5 Simple Bible Journaling Tips For Kids
What does Bible journaling for kids look like? Check out these 5 simple tips for helping your children learn how to effectively study (and retain) God’s Word through Bible journaling!
Benefits of Bible Journaling For Kids
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In recent years, it seems like Bible journaling for adults has gotten big! And not in a popular/trend type of way, but as a new form of worship.
Writing has always been something I have loved and enjoyed, but journaling when reading your Bible is for everyone.
There are SO many great benefits, and especially when we encourage our kids to journal when reading the Bible!
Some Bible journaling benefits for kids include:
- Journaling helps them retain what they have read
- They can look back and see how God has answered prayers
- It helps develop a habit of daily time with the Lord
- It helps lay biblical truths in their hearts from a young age
- Bible writing, journaling, and drawing is a form of worship
- Helps build creative skills in your child
- Practically, it helps them with pen control and writing skills when they are young
Those are just a few, but it’s such a great thing to start with your children if you haven’t already. Once we did (when my daughter was 4, and you can even start younger!!) I can’t imagine not doing this. 🙌🏻
There are a couple of things to know before starting your kids with Bible journaling, check it out below…
*Bible journaling isn’t just for kids! Parents, grab this free printable SOAP method Bible study sheet and join in with your kids in studying God’s Word through writing.
Before Your Kids Start Bible Journaling…
Decide what kind of journaling you want to do. For example, younger kids may want to read or have you read from a picture story Bible, therefore they would need a separate Bible journal.
Older kids may want to try this method as well or use a specific journal Bible with edges they can write and draw in.
Once you figure that out, go ahead and check out these helpful tips for Bible journaling with your kids!!
5 Bible Journaling Tips For Kids
Here are 5 great tips for helping your children learn God’s Word through Bible journaling!
1. Find A Good Kid’s Bible
Finding a good kid’s Bible to read from is the first step! We talked about this a little bit, but let’s dig deeper into practical Bible options.
Factor in your children’s ages – storybook Bibles are great for toddlers and preschoolers, while your older children may benefit from a full Bible filled with maps, questions, and devotions.
Here’s a quick look at some different Bibles for your kids depending on their ages…
1. Storybook Bible Options
Storybook Bibles are great for toddlers and preschoolers, but there are also options for older kids as well that still include beautiful illustrations. These visual pictures really help them understand what God’s Word is saying.
Some also have questions to ask, prayers to pray, memory verses, and key takeaways which are SO important for helping young ones learn and even memorize Bible verses.
It’s important to find a story Bible that stays to the truth of scripture and doesn’t take liberties where there shouldn’t be.
Here are some of our personal favorite story book Bibles for a variety of ages that we love:
The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible (ages 2-6)
Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids (ages 4-9)
The Gospel Story Bible (ages 5-11)
2. Older Kid’s Bible Options
Here are some great Bibles for boys and girls who are a little older, such as elementary age and/or reading on their own.
Some of these Bibles include short little devotions for kids, maps, and other illustrations, but is the written word of God.
NIV Adventure Bible For Girls (ages 7-11)
NIV Adventure Bible For Boys (ages 7-11)
The Action Bible Study Bible ESV (ages 9-12)
3. Journal Bibles For Kids
We haven’t yet ventured into actual journal Bibles, but this ESV Creative Bible for girls is a great journal Bible if you aren’t using a separate journal. 🙂
2. Find A Good Journal & Supplies
Now that you have your Bible picked out that your kids will use, go ahead and find a good Bible journal!
Here are a couple of great journals for kids to use when reading their Bible:
I also have a fantastic printable coloring Bible journal you can grab HERE!
You also want some good accessories for journaling such as non-bleed-through pens, highlighters, Bible tabs, etc. Here are a few great options…
These are great for kids to use in their Bibles, but for younger kids or those who have a separate journal, you can just use colored pencils or crayons. Whatever you have will work!
This will set them up perfectly for the next step…
3. Let Them Be Creative
This is a great time to really let your children be creative. They can draw pictures in this journal, color, write memory verses, or draw/write whatever God has laid on their hearts.
Sometimes it can be tough to not want to jump in and show our kids how to do something or do it for them. At least for me, it can be!!
But seeing how God speaks to your children in different ways is so beautiful. I love seeing my daughter’s drawings and her explaining what they mean to her!
Remind them that studying His Word and reflecting on it through journaling is a form of worship. Encourage them to pray and pray with them, that the Holy Spirit guides them in this time.
4. Build Bible Journaling Into Your Routine
Bible journaling doesn’t have to be a solo activity for your kids! In fact, it can be a great way to spend family Bible time together, learning God’s Word!
You can either read from your Bible with your kids (great for those who can’t quite read), and let them draw or write what they learned.
You can also choose from these awesome family devotionals to read and all journal together! Maybe even get a big poster board and everyone can add their creative worship to it. 🙂
If your older children are having their own daily quiet time with the Lord, they can Bible journal on their own. Then, later on, you can talk about it together as a family!
We personally enjoy doing our Bible reading and journaling during our morning basket routine! 😊
5. Encourage Scripture Memory & Key Takeaways
How easy is it to read something and completely forget EVERYTHING you just read?? Guilty!
We don’t want that to happen when we read God’s Word, and not for our kids either!
Encourage your children to pray before reading their Bibles or devotion, whether they are reading or you are reading to them, and ask God to open their hearts and minds.
Find or focus on a key verse and work on memorizing it for the week, guiding them to look back and remember what God has shown them.
For example, recently we read the story of John the Baptist. His message was about JEsus, and he encouraged people to turn and repent and turn to God.
“Turn to God” was our focus phrase, her prayer was for her to trust God, and our verse was Proverbs 3:5-6. God’s Word reaches hearts, even for little ones!
We do have that promise from scripture, that when we pray and read His Word, it will NOT return void. We can trust that for our children and we repeatedly read the Bible together.
**The questions at the bottom of the page of the Bible journal help reflect this!
Grab Your Printable Bible Journal For Kids HERE
So now that we have gone over some simple tips for helping your kids with Bible journaling… I couldn’t leave ya hanging!
I created a printable kids’ Bible journal to use with my daughter, and it has been such a blessing to our daily routine and morning basket! We have used this for a few months now and will keep using it for years.
What all does this journal include? Glad you asked!
- 2 files – Black & White Option or Color – 8.5 x 11 portrait PDF format
- Name & Date – great for writing practice!
- Bible story & verse title section
- Space for drawing, writing, or coloring
- Use for home use or print individual copies for Sunday school classes
- Bind to make a booklet or laminate
- Recommended for toddlers – elementary school aged kids!
Read more about this Bible journal for kids HERE and grab your copy today!
There’s also a super short video flip-through of the journal so you can see exactly what you’ll be getting before picking it up. 🙂
Bible Journaling For Kids: 5 Simple Tips
I pray that these tips help your children not only begin to understand and retain God’s Word, but lay a solid biblical foundation for them to grow more in love and knowledge of Him.
Encourage them from a young age to begin Bible journaling, and pray for them daily! <3
Which tip stood out to you the most? Let me know below!
Make sure to grab your printable coloring Bible journal for kids HERE!