40+ Bible Verses for Children—God's Truth for Toddlers to Teens

Valerie Fentress

Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us that our only weapon against the brokenness of our world is "the sword of the Spirit, that is the Word of God." Scripture is often the anchor for my soul when life gets hard. As a parent, my greatest challenge and mission is to equip my kids to know where to turn when they see the struggles of the world. But there are so many Scripture verses to learn and go to, it’s hard to know where to start. Here are 40+ verses for kids to help you encourage the children in your life to know and turn to Scripture. There is no greater mission than both modeling my need to know God's Word and turning to it in times of need. I pray these verses encourage our children to choose the wisdom of God when they have questions or are facing tough times.

Bible Verses for Children to Memorize

Can you imagine a home without a Bible or a phone without a Bible app? We live in a world where access to Scripture is often in the palm of our hands, but how much of it is written on our minds and hearts? It can be hard to know where to start when we want to spur our kids to memorize God’s word. Contributing writer Jamie Jo Wright says this, "different ages will be capable of various levels of this practice. But what can we do to help our kids not only read the Bible, but understand what they’re reading, potentially enjoy it…”

Here are six Bible Verses for Kids who want to memorize God’s word.

  

Bible Verses for Children Going through Tough Times

Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble…” One of the hardest things to watch as a parent is our children going through tough times. It is heart-wrenching to know we can’t solve all of their problems. But teaching our kids that they are not alone in their struggles is what God has faithfully communicated throughout the scriptures. Even Jesus turned to God’s Word to strengthen him when Satan tempted him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).

Here are seven Bible verses to remind our kids of the second half of John 16:33: “But take heart, I [Jesus] have overcome the world.”

Bible Verse to Encourage Children

Encouragement is a gift given in hard times, but encouraging scripture is a gift that never fades. In the article "10 Ways Parents Can Engage Kids with God's Word for Life," Meg Bucher writes, “We don’t have to have the whole Bible memorized to lead our children well in Scripturally based truths. We just need to go to God daily with hearts ready to take His direction and lead our children to His feet.”

Here are eight verses to encourage children in spiritually based truth.


Bible Verses for Anxious Children

Children are not immune to the rise in anxiety in our culture, but the good news is that Scripture speaks to this as well. God's Word provides the simple truths all of us (children included) need to ground ourselves in truth and fight the emotions and anxious thoughts we face. Knowing what God’s word says about me and Him helps us to "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ" ( 2 Corinthians 10:5.) 

Here are six verses to repeat to ourselves and our children when anxiety rears its head.



Bible Verses for Children on Friendship

Second to parents, our kids' friends have the greatest impact on their minds and hearts. Teaching our children what healthy friendships look like is an important process in our children’s mental and emotional health. God made us for relationships, and He has a lot to say about friendships throughout the Bible. 

Here are five verses to help your kids understand friendship, both how to seek godly friends and how to be one.

Bible Verses for Understanding and Defending Their Faith

Our culture has made a big shift away from Christian faith and values. Even within a Christian community, there can be many different views on cultural topics. Helping our kids have a good understanding of what the Christian faith is and means for their lives is not a new challenge, but it is an important one to communicate to the young believers in our homes. 

Here are four Bible verses to help children understand and defend the Christian faith.

Bible Verses to Remind Children of the Character of God

The single most important decision we can make is how we answer the question, “Who is God?” Although much about God is mysterious, he is clear throughout Scripture about His character. Helping our kids know what God says about Himself is a launch pad for their faith and confidence in the Lord.  

Here are nine verses to remind children of the character of God.

There is no limit to the number of verses I could list to encourage you and your children in faith because “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). May this list be an encouragement and just the start of your and your children’s exploration of Scripture.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Anastasiia Stiahailo

Valerie Fentress is the author of An Easter Bunny’s Tale and Beneath the Hood: a retelling woven with biblical truth. She aims to engage believers, especially kids, in the wonder and identity of who God is and who God made them to be. 

You can find out more about Valerie, her books, and her blog at www.valeriefentress.com.

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