People often ask me what is the best Bible for kids. My answer is it depends on the age of the child. For young children who don’t read chapters and verses yet, the JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE is tops. It is the major Bible stories written in a fascinating construct teaching small children how Jesus can be found in every key story of the Bible. So from the beginning they understand how the whole Bible is relevant to them and their salvation.
For those who are older and can read for themselves, anything but the King James or new King James for today’s kids (and them’s fightin’ words I know! So don’t bother bashing me about this. I’ll delete your post! Unfriend me if you must!) But if you want kids to read the Bible get them one they can understand. Good ones are the New Living Transitional, The Century Bible, New International Bible for young Readers, and a number of others that use simple English.
But it also depends on the publisher and how they have packaged it to make it appealing to kids. Go to a local Christian store and thumb through. Is it visually appealing inside with pictures, maps, commentary spread throughout the book, and not just a clump of colored pages in the middle? For boys particularly there is a tremendous Bible that looks like a comic book called the ACTION BIBLE and yet is a real verse by verse Bible. ANYTHING to get kids to excited read the Bible!!!
For kids who want a “real” Bible with traditional chapter and verse, I like the JESUS BIBLE, where they can discover Jesus in every book of the Bible. It helps them grasp the big picture of why the Old Testament is relevant to the New Testament and how we can find the prophetic types and shadows of Jesus all the way back to Genesis.
Don’t forget to place a high premium on reading the Bible as a parent. Let your kids see you reading it daily. Make it a conversation piece. Teach them how and why you use the Bible in daily guidance and decision making personally. When discussing decisions they are making as children, bring the Bible into the conversation, and teach them how to find their answers there.
Bottom line, the best Bible for your kids is the one they will read and read again. But you can buy the the best Bible in the world, but to get them to read it, they need to see you doing it and loving it!
