Recommended Bibles
Full-color illustrated timeline of events that took place during Bible times
Age 5+
Age 6+
This is a great full text Bible for children without commentary. Includes helpful notes and historical and cultural details for context as well as maps and many other features.
Chronological reading plans are the best way to fully understand God’s plans for us. While I always recommend reading the full Bible, even with little ones, the passages you read together with your children in your full-text Bible can be supplemented with a chronological early reader’s version for those who are ready to read for themselves.
Now don’t get me wrong, some of our children learned to read with the King James Bible so I do not want to imply that everything has to be dumbed down for children who are learning to read. My children also learned to read with Karyn Henley’s Beginners Bible which long continued to be a bedtime favourite in our household.
The chronological Day by Day Kid’s Bible and the Day by Day Learn to Read Bible are two of the best versions to use in helping children (and parents) see the big picture of God’s story. The chronology of Bible events will come alive for you all.
The order and context of everything that happens in the Bible can be lost in the midst of a Bible storybook or Sunday school classes that only teach disconnected stories. Children can fail to see the relevance of these stories to God’s plan and the gospel as well as to their own lives when these events are taught out of context. Have a look at my more detailed suggestions for Homeschool Bible Study here.
By reading set selections each day, children who are first learning to read or who are becoming confident readers can take ownership of their own Bible-reading journey. Whether they are reading independently, being read to or taking turns in their reading with someone else, they will see how all the pieces of God’s big story fit together.
One of the best things about these two versions is that the readings in the Day by Day Begin-to-Read Bible reference the longer passages in the Day by Day Kid’s Bible as well as the Day by Day Kid’s Bible including references to larger readings in the full-text Bible. This means that you can read the Day by Day Begin-to-Read Bible with your littlest ones and beginning readers, then move to longer passages in the Day by Day Kid’s Bible for more confident readers and then move to the full-text Bible for your family Bible readings or for your older children to read independently. Don’t neglect to read the full-text Bible with little ones too as this is the inspired Word of God.
With the chronological schedule all laid out in daily readings in the Day by Day Kid’s Bible, you have a ready-made chronological reading schedule for each day of the year that caters to the whole family.
Another great feature of the Day by Day Kid’s Bible is the full color pictorial timeline of events. This adds visual context to the chronological order of Biblical events and God’s unfolding plan.
With these beautiful children’s versions by popular children’s author Karyn Henley, your young readers have a ready-made schedule in order to make the forming of their Bible reading habits pain free. May you and your children continue to know God’s truth by hiding God’s Word in your hearts and minds.
