This year we are going to give each one of our girls a Bible for Christmas. I can remember when my parents gave me my first Bible. It made a big impression on me. It told me that the Bible was special and something that they thought was very important.
In my search for the right Bible for each child, I soon discovered that there are an amazing number of Bibles for kids. I found some really good ones and wanted to share what I found:
Preschool
For the littlest kids, I liked The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories (Hardcover). It has enough text to tell the story (some Bibles pare the words down so much you can't follow the story at all) but also plenty of pictures to keep the youngest minds interested.
Early Elementary
Looking at Bibles for those who can read opens up a lot of options. I found one in particular that I think is absolutely wonderful. It is called the Jesus Storybook Bible. Let me quote a review:
The Jesus Storybook Bible is unlike any other storybook. True, that's to be expected when you combine the mesmerizing illustrations of Jago and the award-winning writing of Sally Lloyd-Jones, a Brit with an uncanny knack for storytelling. Not only is each story as vividly illustrated as it is portrayed, but also each tale is telling one Big Story--the Story of Jesus. Even the Old Testament stories of "The young hero and the horrible giant" and "Daniel and the scary sleepover" come full circle to Jesus, the greatest Hero, King, Lover and Rescuer the world has ever known.
— More to Life Magazine
The book even comes with a CD of the Bible being read--no, more like performed--for those who are on the cusp of reading. It is aimed at ages 4 - 8, but I am excited about reading it.
Upper Elementary
The Jesus Storybook Bible is exactly that, a storybook, a retelling of the Bible stories. Eventually kids are ready for the complete Bible in which they can look up passages. Here I would direct you one particular translation called the New International Readers Version or NIrV. It is based on the popular NIV but it has been simplified for ages 9 - 12. One reviewer even recommended it for adults. Translations come with all sorts of extras. Some are called study Bibles, devotional Bibles, Read-in-a-year Bibles, etc. The one that I liked was the NIrV Kid's Quest Study Bible because it contains a lot of explanatory notes alongside of the Bible text. It includes questions and Biblical answers to a wide range of questions kids ask. For example, "What is a parable?" and "What is so bad about cheating in sports?"
Older Kids
There is one translation that I am increasingly impressed with: the New Living Translation, or the NLT. It remains very faithful to the original languages but it is also surprisingly accessible to the modern reader. The translation is packaged in a myriad of ways: The Student Life Application Bible, or one for "Guys and another for "Girls" and so on. Just find the NLT translation and then pick the packaging you think would appeal to your kid.
Adults
The NLT is also a great recommendation for adults as well. You may not want yours electric blue with a picture of a skateboard on it, but there is surely one for you. There is a nice one that came out last year called simply, the NLT Study Bible, shown here in imitation leather but all biindings are available.
While the NLT is a great Bible for reading, there is another I would recommend if you really want to dig in and study the Scriptures, my recommendation is the ESV Study Bible. It is a whopper at 2,752 pages but it's notes are thorough and its maps and diagrams are beautifully done.
More Info
For a more comprehensive look at the options for children, here is a guide submitted by a user on amazon.com.
P.S. Please don't tell my kids what their getting for Christmas!