The Toddler's Bible

Product Information

Too often churches overlook children age 1-3 and don’t provide a program of spiritual formation. That’s why we’re excited about this new Toddler Bible Curriculum from Bethany Darwin and the Sunday School Store. This material will give even the youngest children a solid foundation for their relationship with God.

These insights from Scripture tell us that God is deeply and intimately involved in our growth and development before as well as after birth. From their earliest moments unborn children are subject to God’s call to be and to become. They respond in precisely one way – they grow and develop. This tells us something very important. God’s call to children is first to grow as human beings. Their growth in the womb and after birth is a response to a continued calling. God calls us to this human development in body, mind and spirit right through our lives, however long or short, until at the end we are called out of life into God’s eternal presence. This means God’s call is just the same and just as relevant if babies have disabilities or if they do not make it to birth. There are no failures because every human person is ‘known’. Every child is precious before God and subject to exactly the same call. Young toddlers are at the age where they are very open and willing to hear about God. Their little hearts are so malleable and yearning to learn more about God. And even though it might seem like they are too young to understand much about God, they are soaking it in! They are soaking everything in from a very young age. And if your goal is to raise Godly kids who love and follow God then now is the time to start, when they are young and eager to learn about God. Even though babies will not understand or retain the baby Bible stories you read to them, I believe it is important for Christian families to make reading a Bible story a habit within days of welcoming your baby home. Here are just a few of our favorite bible story books for newborns through to early toddlers. It is not surprising then, that parents often find childbirth a profoundly spiritual experience and one which brings them close to God, and brings about a powerful sense of gratitude and miracle. To have been the nurturers and deliverers of God’s vocation teaches us something important about ourselves as witnesses of God’s action in the world. It also helps us make sense of God’s supreme act of self-giving in the incarnation of Jesus, conceived in Mary’s womb and born just as we are born. When we look upon children growing, playing, investigating the world and physically changing, we are being given insights into how God works in creation, making, changing and sustaining the universe. So when children today suffer abuse, neglect, or their lives are damaged by famine, war or disease, these things cut across the way God calls them into fullness of their humanity. As we respond as adults to God’s continuing vocation to be human, God lays on us the charge to make a world fit for our children to grow. How do we know God wants children to have life? When I’m looking for a winner of a toddler Bible, I’m looking for a lot of the same things I would normally want in a children’s Bible. I covered that topic in this post, but I’ll review: #1 Biblical AccuracyHere’s where the rubber meets the road! Does your selected toddler Bible actually engage said toddler?

I will not lie. It was not love at first sight with this Bible. Quite frankly, I thought it was…boring. So, I didn’t use it much with my firstborn. Like the Adventure Bible above, the reading level of this Bible would have been too much (at 6 years old) for two of my kids. For those two, we choose one of the ICB Bibles listed above. We all know that children can blurt out awkward truths at the wrong moment. We are also often guilty of trying to reinterpret and reframe their faith when they talk about God in ways that don’t ‘fit’ with what we like to hear. Yet God’s Spirit emerges in the lives of children in all kinds of ways and we need to discern it. Finally, a little bit of action goes a long way. God created light? Close your eyes tight and then open them wide. Jonah in the belly of the fish? Pretend to swim. Daniel in the lion’s den? Roar!I also want to note that the reading level of this Bible would have been too much (at 6 years old) for two of my kids. For those two, we choose one of the ICB Bibles listed above. HCSB Kid’s Study Bible— For ages 6+ Some readers have described this book as Crazy Love for Kids. Herbert only does things halfway: his homework, cleaning his room, and eating his dinner. He gets caught telling a half-truth and his dad teaches him that if he’s going to live pleasing to Jesus, he’s going to have to put his whole heart into it. Just because this Bible is for the littlest ones, doesn’t mean we can stray from Biblical truth! This is the most important thing and something you have to watch out for when selecting a toddler Bible because there is a lot of fluff out there for this age group. #2 Beautiful Illustrations We see divine vocation in Luke’s Gospel with the wonderful story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. 2 Both women have parallel stories: neither expects to be pregnant and each stands in the presence of a miracle. Elizabeth says that her own unborn baby responded immediately with joy to the presence of the other; it is an unborn child who is the first to recognise and respond to Jesus and who causes Elizabeth to give joyful thanks and praise. This classic story Bible includes 200 retellings of Bible stories in language kids can understand but that also stays true to Scripture. This is a Bible that has been used, loved, and recommended for over 80 years!

Toddlers aren’t exactly well known for their ability to handle delicate objects, amiright? #4 Engaging and Toddler Approved! But I’d like to stress that reading the REAL Bible with your children is also very important. Reading these fun little Bible story collections should not be a replacement to reading God’s Word straight from the Bible to your children. Take time to introduce them to the “big family Bible”, from the moment they are born and beyond. For our family Bible time, we pull from all of the Bibles below for different seasons, stories, and purposes. However, overall, we mostly use a full-text translation of the Bible.

Bonus: Two Awesome Picture Books

My youngest, Kayla, was born 13 months after Alyssa. We started using Bible Time with her right away. Now, Alyssa is 3 and Kayla is 2 and we continue to teach them every day.