Teaching Bible history for kids? Check out this list of the best children’s Bible history & geography resources! Includes Bible history books for kids, fun hands-on ideas & games, and more. Scroll down to view the whole list.
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This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase anything through one of these links, I may earn a commission for recommending you—at NO extra cost to you!! I only recommend products I would personally use from companies that I trust.
Read my full disclosure here.
Should I teach kids biblical history & geography?
- Do your kids give you a blank look when you mention “Dan to Beersheba” and other Bible geography?
- Wish your kids knew what you’re talking about when you reference the “mite,” the “shekel,” the “cubit,” and other terms from Bible history?
- Do you dream of teaching popular children’s Bible stories without getting weird questions or comments about the places and the customs in the story?
You might think that teaching biblical history for kids is unnecessary, or that Bible geography isn’t really important.
But when you’re trying to make kids understand just how huge Goliath’s “four cubits and a span” is…
Or when you attempt to help kids grasp how crazy it was for Jonah to head for Joppa after God told him to go to Nineveh…
Then you might suddenly realize how helpful a little Bible history and geography for kids is.
And teaching Bible history for kids doesn’t have to be frustrating or hard. Learning biblical history and geography can even be fun if you have the right Bible geography and history books for kids (plus a few other hands-on activities & ideas).
So below I’ve listed my favorite tools for teaching biblical history and geography for kids–what I believe are the best children’s Bible history and geography resources available!
5 fantastic children’s Bible history and geography resources
1) The maps & notes in your Bible
Got a tight budget? Check the Bible you already own!
Most Bibles include a few maps in the back. This is a great starting place for teaching biblical geography!
I’d recommend looking first at the journeys of the apostle Paul. The account of his journeys in the book of Acts is super dramatic and full of suspense and action. It makes great read-aloud material for all ages! And you can flip to the back of your Bible and show your kids locations on the maps as Paul travels from place to place.
If you don’t already own a Bible with maps, this is the Bible I use. (I love it for the extra large text!) It’s simple and inexpensive.
This is another highly recommended Bible that includes maps, as well as super helpful commentary and historical notes. You can easily give mini biblical history lessons for kids using the info on the sides of this study Bible.
2) King of Glory: The Story & Message of the Bible in 70 Scenes
This book is AMAZING. Hands down, my all-time favorite resource for teaching kids the Bible!
The thing I love most is how this book traces the story of redemption from the beginning of God’s Word to the end. Each of the 70 “scenes” builds on the previous, giving your kids a great overview–and understanding–of the message of the Bible.
Plus, the illustrations are so detailed and gorgeous!
But the primary reason I’ve listed King of Glory here is because it’s incredibly accurate. This isn’t one of those Bible storybooks that pictures Adam and Eve as pasty white cartoon characters or depicts Satan with horns and a pitchfork. The author of the book is super knowledgeable about Middle Eastern culture and traditions. And he took care to make sure that all of the content and illustrations are actually accurate!
As a result, this book will give your kids a true sense of biblical customs and culture. They might not even realize that they’re absorbing it!
King of Glory also comes in a DVD format, along with a fun workbook. I’ve successfully used the book with kids as young as kindergarten, by paraphrasing the text and showing them the pictures. The workbook is well done and highly recommended as well, but definitely better for older kids who can read and write.
If you have a mixed age Bible class, you could teach the popular children’s Bible stories from Genesis to Revelation using King of Glory. Then keep your younger kiddoes busy with a coloring page and give the workbook pages to your older kids, so they’ll get more from the lesson!
3) New Testament culture & history lesson plans
Let’s jump to the world of the New Testament–the Roman world. Paul and other New Testament writers referred to the culture around them in so many of their writings. Fascinating! Knowing a bit about the culture of the day gives a lot of insight into the New Testament teachings too.
For example, did you know that the gear of the Roman soldiers who guarded Paul probably inspired him to write about the “armor of God” in Ephesians?
These simple, kid-friendly lesson plans teach kids about the Roman soldier’s armor, then help them understand how God’s armor is similar–and how they can use God’s armor in their own lives!
This would make a great curriculum for your Sunday School class or VBS. Plus, it’s free! Sign up to receive the lessons here.
4) A Bible encylopedia
If you’re going to invest in one major resource for teaching kids about the customs, culture, and geography of the Bible, make it the Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible.
It’s not cheap, but it is SO worth the cost. This is my go-to resource for any kind of biblical research or study. It’s easy to read and incredibly comprehensive, and gives such fascinating insights into the Bible from beginning to end! You can probably find answers to any Bible question you have in this set of books.
Because it’s written in understandable, everyday language, even middle schoolers could use this encyclopedia independently. If you homeschool, you could base your entire Bible curriculum around this one resource. Just assign kids a different topic to research each day or week. If you want younger kids to benefit, you can ask your middle or high schoolers to present what they’ve learned from the encyclopedia. And don’t be surprised if kids become so fascinated with what they learn from this set of books that they begin looking up other connected topics as well. 😉
If you teach Sunday School or any other Bible class, this is my #1 recommendation for lesson prep–as well as personal Bible study. Purchase the Zondervan Encyclopedia here.
5) A Bible board game
I firmly believe that the best way to teach kids is to make it fun–so fun that they don’t even realize they’re learning!
Growing up, we had a board game that involved building cities and roads on a map of Israel. Sadly, that particular game isn’t available for purchase anymore, but here’s an awesome Bible-based board game that involves a similar concept. Based on the event cards in your hand, you try to travel to various locations on a map of ancient Israel–before someone blocks your way, or you cross into the wrong time period for the event.
I love that you subconsciously absorb details about Bible geography as you enjoy playing the game!
Kids as young as 7 or 8 can probably learn how to play this game. And if you have tweens and teens, you may discover that this becomes a “Family Game Night” favorite. Or introduce it at your middle school Sunday School class or youth group!
Your kids will be so busy scheming about how to make points that they won’t even realize you snuck in a little Bible learning.
Grab “Portals & Prophets” here.
Have fun teaching biblical history and geography with these 5 best resources for kids!
And there you have it! When I think about teaching children Bible history and geography, these are the first five resources that come to mind.
Remember, too, that these aren’t just resources for kids. I’ve been personally blessed by reading through the King of Glory book myself. And I frequently turn to the Zondervan Encyclopedia in my own Bible study.
So I hope that these resources are helpful to you for years to come, too!
TEACH THE BIBLE SUCCESSFULLY!
Victor Olutayo Deborah says
This is a blessing for us, being a small church organization, we use it to teach our children in their Sunday school lessons and they have been blessed tremendously. Thank you.
Sarah at BibleBaton says
I’m so glad it’s helpful to you! ❤️