March is National Reading Month in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Reading Month exists to celebrate reading, but especially to help children develop important reading skills and habits. There are many wonderful books for children to read, but with all the benefits a love of reading provides, the most important goal is to guide kids toward reading and understanding the Bible. If you have kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, students, younger siblings, or other children who look up to you, here are some ways to guide them toward a passion for Bible reading.

Make it age and skill-level appropriate.

Every child and every reader is different. The Bible can be challenging for even the most advanced readers and mature Christians. Kids will need support where they are at their level of reading ability and maturity.

Young Children

It’s never too early to start fostering a love for the Bible. Children begin learning the basics of reading and books before they’re even a year old by being read to. Before kids are ready to read the real thing on their own, you can help them learn about people, places, and stories from the Bible using age-appropriate picture books and retellings that you read aloud together.

Independent Readers

Around grades 3-8, kids may be ready to read, explore, and analyze texts by themselves. When they’re ready, you can help them choose where to start. The Bible is long and complex, and it can be difficult for new readers to decide where to dive in. If they start reading from the beginning to the end, young kids may get bogged down and discouraged in some of the less plot-driven portions like Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Choose a starting point that’s more accessible to a budding reader, such as the Gospels or Proverbs.  

Older Kids & Teens

When kids are older and more independent, they may want to tackle more of the Bible on their own. Maybe they already know many Bible stories but have yet to read the entire Bible cover to cover. You can help them develop a reading plan and figure out how much time or how many verses they will need to read each day to complete their goal. That way, they can break down long, intimidating books into small task increments, building strong reading and study skills for later in life.

Engage their interests.

We don’t want kids just to read the Bible, however. The next step is to help kids discover creative ways to engage with the text in a way that matches their interests and talents. If Bible reading becomes a chore they’re forced to do, kids are unlikely to develop a passion for it. However, voluntary activities involving things they already love can help foster a love of the Bible too. Here are some ways kids can engage with what they read:

• Have kids underline or write down unfamiliar words. Teach them how to look up definitions.
• If your child is old enough to read the Bible on their own, consider getting them their own copy so they can mark and color code it how they want.
• Read passages aloud together. Make it fun by acting out the scenes or using different “voices” for various characters.
• Give the child a blank journal and encourage them to decorate it and use the pages to write down the central point/theme, questions they have, important names and events, etc. as they read.
• Explore travel brochures or books from the library on places they read about.
• Encourage young artists to draw/paint a picture based on their reading. You can even purchase coloring books or child-appropriate Bibles with images to color along with the text.
• If they are interested in writing, encourage them to write their own poem, song, or prayer using one of the Psalms as inspiration (and let them keep it private if they want).
• Do a craft or do a hands-on project. For example, after reading about the tower of Babel, kids can try building a tower out of blocks or Legos. Other activities that could pair with Bible stories include baking bread, fishing, planting seeds, and many others!

Model what you want to see.

Children learn by watching their parents and others. Kids are more likely to be interested in something if someone they look up to makes it look worthwhile. The best way to foster a love of Bible reading in kids is to let them see you reading and studying the Bible often and applying it in your daily life. And not as a chore, but as something you look forward to and relish.

That also means modeling good learning habits and demonstrating how to deal with difficult topics. The Bible contains depictions of sin and darkness, and kids may need help processing some of the hard truths. It’s important to be open for any and all questions a child may bring you about their Bible reading. You don’t have to have all the answers (and you should be honest when you don’t), but your child, niece, nephew, sibling, etc. needs to know it’s safe to ask tough questions as they try to understand the more challenging stories and lessons of the Bible.

Above all, we should teach kids why they should read the Bible. Not just because we’re “supposed” to, but because it’s how we get to know the God who knows and loves us better than anyone. When kids know how to read and engage with the Bible, not only do they get to learn valuable reading skills, but they also get to learn about Jesus. And that’s something worth celebrating.

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