Updated November 2023
Parenting is more than comforting children when they fall down, or making sure they get proper nutrition, and brush their teeth, and so on. Parents are responsible for their children’s spiritual training as well. You can constantly point a child towards the Lord, even from the time he or she is born, by talking to them about Jesus. You can pass a knowledge of the Bible on to them by daily using Bible story books and other devotional materials appropriate for their age. Following are some links to free online devotionals for toddlers, preschoolers and young children. These short, illustrated books, booklets and presentations will grab your little one’s attention and make him want to learn more about Jesus. Click on the links to either read these devotionals online or download them to your computer. Free Devotional Books: Big Thoughts for Little Minds – This series of five books brings key Bible passages to life in a relatable way for young children. The books include simple text, colorful illustrations and points for discussion to help little kids better understand Biblical principles. Click the following links to read or download the books for free: Jesus and Me – A series of books with messages from Jesus for children on themes such as: waking up, bedtime, kindness, healthy habits, learning new things, guardian angels, and protection. Click the following links to read or download these books for free: Seasonal Devotional Books – The following daily devotional books have been created for specific seasons:
Free Devotional Series: NEW! Thank God for the Seasons - Four short books with praises to God for the blessings of each season: In the Garden – A series of comics featuring a gardener and the children he works with. Children reading the booklets will learn valuable lessons about God’s love and care, kindness and consideration, obedience and the importance of spending time with Jesus each day. Coloring pages accompany the stories for added fun. Pray a Way – Colorful posters (with accompanying black and white pages to color) featuring rhyming prayers for just about every activity. A bible verse is included for each prayer. Topics covered include schooltime, mealtime, bedtime, holidays, grandparents and even pets. Bright Pebbles – Bright Pebbles is a collection of Christian and character-building books written for children ages four on up. Each devotional is built on a Bible verse, and explains to a child in simple terms what the principles of that verse mean and how it applies to daily living. The Bright Pebbles series is created by My Wonder Studio and there are currently over 85 of these devotionals posted online in pdf format for easy downloading. Additionally, a compilation of several books from this series can be downloaded for free in epub and mobi format. My Little Talks with Jesus – An ongoing series of short, devotional articles where Jesus talks with little children about day to day issues such as happiness, trying new things, forgiveness, going to sleep at night and more. This series is created by My Wonder Studio and all articles are in .pdf format for easy downloading. You can also download the ebook for free in epub or Kindle format. One Kind Deed at a Time – A series of ten devotional articles on the topic of kindness, consideration and forgiveness. Each devotional includes a Bible verse and practical ideas to put the article into action. This series is created by My Wonder Studio and all articles are in .pdf format for easy downloading. Through Every Day - Covers topics such as God's love, prayer, and kindness. A free coloring page accompanies every devotional. Basic Christian Principles for Little Children - Short devotionals to help children learn the basics of the Christian faith:
Other Free Devotionals for Little Kids
Devotionals from the Freekidstories Website - Freekidstories offers a range of free children’s devotional resources for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, including presentations of songs, illustrated simplified Bible verses and short devotional articles. Songs:
My Wonder Studio - The My Wonder Studio website is dedicated to creating free children’s stories, devotionals and activities that can be read online or downloaded at no charge. You can find materials for children ages 0-5 years here or check out stories and devotionals listed by category. Nurture, Inspire, Teach: Nurture, Inspire, Teach is a website dedicated to providing great online resources for children, teenagers and parents. Following are links to the site’s children’s devotionals for little ones.
To help your little one learn even more of God's Word, check out this list of free Bible stories online that your little ones are sure to enjoy. Some of these are available as PowerPoints while others are in .pdf and/or ebook format.
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Families that share that common connection with God, whom the Bible calls love itself (1 John 4:8), are closer, more loving, more unified, and have far fewer serious problems among themselves than families that don’t. Why?—Because they have the most important things in common, besides a clear standard of right and wrong—the spiritual guidance and support they need to make the right decisions and stick to them. Click on the links for free illustrated and simplified Bible stories for children. Stories can either be read online or downloaded in .ppt or .pdf format. Bible Story Flashcards All flashcards can be downloaded for free (in .pdf format):
Bible Story Flannelgraphs These free Bible flannelgraphs cover stories from the life of Jesus, including the First Christmas, the healing of Jairus’ daughter, healing of the ten lepers, the parable of the lost sheep, the story of Zacchaeus and the story of the first Easter. All flannelgraphs can be downloaded in color or black and white. (.pdf format) Bible Story Presentations (PowerPoint) The following two sections contain Bible stories in PowerPoint presentation format; just right click an image and then select “save file as” or “save as” to download any Bible story onto your computer. Basic Old Testament Stories – Simple, colorful and nicely illustrated Old Testament stories for children. The stories found here include Creation, Noah and the Ark, Joseph, Moses, David and Goliath and Jonah. Basic New Testament Stories – New Testament stories found at this link include Jesus Calls 12 Disciples, The Good Samaritan, Jesus feeds 5,000, Jesus calms a storm, Jesus Heals a Blind Beggar, Lazarus lives again, The 10 Lepers, The Lost Sheep and The Prodigal Son. NEW! Old Testament Stories: (all stories can be read online or downloaded as a .pdf for free)
Life of Jesus (all stories can be read online or downloaded as a .pdf for free)
NEW! Parables of Jesus (all stories can be read online or downloaded as a .pdf for free) NEW! Stories of the Acts of the Apostles (all stories can be read online or downloaded as a .pdf for free)
Bible Story Books Some of these Bible story books can only be read online while others can be downloaded in .pdf, .epub or .mobi format.
Bible Passages and Prayers
Updated February March 2023!
Following is a comprehensive list of stories, devotionals, coloring pages and activities for Lent for children and teens of all ages. All material is non-denominational and can be easily used by Catholics and Protestants alike. The material is divided by age and category (stories/devotionals). Lent-related subjects covered by this material include prayer, salvation, forgiveness, generosity and Christian living. Be sure to also check the list of free resources for Easter for even more stories, illustrated kids’ devotions, videos and fun activities. Lent Daily Devotional Books
1-4 Years
Stories:
Devotionals:
5-7 Years
Stories
Devotionals Unless otherwise noted, the following devotionals deal with topics related to God’s love for humankind, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and having a close relationship with Jesus today. Some, such as John 3 and John 1:1-14, are Bible chapters with colorful illustrations that bring the text to life and make it easy to understand.
8-11 Years
Stories
Devotionals
Preteens and Teens
Coloring Pages
Arts and Crafts Activities
Image courtesy of Lotus Carroll via Flickr. 
Updated July 2022!
Tiny Bible Treasures Bible stories from the Life of Jesus for little children. Click here to watch these entertaining videos. Animated Little Bible Heroes Short Bible stories from the Old Testament and New Testament. Ideal for little children. Click here to watch the 16 videos in this series. Treasure Attic Bible Specials Treasure Attic is a series of videos for children from 4 to 9 years of age. Each episode uses songs, stories and an entertaining narrative to teach kids moral values such as honesty, compassion, obedience and teamwork. The show also includes two Bible episodes. Fantastic Journey features stories from the Old Testament while Forever Friend retells stories from Jesus' life on earth. Bible for Beginners The Bible for Beginners series is ideal for children up to six years old. It teaches stories from the Old and New Testament in a fun, easy to understand way. Each show is half an hour and includes a theme song. Featured Bible stories include The Story of Creation, Noah and the Ark, Moses, Daniel, Jonah, The Nativity, Miracles of Jesus, The Prodigal Son and The Story of Easter. Click here to watch the videos in this series. Animated Stories from the Bible "Animated Stories from the Bible" is a video series produced by Nest Family Entertainment. These cartoons provide a dramatic retelling of both Old and New Testament Bible stories and were created to be a non-sectarian, informative and educational tool to help parents, caregivers, and educators instill positive spiritual values and character traits to those in their care. You can watch many of these cartoons here. Cherub Wings Cherub Wings is a popular Christian video series for children up to 10 years of age. The main characters, Cherub and Chubs, are young angels who teach children how to pray, praise God, read God’s Word and follow what it says. This series also teaches moral values such as obedience, forgiveness, generosity and kindness. Each episode is about half an hour long and has songs, stories and plenty of entertaining dialogue. Click here to watch these videos. Story Keepers The Story Keepers tells the story of a Christian leader and his family's adventures living in Ancient Rome whose mission is to keep Jesus's stories alive during the 1st century. Each episode is half-hour long and includes stories from Jesus' life as well as many of the parables. The shows are ideal for kids ages 4 to 10. Click here to view the videos. The Witness Trilogy A series of animated videos depicting the lives of Jesus and the early Apostles, as told by John the Beloved. Each video is about 90 minutes long. Click here to watch the videos in this series. Pilgrim's Progress A man named Pilgrim discovers a book, and the more he reads it, the more he is convicted of sin and judgment and a burden begins to develop on his back. Obsessed with discovering the truth and escaping his town, the City of Destruction, Pilgrim ventures outside the forbidden borders and begins his journey to find a Celestial City ruled by a good and noble King, meeting friends and foes along the way. This classic story, originally written by John Bunyan, is brought to life in this new animated video that is sure to catch the attention of children and adults alike. Click here to watch. iBible Series Unlike other animated Bible videos, these videos only use the Bible itself as text. Additions to the series are being posted periodically, with the end goal of covering the entire Bible. Click here to watch these videos. Torchlighters Torchlighters is a video series for children ages 8 – 13 years. It features the stories of Christian heroes and martyrs who lived their faith even when it was difficult. These stories are done in anime style and are sure to not only captivate children’s attention but also help them to understand what believing in Jesus and living for Him is all about. Click here to watch these episodes online. King of Glory With plain yet profound text alongside bright and bold paintings, KING of GLORY tells the story of the Creator-Owner of the universe and His plan to rescue His rebellious subjects from the kingdom of darkness. For a worldwide audience of all ages. The video, which is nearly 4 hours long, can be divided into 15 episodes for easy viewing. It is ideal for preteens but can be showed to younger children with a teacher's or parent's explanation. Click here to view or download the video. The Bible Project These short, animated videos are ideal for preteens and teens who want to learn more about Books of the Bible, Bible terminology, Bible characters and Biblical themes. Videos tend to be anywhere from 4 - 6 minutes in length and include engaging yet clear dialogue that helps young people understand the Bible and its teachings. Click here to view the videos on The Bible Project's official YouTube channel. 
God's idea of prayer is not a ritual, but loving and lively communication between the best of friends.
God wants to have a personal relationship with each of us, and He wants it to be the deepest, most meaningful, most fulfilling and rewarding, most natural part of our lives. He wants to make our lives even better. He wants to add a wonderful new dimension to all that we do—the dimension of His loving presence. 1 – 4 years
5 - 7 years
8 - 11 years
Activities
Audios Coloring Pages
Videos
Jesus is the One who has given us limitless love and who loves it when we help Him communicate that love to others, both today and always. All the love that we feel for others is possible because of His love.
Ages 1-4 Stories Devotionals
Ages 5 - 7 Stories
8 - 11 Years Stories
Videos/Audios
Coloring Pages / Activities
Updated November 2018!
Christmas is a great time to curl up on the couch together and enjoy a good Christmas movie. Following is a list of some Christmas classics that are not only entertaining but also meaningful. These children’s movies, cartoons and music videos help children remember that Christmas is about more than just giving and getting presents – it’s about love, gratitude and God’s wonderful gift to us in giving us His Son, Jesus. Click on the links to watch any one of these Christmas videos online. Movies It’s a Wonderful Life - George Baily is a man who has given up his dreams in order to help others. When he loses a large sum of money, he contemplates suicide on a bridge on Christmas Eve. This brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody. Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born. (This movie has English subtitles and you can download it as well using the link at the bottom right hand side of the video) Miracle on 34th Street (1955 made for TV version) - Macy's inadvertently hires the real Santa Claus to be the store Santa, with life-changing results. White Christmas - Two army buddies, who have become a successful performing team, work together to create a fantastical Christmas surprise for their former general. A Christmas Carol (1984) - The classic story of Scrooge, an old, miserly man who wants nothing to do with Christmas or good will. After being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, he changes his ways and dedicates the remainder of his days to helping those around him. You can watch the 2009 version of this classic Christmas movie here. The Nativity Story (2006) - Mary is a simple teenage girl whose life is changed forever when the angel Gabriel comes to her and tells her that she is chosen to be the mother of God's son. She subsequently heads to Bethlehem with her husband Joseph, finds nowhere to stay in the city and gives birth to Jesus in a stable. The Fourth Wise Man - Artaban is a wise man who intends to set off with the three Magi to find the Christ child. However, he stops en route to help a sick man on the way and misses his chance of finding baby Jesus. He then dedicates his life to doing good and helping those in need, never dreaming of the dramatic meeting that he will one day have with the Savior. Cartoons and Music Videos: NEW! The Crippled Lamb - Joshua was a lamb with a crippled leg who felt left out because he couldn’t run and play like the other lambs. But God had a very special plan for Joshua’s life. NEW! Nicholas: The Boy Who Became Santa - The story of the boy whose charity and care for people helped him become Saint Nicholas, a great bishop whose spirit lives on as Santa Claus. Based on historical facts. NEW! The Christmas Chest - Once a year, the family Christmas chest comes out! The Dino friends learn to give and take and have a great time getting ready for Christmas! Treasure Attic: Christmas Friends - This fun, festive Christmas edition of Treasure Attic is full of excitement, songs and surprises to thrill young hearts as they discover the miracle and meaning of Christmas. Animated Stories from the New Testament: A King is Born - The story of the First Christmas, starting with the annunciation and ending with Joseph, Mary and Jesus' return to Nazareth from Egypt. Bible for Beginners: The Nativity - The story of the First Christmas for preschoolers and younger children Veggie Tales: The Toy that Saved Christmas - A small toy is bewildered by the commercial hype surrounding Christmas and sets out to find what Christmas is all about. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Classic 1966 cartoon) - The Grinch hates Christmas and sets out to steal all the decorations and presents from the townspeople. However, he finds in the end that the spirit of Christmas is not something that can be stolen. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Based on the Peanuts cartoon strip. The story touches on the over-commercialization and secularism of Christmas, and serves to remind viewers of the true meaning of Christmas. Annabelle’s Wish - Annabelle is a calf whose greatest wish is to become one of Santa's reindeer. However, she makes a surprising decision that leads her to lose what she holds most dear in order to help a mute boy that she has befriended. The Little Drummer Boy - An orphan drummer boy who hated humanity finds his life changed forever when he meets three wise men on route to Bethlehem. Nester the Long-Eared Donkey - An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem. Kiddie Viddie: Christmas Joy – Children’s music video featuring well known and original Christmas songs for children. Ideal for babies, preschoolers and kids up to four years in age. (This playlist also includes several songs and a story from the “Treasure Attic” children’s video, as well as a short Nativity drama of the First Christmas.) Alabaster's Song - The touching story of a boy who befriends a Christmas Angel. From the well-known book "Alabaster's Song" by Max Lucado. Timmy's Gift: A Precious Moment's Christmas Story - Little Timmy the Angel is given the greatest honor in all of Heaven: to deliver the jeweled crown to baby Jesus. But he's sure they've made a mistake. He's much too little for such a long journey. And who knows what frightful things lie ahead... Click here for free children's Christmas stories. Click here for children's coloring pages.
Some of the descriptions are courtesy of IMDB, Amazon and Wikipedia. Image courtesy of Sean Dreilinger via Flickr.com
 By Chalsey Dooley Last Christmas, the magical spark never came. I wasn’t looking forward to decorating the tree, neither did I want the guilt and stress that would come from cramming and rushing to “make things meaningful.” This year has been the opposite, though. In fact, we started preparing in July! So what was different? Back then, the children and I came up with a plan to give Jesus 1,001 presents by His birthday, and we’ve been sending a few more His way every day since. The back of our kitchen door is covered with lists and charts, and now there are several hundred checkmarks and stickers indicating the gifts we’ve already given Him! There’s a chart for good deeds done to help others. There’s a chart for memorizing Bible verses. There’s a chart for making simple Bible story audios to post for other children. There’s a chart for writing letters to cheer the hearts of friends. There’s a chart for the times we have stopped to spend time with Jesus. These are just a few of the gifts we’re giving Jesus for Christmas. This year, our Christmas season started months ago and it feels great. There’s no rush, no pressure, no guilt, and no lack of focus. We’re reaching our goals and using our time to make Him and others happy. The charts are nearly filled up, and when they are, we’ll place each list in a gift-wrapped box and place it under the tree. They are gifts from the heart—each one represents time, love, and effort we know He will be happy to receive. We already know what the 1,001st gift will be—a simple birthday candle. We’ll light it for a moment each day while we pray for others around the world to come to know Jesus’ love. These prayers are also gifts we can offer the One who offered us His all. Chalsey Dooley is a writer of inspirational material for children and caretakers and is a full-time edu-mom living in Australia. Courtesy of Activated magazine. Used with permission. Photo: Molly Sabourin/Flickr.
 By Iris Richard I was born in 1955, only ten years after World War II, when wartime hardships were still fresh in people's minds. Grandfather used to tell us children of the extreme hunger and exhaustion of those days, and the struggle of staying alive during the long freezing winter months. Our town was in the heart of Germany's industrial center, and everything was covered with a seemingly permanent layer of gray-brown dust from the steel mills. In springtime, the grass and green shoots quickly turned brown, and so did the fresh snow in winter, making its white coat look worn after only a day. On the first Sunday in December, our family always gathered around the table in our apartment's tiny kitchen. My mother, my sister Petra, and I lit the first candle of our Advent wreath and sang Christmas songs, as our thoughts journeyed far, far away from the dusty city to the three wise men traveling on camelback. Each week a new candle was lit, and peace and joy filled our hearts as the story of the manger which awaited the birth of our Savior came alive. Then came the long-awaited event of Christmas baking—special indeed, since butter, nuts, and eggs were sparse, and chocolate was a rare treat. With the delicious smell of freshly baked cookies still filling the air, we carefully stored each batch in large tin cans. On Christmas morning, we went to see the tree, prepared the night before by our parents. We all crept into the living room while Papa lit the candles one by one with a long match. What joy it was to find stockings filled with homemade cookies, nuts, chocolate, oranges, and apples, and new knitted dresses for our dolls. There also were crayons and coloring books, hats, gloves, and scarves. These were days of simple joys and handmade toys. The memories serve as a reminder to me to search for true value, for the human touch, for things that last—especially in the fast-moving times we live in today, filled with technological gadgets and screen-based activities. They are also a reminder to keep my eyes open to the needs of others, to love, and to share. That's what makes this season a truly unforgettable one, leaving its beautiful mark on the memories of our children and those we meet. Iris Richard is a counselor in Kenya, where she has been active in community and volunteer work since 1995. Article courtesy of Activated magazine; used with permission. Photo by Celeste Lindell via Flickr.
Parables of Jesus for Children – Free Stories, Videos, Coloring Pages and Activity Sheets11/16/2014  When Jesus spoke to the multitudes, He often explained deep truths by means of parables—stories about common events, circumstances, and things that His listeners could easily relate to. Times have changed, but the timeless truths contained in the parables of Jesus are just as relevant today and just as feeding to our souls as they were to those who first heard them 2,000 years ago! Bon appétit! Stories:
Videos: Short videos (for children up to 5 years in age)
Full length cartoons (about ½ hour; ideal for children ages 5 – 10)
Activities and Coloring Pages
Worksheets for older children:
Image courtesy of FN-Goa via Flickr.
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