Leading a Bible study for kids can have its challenges, but the rewards are far greater. 3 John 1:4 says it this way: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus tells the disciples to let the children come to Him. This not only shows Jesus’ love for kids but also that He wants a relationship with kids. So how do we bring children to Jesus today? You guessed it. By leading a kid’s Bible study.
Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up our children in the way they should go, so that when they are old, they won’t depart from what they’ve learned. Leading a Bible study for kids is a significant privilege and an honor. You’re making an impact in the hearts of children that will change them for the rest of their lives.
Whether you’re a mom with a house full of kids, a volunteer with none, or somewhere in between, we want to help you succeed in leading a kids' Bible study. We’ve shared some practical tips and advice so you and the kids you're leading can enjoy studying God’s word.
Belong, Believe, Become
Any Bible study for kids should start with these three words in mind: belong, believe, and become. You’ll see this woven through everything we discuss.
- Belong: Kids need to feel like they belong and are a part of what you’re doing. The goal is to help them feel involved and engaged.
- Believe: This is the core of everything. With every Bible lesson we teach kids, we want them to know it is God’s truth. They can believe and trust in it. The answers to any questions kids have can be found in the Bible.
- Become: The purpose of teaching children how to study the Bible is to help them learn how to apply it to their lives. By doing a kid’s Bible study, they learn what they can do to become more like Jesus.
Manage Your Expectations
As you prepare, remember your audience. You’re leading a Bible study for kids, not adults. Don’t expect to dive deep into complex theology without interruptions or breaks.
Instead, think about how it was when you were a kid. You were still growing, learning to study, and learning to listen. Kids may need you to repeat things or explain concepts in simpler language. They may get distracted from the Bible lesson or get antsy and need to move around a bit.
Approach your Bible study with the kids in mind, and have patience. Kids’ minds don’t work the same as adults. With healthy expectations, you’ll be amazed at what kids can learn and discuss. Sometimes, the kid you think isn’t listening actually absorbs the most from the Bible lesson.
Use Resources Friendly to Kids
You’ll want to prepare your Bible study material beforehand and make it kid-friendly to keep the children engaged. If you tailor the Bible lesson to their age group, you can present the topic in a way that they will understand. When teaching a group of kids, it’s best to keep similar ages together (i.e., 4–5-year-olds, 4th-5th graders, etc). If that’s not possible and you have a variety of ages in your group, concentrate the study on the group's average age.
Here are some ways to make your Bible study kid-friendly using helpful resources:
- Set clear ground rules so the older kids aren’t talking over the younger ones.
- Create questions for each age group to reflect on and apply the lesson content.
- Use Bibles with pictures, tables, and simpler language for young audiences.
As adults, we understand what “church” terms mean, but they can be hard to explain in kid-friendly words. Using kid-friendly resources and setting ground rules will help all the kids feel like they belong in the Bible study and that they are part of the group.
Make it Engaging
At their developmental stage, kids need an interactive and engaging Bible study—even adults sometimes need this! You’ll want to have the kids involved in all aspects of the lesson to hold their interest, because young minds simply have shorter attention spans than adults. You can do this a few different ways…
- Break the passage of Scripture you’re studying into small chunks, and have people take turns reading it out loud.
- Ask them reflective and open-ended questions to get them talking.
- Have kids help you tell the story by using prompts, making sound effects, or acting out the characters.
- Incorporate games and activities into the story, like crafts or artwork. This will reinforce the important points of the Bible lesson, and they’ll have something fun to take home!
Be careful not to make it fun for the sake of fun. If things are too silly, the kids may not remember the story, and what you’re trying to teach them will be lost. You can keep to the truth of the story and still have fun.
Teach the Kids to Think and Apply
Do you remember how everything was new to you when you were young? This applies to kids’ Bible studies, too. As the leader, you have the privilege of introducing spiritual disciplines to your students for the very first time. As you teach them to apply these lessons to their lives, here are some things to be prepared for:
- Some kids may not really know what a Bible study is.
Teach them that it is more than just reading the Bible. Ask good questions and encourage kids to think about how these truths apply to their own lives. You may need to show them what this looks like!
- Expect to answer a lot of “why” questions.
Remember, much of their experience in your Bible study could be very new to them. Don’t let any of their questions scare you. Sometimes, we get nervous if we don’t know the answer and may want to ignore the question. Don’t do that. This only makes them feel like they did something wrong by asking.
If you’re unsure of an answer or how to explain it to them at their level, then it’s okay to table it until the next time. Let them know that you don’t have the answer, but you’re going to find out. Then when you come back to them, let them know how you found the answer. If you can point them back to the Bible, even better.
- Know that you’re helping them understand and apply the Bible to their lives.
By leading a Bible study for kids, you are a disciple-maker. Kids are the future of the church, but they need people to teach them how to follow Jesus. The most important part of the Bible study is teaching them how to apply what they are learning so they can become more like Jesus.
The Power of Prayer
As you can tell, leading a Bible study for kids is an important responsibility. Before every Bible study lesson, take time to pray to God and ask for His wisdom, grace, and guidance to lead these kids well. Also, remember that it’s not up to you to change these kids’ hearts—that’s God’s job!
As you are teaching the Bible study, make time to pray intentionally at the beginning and end. Kids may not know what prayer means or how to pray, so make sure to explain why it’s important and demonstrate to them what prayer looks like. You can also have your class pray for each other out loud during the study. It’s a wonder to hear prayers from a child's faith.
Get the Parents Involved
Discipleship begins at home. Churches and group-led Bible studies are only supplements for kids. They cannot replace the impact parents have on a kid’s spiritual growth.
If you’re leading a Bible study for kids who aren’t your own, be sure to connect with their parents. Leading a kids’ Bible study is a big task, so don’t be afraid to ask some parents if they’d like to help lead with you.
Encourage the parents to talk to their children about their Bible study and what they learned on the car ride home. Tell them about any take-home projects the kids may have, and ask the parents to have their kids share how the project ties into the Bible study lesson.
Final Thoughts
You’re about to begin a wonderful journey of helping kids study the Bible and learn about God. Take each step with gratitude knowing God is using you to make a difference in the lives of these children. For a library of resources to teach Bible studies, check out RightNow Media.
Do you feel a call to teach kids how to study the Bible? Sign up to serve with us on Sunday mornings with various age groups, and be a part of pouring into the next generation!