It took me awhile to find children’s Bibles for my kids that I liked and were appropriate and engaging for each age, and once I found a good one, they outgrew it in a year!
So I put this list together to help you on your journey!
Toddlers
The Toddler’s Bible was our favorite Bible for wee ones. It’s easy to understand and has LOTS of pictures which was really important for my kids at that age. It also has over 400 pages, so it really covers a lot of the Bible, not just the same ten stories over and over. We liked this better than another popular beginner’s Bible because we felt it was the most accurate. It’s also available in Spanish.
I also have daily devotions for toddlers on my Youtube channel if you’d like to check it out.
I didn’t find the Read and Share Toddler Bible until after my kids were out of the toddler stage, but I liked it. It has lots of illustrations and covers a bunch of stories as well. And it comes with a DVD for the kiddos to watch.
My First Bible is a version of one by Kenneth Taylor that I read as a child. There are also lots of illustrations and stories. This would be good for early readers or to read to toddlers as well.
Preschool
I was surprised at how long it took to find a Bible for new readers that had lots of pictures and still covered a lot of stories. Most of them either were too difficult for beginning readers or didn’t have many pictures. The Early Reader’s Bible was great! My son started in kindergarten and my daughter in preschool, so depending on when they can handle it on their own.
What I really love about The Jesus Storybook Bible, is that it tells the whole story of the Bible and points it all back to Jesus. It’s also very grace-based whereas a lot of kids’ Bibles become all about the rules. I like this for preschool and young elementary ages.
A friend gave Jesus Calling Bible Storybook to the kids for Christmas, and my daughter has really enjoyed it. The illustrations are lovely and there’s over 200 stories inside.
I’m including The Story Traveler’s Bible because my kids really liked it. It’s probably too much for them to read on their own at this age, but we read it to them and it’s fun. It’s SuperBook style in the sense that these 3 kids travel back in time and watch the Bible stories unfold before them, so pretty engaging for little ones.
Early Elementary
Once the kids were both past age four, we started reading The One Year Bible for Children to them everyday. I love that it’s all there for you: 365 days of stories with all the dates on them! There’s a few illustrations but not on every page, so this was better when they were both able to listen for around 3 minutes without squirming away! My kids are both able to read this now on their own at ages 6 and 8.
I also have 365 days of Bible reading for kids on my Youtube channel if you’re interested!
Once the kids are easily reading chapter books on their own, The Adventure Bible is a good option. They have two versions: one for early readers (think 7-8 years old and up) and one for more advanced readers laid out in the typical Bible layout but with added side notes and questions to make it more interesting. It’s the NIRV translation.
Elementary & Beyond
I personally think once they are reading chapter books that they can just take on a regular translation of the Bible. I like the New Living Translation, but I’ve heard good things about the Passion Translation for the New Testament. And we read the Message Bible with the kids though it’s not a direct translation but very easy to understand. These are available as One Year Bibles too if that helps them to have it set each day.
These versions are also available on smart phones as well which I think is great as kids get older and get phones, they can have God’s Word on them whenever!
Supplemental Bibles
These were extra Bibles or books with Bible stories that the kids enjoyed but wasn’t included in our daily devotions.
The Character Builder’s Bible reads more like a devotional. It gives a Bible story and a real life application which I like because it helps kids to process how the Bible fits into their daily lives. This is for young kids, probably around age 4.
The Unofficial Holy Bible for Minecrafters was kind of fun. It’s all the well known Bible stories portrayed in pixels, like Minecraft is. My son enjoyed it. It’s not his everyday reading one, but it’s something interesting and has a fun take on the stories.
If your child is older and into graphic novels, The Action Bible is a bestseller. It’s a little too graphic for my kids right now. We did get my son The Action Storybook Bible which is for younger kids though. Anything to give them more access to God’s word!
Proverbs for Kids from The Book is unfortunately out of print, but you can get used copies of it on Amazon. I loved this one as a child and saved my copy of it, and I’m pleased to see my son enjoying it as well! The illustrations are really interesting and give a visual to the wisdom of Solomon while teaching a sound foundation for wisdom that will give them a life to build on.
You might also be interested in my post, Awesome List of Free Christians Apps and Videos for Kids.
*As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you do decide to purchase, but I only recommend products that I believe in!
