Teaching children about God’s ways is so important. The sooner the lessons of the Bible are instilled in a child, the better chance it has to take root.
Here are 5 of the best Bible stories for kids to help you get started writing the Word of God upon their young hearts.
Noah and the Ark – (Book of Genesis 6-9)
This is one of the most famous of all Bible stories and is rich in lessons about obeying the voice of God.
Kids love the story because of the animals and the excitement, but there is so much more to this story. It had never rained on the earth prior to the flood, so Noah had to have blind faith in God when He told him to build an ark.
All of the people around Noah made fun of him and thought he was crazy, but Noah didn’t care because he knew he was obeying God. In the end, it was Noah’s obedience to God’s voice that saved him and his family from the flood.
Lesson of this Bible Story: It doesn’t matter what others are saying. You must do what God leads you to do.
David and Goliath – (1 Samuel -16 and 17)
The story of David and Goliath is another great bible story for kids because the star of the story is a young man that children can identify with.
David was able to defeat a giant that even the greatest warriors feared. He was able to find the courage to beat this giant because of his faith in God. As Goliath mocked David’s God, David drew strength from his past victories, such as slaying a lion and a bear.
You can teach children that just as God has kept them safe through past times of trouble, He will continue to do so as long as they stand up for what is right – just like David did.
Lesson of this Bible Story: It’s not always the biggest and strongest who will win. Instead, it is often the one who stands up for what is right and puts his trust in God.
The Three Hebrew Children – (Daniel Chapter 3)
The three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, had a choice:
They could bow down to false gods or be thrown into a fiery furnace. While this story might be a bit scary for younger children, it holds important lessons.
As the three Hebrew children addressed the King, they did not say that they weren’t afraid. Instead, they said that they knew their God had the power to deliver them from the fire, but that it didn’t matter whether He chose to deliver them or not. They were going to be true to their God no matter what happened.
They put their faith and trust in God’s hands and were, in the end, saved from the fire.
Lesson of this Bible Story: Trust God no matter what. Don’t compromise your faith for any reason.
Peter Walks on Water – (Mathew 14 22-33)
The story of Peter walking on the water is short and simple but, like the other stories on this list, is a powerful teaching tool for children.
When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, Jesus held out His hand and told Peter to walk on the water to meet him. It took a great amount of faith, but as Peter stepped off the boat, he found that he was, indeed, able to walk on the water. He kept staring at Jesus until the winds whipped up some rough waves.
When the winds came, Peter got scared, and rather than leaving his eyes on Jesus, he took them off and looked at the rough waters around him. As soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink.
Lesson of this Bible Story: If you keep your eyes on Jesus – even during the storm – you won’t sink into despair.
The Good Samaritan – (Luke 10 25-37)
The bible story of the good Samaritan is a wonderful story to help teach children about compassion.
As a man struggled on the side of the road, having been injured and robbed, many passed him by. Some were too busy to stop and help. Others just didn’t care. But when a certain Samaritan saw the injured man, he had compassion on him.
The good samaritan took him to a nearby inn and paid the innkeeper to care for him. He said whatever the innkeeper spent, he would reimburse him when he passed back through town on his way home. When the Good Samaritan saw someone in need, he went above and beyond what others were doing.
Lesson of this Bible Story: Life is sometimes busy and we all have things we need to do, but when we see someone in need – even a stranger – the right thing to do is stop and help in any way that we can.
These bible stories are great teaching tools for Sunday school teachers and Christian parents looking to use the bible as a means for imparting moral standards.
But, there are many other great bible stories for children. Share your favorite bible stories below.