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How to Read the Bible With a Child Step by Step

How to read the Bible with a child comes down to a few steps. Choose a short passage, read it slowly and clearly, ask one simple question, and look for Jesus in it. You do not need special training, and the same steps can be adapted to any age.

Here are the steps I would follow, what to do with hard passages and how to keep the time gentle. We read the Bible because it speaks of Christ, and the Lord must open our eyes to see Him.

How to read the Bible with a child, step by step

  1. Pray first. Ask the Lord to open your child's eyes and your own. Psalm 119:18 is a good prayer, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of your law.”
  2. Choose a short passage. A few verses for a young child, a chapter for an older one.
  3. Read it aloud, slowly. Let an older child read a verse or two.
  4. Ask one question about what the passage says.
  5. Ask where Jesus is in it, or what it shows us about God.
  6. Close in prayer, using the words of the passage where you can.

Choosing the passage

The Gospels are the best place to begin with children, because they tell the life of Jesus as a story. The session for Mark chapter 2 shows Jesus forgiving a man's sins and healing him, and it raises the question of who has the power to forgive. Choose a story your child can follow and take it one scene at a time.

Read it clearly and explain it

When Ezra and the Levites read the law to the people, “They read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8). That is a good pattern. Read clearly, and then explain in plain words. When Philip met the Ethiopian reading Isaiah, he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” and the man replied, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” (Acts 8:30 to 31). You are the one who explains it to your child.

Questions that help a child think

  • What happened in this story?
  • What did Jesus say or do?
  • What does this show us about who God is?
  • Is there anything here we should thank God for, or ask Him to forgive?

Ask one or two, not all of them, and wait for the answer.

What to do with hard passages

Some passages are difficult, and some are hard to hear. Do not skip them. Read the passage, say honestly that it is hard, and tell your child what the Bible teaches elsewhere. If you do not know the answer, say so and find out with your pastor. The psalmist says, “The entrance of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130).

A children's Bible, and when to move on

A children's Bible can help with a young child, provided it stays close to the text of Scripture. As soon as your child can follow it, move to the Bible itself, and read from it aloud. The sessions on this site currently use the World English Bible, one verse to a line, which is easy to follow.

Looking for Jesus in every passage

“Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45). Only the Lord can open a mind and a heart, so we pray as we read. We also tell the children what the Bible is for. John writes, “these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Jesus died for sinners and rose again, and He calls everyone to turn from sin and trust in Him. We do not take it for granted that a child who reads and listens has believed, and we keep asking God for their new birth. Parents, call your children kindly to repent and believe.

Questions parents ask

What if my child will not listen?

Shorten the time, give the child something to hold or do, and try again tomorrow. Keep your voice calm.

Should I make my child read aloud?

Invite them, and do not force them. Some children read well and some are shy. Let them listen and ask again later.

Which Bible version should I use?

Use one your child can understand. The sessions on this site currently use the World English Bible, and you can read a different version from your own Bible at the same time.

Pick a chapter on the worship page and read it with your child tonight. If this site helps your family, you can give here so other parents can begin too. May the Lord open the Scriptures to your children.