accurate Bible Translations?
- Teach Your Children the Fruit of the Spirit
- Memorize Scripture with Your Children
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