Teaching Children to Read the Bible

One of the priorities every parent should have early in the life of their child is to see their child treasure the Bible and read it daily. The Bible is unlike any other book in three ways.

First, it informs. The Bible reveals who God is and answers all of life’s questions. The Bible provides everything we need for life and faithfulness to God.

Second, it transforms. The Bible changes people from idol-worshipping, self-indulgent, evil-intoxicated sinners to Jesus-worshipping, others-centered, righteous-imputed saints. Of course, this happens through faith in Christ, but it is the Bible that is alive and active and brings us into contact with Jesus.

Third, it conforms. We are not free to live however we choose. The Bible demands holiness, tells us how to live, and determines what is true and right. The Bible is our measuring stick. We want our children to read the Bible because we want our children to know God, be changed by him, and follow his ways. We want our children to read the Bible because we want our children to know God, be changed by him, and follow his ways. Share on X

If that were not enough to convince you, Psalm 119 provides plenty of reasons to read the Bible:

• To receive blessings (119:1)
• To know God’s laws (119:1)
• To walk rightly before the Lord (119:3)
• To fix their eyes on God and his commandments rather than the fleeting idols of our day (119:6)
• To learn God’s righteous rules (119:7)
• To live a life of purity (119:9)
• To avoid wandering from God (119:10)
• To memorize God’s word so as not to sin against him (119:11)
• To meditate on God’s precepts (119:15)
• To delight in God and his statutes (119:16)

What parent would not want these ten things for their child? We are responsible to read and explain the Bible to our children and to direct our children to its pages. Paul tells us that children should be acquainted with the Bible from their earliest possible days (2 Tim. 3:15).

Here are three books to help you teach a child to read the Bible:

How to Study Your Bible for Kids by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt. We’ve used this book with our children and have found it helpful. Children will be introduced to inductive Bible study by becoming a detective and solving the mystery of how to study the Bible. The book introduces basic concepts such as observation, interpretation, and application and is designed as a workbook. Children learn to apply the principles as they work through a study of the book of Titus.

Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids by David Murray. Our kids have enjoyed this book. It’s designed for grade school aged children and leads them through the Bible one day at a time over the course of a year. It’s designed as a workbook and will help children understand God’s story.

100 Days of Bible Reading by David Murray. A Bible reading plan for kids that is simple, systematic, and short. Options include the book of Genesis or Matthew, which are broken down into two or three part series. Each book has a simple layout which includes a reading for each day of the week, a short reading of three to five verses, one question, and a space to write a note.