Your child will more than likely go through several different Bibles throughout their lives. Understanding that your child goes through several different levels of development through their childhood helps to aid in the understanding of the practicality of this change through Bibles.
It is important to allow your child to select a Bible for themselves (give them developmentally appropriate options, of course), because this allows for ownership and increases the chance that they will be willing to actually use their Bible.
Remember these few hints in selecting a Bible for your children:
Preschool: Choose a Bible storybook, with simple illustrations, that covers key Bible stories and has a small number of simple words per picture. This allows them to see words and letters and recognize that when strung together they have meaning. It helps to familiarize them with this fact.
Beginning Readers: Choose a storybook that contains simple illustrations and more stories than a preschool storybook. It is best if beginning readers have a storybook that takes two pages or more to tell each story. This keeps them interested in the book because they do not consistently have to require an adult to read through the text, but it keeps it in a format that they enjoy to hear through story.
Grade Schoolers: Fewer pictures, more words is the key at this level. Make sure the illustrations are interesting and up-to-date. Simple Bible reference lists and an index are also good features to look for at this age level. At this point your child will be reading on their own more often than not. Don't forgo reading the stories with them, but when they want to discover stories, or reread their favorites, they can.
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