Teaching Kids to Read and Love the Bible

As we teach kids to read and study the Bible, let’s remember kids come to our churches with varying levels of biblical knowledge.

By Landry Holmes

The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker’s old broken-down toolhouse. — Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Have you known any children like the Herdmans? They certainly caused a stir when they showed up at church in the fictional book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. One thing we learn from the Herdmans is that everyone needs Jesus, even the rowdiest kids. And where do children (and students and adults) find Jesus? We discover the Word—Jesus—in God’s Word—the Bible.

Sound too simplistic? Apparently not. Based on data from Lifeway Research, “The single greatest influence over spiritual health is regular Bible reading while growing up. Plainly put, the parents of young adults indicate that regular Bible reading as children yields the greatest influence over their spiritual health.”

The fact that regularly reading God’s Word during childhood is the primary indicator of spiritual growth in adulthood shouldn’t surprise us. Writing to his protégé, Paul reminds Timothy to “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15, CSB).

“The fact that regularly reading God’s Word during childhood is the primary indicator of spiritual growth in adulthood shouldn’t surprise us.” — @lrholmes Share on X

Bible skills and formats

How, then, can pastors and church leaders teach children to love and read the Bible? The first step is to model and encourage the use of a “real” Bible. When my sweet, elderly mother was living, I would tease her because she didn’t consider anything other than a physical copy of Scripture a “real” Bible.

Secondly, we can teach children Bible skills while modeling the use of a “real” Bible. Tim Pollard, publishing team leader of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible Kids curriculum, says there are at least 14 reasons to use a “real” Bible in paper-and-ink format:

1. Makes the Bible physical and tangible 
2. Minimizes distractions 
3. Prevents text from changing 
4. Doesn’t run out of “battery” 
5. Reinforces sanctity of the Scriptures 
6. Enhances memory 
7. Exhibits the Bible’s canonical organization 
8. Teaches basic book structure (i.e., Table of Contents, Index, Appendix, etc.) 
9. Provides context—one big story of God’s redemptive plan, not just an isolated passage on a screen 
10. Facilitates notetaking 
11. Enables inductive study 
12. Leaves a legacy 
13. Mentors the next generation 
14. Facilitates finding passages faster 

Something intangible takes place when a child touches their own physical copy of God’s Word. As I wrote in Every Age, Every Stage:

I still have the first full-text Bible that I could call my own. While my engraved name on the leather cover has faded to near obscurity, I still treasure this gift from my parents. On the presentation page, my dad inscribed that I received the Bible on the occasion of my ‘request and love for this Book.’ I will never forget going to the Christian bookstore with my dad in 1971 to choose my first Bible. The fact that I was able to quickly find it on my bookshelf as I write these words is a testament to the fact that I still cherish my first copy of God’s Word. 

However, treating the Bible reverently doesn’t always come naturally, as the Herdmans demonstrated on their first visit to church: “While Imogene was snitching money from the collection plate in my class, Gladys and Ollie drew mustaches and tails on all the disciples in the primary-grade Illustrated Bible.”

Nevertheless, kids need to learn to use a paper-and-ink Bible, much like they learn the skill of telling time from an analog clock versus a digital timepiece or the basics of tying knots from shoelaces as opposed to hook and loop. However, once they master fundamental Bible skills, kids are ready to discover some benefits of a “real” digital Bible:

1. Accessible 
2. Portable 
3. Quick access to multiple translations 
4. Easy to read in multiple languages 
5. Audible options 
6. Readily available reading plans 

Loving the Bible

Regardless of the format—print or digital—as children spend time in God’s Word and receive God’s salvific gift through Jesus—the Word—they’ll grow in their love of the Scriptures. One of the ways we can foster that love is by providing each child in our churches with a physical copy of the full-text Bible, along with devotional books and Bible reference resources designed for kids.

The Explorer Bible for Kids engages children in a wonderful discovery of God’s Word through Bible reference tools, colorful visuals of what life was like during biblical times, and study helps that will bolster their Bible skills. In addition, The Explorer Bible Dictionary for Kids, releasing fall 2025, will provide children with a plethora of information to enhance their biblical exploration. As we teach kids how to read and study the Bible, and as we demonstrate our own love for God’s Word, let’s remember kids—and families—come to our churches with varying levels of biblical knowledge and understanding.

“As we teach kids how to read and study the Bible, let’s remember kids—and families—come to our churches with varying levels of biblical knowledge and understanding.” — @lrholmes Share on X

Again, the Herdmans provide an example:

The thing was, the Herdmans didn’t know anything about the Christmas story. They knew that Christmas was Jesus’ birthday, but everything else was news to them—the shepherds, the Wise Men, the star, the stable, the crowded inn. It was hard to believe. At least, it was hard for me to believe—Alice Wendleken said she didn’t have any trouble believing it. ‘How would they find out about the Christmas story?’ she said. ‘They don’t even know what a Bible is. Look what Gladys did to that Bible last week.’

While we can model correct use of the Bible and teach kids practical Bible skills, we rely on the Holy Spirit to instill in children a love for God’s Word—a love that comes from loving the Author, first. Again, we turn to Paul’s instructions to Timothy: “Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, CSB). As pastors and church leaders, we are to be “approved” workers to help kids love God and obey His Word—even kids like the Herdmans in our churches and communities.

For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.