When I gave my oldest daughter her first full children’s Bible and let her loose on reading it independently, I forgot about the R-rated sections of the Old Testament. While much of the Bible is great for kids, I just wasn’t quite ready to explain or address some of the more graphic murder and incest scenes with runny-nosed 1st grader who still occasionally wet the bed.
But I also had trouble finding a children’s devotional that gave her any significant chunks of Scripture for her to read for herself. Most of the devotional books I bought (or was gifted) had great lessons – that were based on one tiny Bible verse. No stories, no plotlines, no meaty sections of the Word of God for her to dive into and get excited about. She didn’t usually even have to open up her Bible at all to complete the devotional. And while I didn’t mind the lessons in the devotionals, what I really wanted most was for her to learn to read – and learn to love – God’s Word for herself.
Well, we stumbled through lots of devotionals and books of the Bible and short reading plans, and now she is actually reading (and I think, loving) the Word for herself. But by the time my next kids got to the point of being able to read independently, I was ready to go on the hunt again for a great Bible reading plan for them. Specifically, I wanted:
- A plan that focused more on exciting stories than on “sermonettes” or abstract ideas. Personally, I love Paul’s letters – they are some of my favorite books of the Bible. But when I try to read them with my younger kids, I can tell that a lot of the ideas fly right over their heads.
- A plan that covered a variety of books of the Bible, without trying to cover all of the books of the Bible. More of a survey/fly-over approach than a whole-Bible-in-a-year approach.
- A plan with do-able chunks of Scripture. Not too long that it feels boring or overwhelming, but also not so short that it doesn’t even feel worth their while to find the passage.
- A plan that didn’t shy away from the exciting adventures in the Bible, but did avoid the sketchier (and harder-to-explain) parts.
Long story short… I didn’t ever quite find what I was looking for. But I did find some great ideas/suggestions on good books of the Bible for kids to start with, and a few warnings on which parts to avoid! So I decided to just put it all together into a 12-month plan. Each month has 24 readings (leaving a few days out to account for busy schedules!), with generally no more than about 20-30 verses per day. I tried to break the readings down into natural chunks, where the storyline has a natural pause or break anyway. And most of the readings (besides some Psalms, of course!) follow epic stories – like the creation of the world, the Exodus, Jesus’ birth and life, or the beginnings of the church following Jesus’ death.
This is nothing fancy – just a simple, easy-to-follow reading schedule for each month, with a checkbox for each completed day. But it has been just exactly what my son has needed to get him into the Word on his own… and bonus, he’s having enough fun reading, that he wants to tell me about what he’s reading, too!
The first two months are totally FREE! Just follow the link below, enter your e-mail address, and it will be sent straight to your inbox. Or purchase the full year in a handy single-page trifold for just $3.
*NEW* Full Year Kids’ Bible Reading Plan
Trifold Brochure
Order a digital copy or have it printed and shipped to your door!
The one-year kids’ Bible reading plan fits on one double-sided page, easily folded into a trifold and tucked into your child’s Bible! It offers the same survey of epic Bible stories in both the Old and New Testaments, with a few Psalms sprinkled throughout. Available for order as a digital copy to print at home, or skip the self-printing and order hard copies instead!
Next Question… Which Bible should my kid use?
The NLT is a great easy-to-read translation for kids (and adults!), and I LOVE their brand new GO Bibles! Featuring leather-like covers with fun designs on the outside, and a readable font, mini devotionals, full-color illustrations, and over 600 features on the inside, this Bible is a great pick for the 7-11 year olds in your life!
If you prefer the NIV translation, you can’t go wrong with the Adventure Bible. This is the Bible that is pictured above in my “Kids’ Bible Reading Plan” graphic, and it is advertised as the #1 Bible for kids!
And if you love the NIV but want something that’s a little easier to understand, the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version) Adventure Bible might be where you want to start. It’s written at a third-grade reading level, so it’s a good pick for children who are learning to read on their own.
These final two suggestions are not exactly in the “real” Bible category – but they do an amazing job of introducing kids to the stories and themes of the Bible in an engaging way! The Action Bible is the graphic novel of Bibles, and my kids have spent hours reading and re-reading it.
Finally, The Jesus Storybook Bible is by far my very favorite read-aloud children’s Bible. It has made me tear up more than once while reading it to my kids. Sally Lloyd-Jones has such a sweet way of weaving the Gospel into the most familiar stories. This is not only great for your family, but it makes a perfect baby shower gift, too!
Do you have a favorite children’s Bible or devotional book? Let me know in the comments!
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases).
Tried a couple of times to get the printable, but it just signs up for the newsletter. Did not receive the printable.
When you confirm your e-mail address, my automated “newsletter” software will immediately send the free printable to your e-mail address. Be sure to check your spam/junk folders in case it accidentally goes into one of those! The e-mail should show as being from Becka Asper, The Reclaimed Life.
I would love to get the printable, but when I follow the instructions, it just subscribes me to the newsletter. How do I get the printable? (I also checked my junk mail, and it is not there.)
The free printable comes via my automated “newsletter” software. But don’t worry, you aren’t about to get a bunch of e-mail from me! As soon as you confirm your e-mail address, the printable will automatically be e-mailed to you.
I would love to get the printable, but when I follow the instructions, it just subscribes me to getting emails of new posts. How do I get the printable?
Thank you so much for alerting me to this! My e-mail service just went through some changes, and it looks like the automated e-mail that is supposed to go out with the printable got lost in the shuffle. Hopefully it will be fixed by tomorrow, and I’ll try to make sure that the email goes out to anyone who signed up for it and didn’t receive it.
I entered my email to receive the printable and I had the same problem, where it signed me up for emails but I didn’t get the Bible plan printable. Any way you can help with this?
Yes! Did you get any email from me? If so, respond to that email and let me know that you didn’t get the printable, and I will send it your way. If you didn’t get any email at all, first check your spam folder – and then contact me if you still can’t find anything!
nevermind! Ignore the other comment about not getting the download email that was just posted – it came through right after I posted it. 🤦🏼♀️ Can’t wait to use it with my kids! Thank you so much for sharing!
Yayy for technology that WORKS! 😀
Which version of the Kid’s Bible is shown in your photos?
It’s the NIV Adventure Bible: https://amzn.to/48QurQB
In general I prefer the New Living Translation (NLT) because I find it easier to understand (especially for kids!) but the Adventure Bible is really well-designed, with full color illustrations and lots of side-bars and explanation boxes.
You have put on paper exactly what I have been searching for! I am blessed by your gift of writing♡ thank you!
Oh Angela, I’m so glad!! Thanks so much for your encouraging words – they mean a lot.