These days screens are literally everywhere! Kids and adults alike have a love and hate relationship with the way they influence our lives.
One of the things parents spend so much time contemplating is if their child's use of screens is appropriate. Finding ways to make sure your child is safe and receiving positive messages on their devices is essential.
Technology has the potential to be a great tool that we can use to expose our kids to key tenants of the Christian faith when used well. Using discretion about the kinds of games, apps, shows, and more that we allow our kids to consume is so important in the world of modern parenting.
For parents, being able to rest easy in the knowledge that the game or video they are using is life-giving is such a relief.
As the spiritual leaders of our homes we can use the help of these easy to access tools to help us know the best ways to talk about the Bible with our kids. Parenting is not easy and having guidance on what to say to our kids when it comes to faith can help us better navigate these precious moments with our children.
Some of the apps available even pair with the curriculum your child is using at church, allowing your family to integrate your Sunday lessons into your daily routine.
To give you a little help in navigating the “wild west” of apps we have compiled a list of quality screen time options that help your child and family learn more about the Bible and its teachings.
1. YouVersion Bible App for Kids
One of the best Bible Apps for kids that I have come across is by YouVersion, which is no surprise as their adult focused Bible App is excellent as well! YouVersion designed this app specifically to teach Bible stories to kids on an age-appropriate level. Amazingly the app is free and available in over 55 languages!
The app introduced kids to 41 of the more commonly read Bible stories and focus on the overall story that the Bible is telling. They have made navigating the app very kid-friendly allowing children to select the story they wish to interact with. The app reads the stories aloud to them.
The stories are filled with interactive animations and some have games giving your kids a chance to review some of what they have just learned.
2. The NIV Adventure Bible Memory HD App
The NIV Adventure Bible App can be used well with the NIV Adventure Bible. This Bible is a full color kids Bible that frames reading through the Bible as a great Adventure! The app is available to purchase for $1.99 in the Apple App store.
This app is designed to help kids memorize scripture. The app included verse scrambles to help you memorize scripture. Kids can earn special prizes that help keep them engaged with the challenges the app offers. The app includes over 1300 verses that your children can work on memorizing.
This could even be a great way to motivate the whole family to memorize more scripture together.
3. CBN Superbook Kids Bible App
The CBN Superbook Kids Bible App is free and available for Apple products, Androids, and Kindles. This app helps bring the videos from the Emmy nominated Superbook series to the next level. You can stream full episodes of the show on the app that tell popular Bible stories such as David and Goliath, The Ten Commandments, and the First Christmas.
The interactive content is connected to a children’s Bible that the kids can also learn from. The App also offers additional context to Biblical passages such as information about relevant historical artifacts. The app allows kids to personalize their usage of it adding notes, photos, and marking their favorite verses.
Apps in the game are sure to keep your kids engaged too!
4. The Beginners Bible App
ZonderKids created The Beginners Bible App for the ipad. It is designed for children ages 2 to 6 years old. The app allows you and your child to go through their bestselling Bible storybook from your tablet. You also have access to songs, narration, and sound effects that accompany the stories from the book. Young kids can also interact with coloring pages, games, and puzzles that go along with the Bible stories that are featured.
The app is one easy way to introduce the basics of the Bible to your preschooler.
5. Bible Songs for Kids
If you have a young one that loves music this app is one they will love. Bible Songs for Kids gives you access to Bible songs that your little one will love to listen to on repeat. One great feature is that you can use the appy anywhere without the need for an Internet connection.
Bible Songs for Kids is free to download and includes audio and lyrics for each song. You will love seeing your toddler dance and sing to these adorable songs.
6. Orange Parent Cue
This app helps supplement those whose kids are using the popular Orange curriculum at home or at church. The Orange Parent Cue app helps parents get insight into how to better take advantage of the limited time we have with our kids at home. The app gives parents things to say, things to do, and things to think about with their kids at home that align with the Orange curriculum.
The suggestions are all age-appropriate and really this app is a great resource to help equip parents as the spiritual leaders for their homes.
7. Bible Stories for Children by Ikon Media Software
Bible Stories for Children is available free for Android devices on their app store. The app tells stories from both the Old and New Testament. The app has a bookshelf filled with popular stories from the Bible. Each story is downloaded to your phone and then you can read the story from each illustrated page to your child.
This is a great option if you do not have access to a hard copy of a children’s Bible and would like a free way to read an age-appropriate Bible to your child.
8. Famplify App
The Fampilify App is a tool to help enhance your family devotional time. The app is one way to simplify the effort required to lead your family through the Bible. The app includes devotional, application questions, can align with church curriculum materials, connect with other families through the app, and has animated illustrations that accompany the Bible stories.
The app is easy to use and a great way to keep you organized as a busy parent.
9. Guardians of Ancora
The Guardians of Anora has great reviews as an engaging app for kids ages 7 and up. It offers engaging games to play as your kids adventure through the stories of the Bible. Some of the features of the app include the ability tot choose to play as one of six different Guardians, 11 Bible quests, free Bible videos to stream, 25 quizzes to test kids knowledge, 100 mini-games, and up to 3 players profiles can be saved on one device.
The app is available free for Androids and Apple products and was the Winner of Premier Digital’s awards ‘App of the year’ and ‘innovative use of media in outreach’.
10. Minno Kids
Minno Kids is designed to be a Christian Netflix but also offers parent resources and devotionals too! This app/service streams shows where God is central to the storyline. You can stream or download episodes that convey Biblical truth to your children. You also gain access to devotional content you can use for your family as well. The service is $6.99 per month and available on all major platforms.
This is a great way to give your kids safe access to well-curated shows.
Some of the series included on the app are Veggies Tales, Superbook, Friends and Heroes, plus so many more. Minno’s mission to help families connect with God through amazing stories, books, and resources. The hope is to leave parents feeling confident about what their kids are watching on their screens.
Finding quality and safe content for your kids to engage with on your home devices is such a struggle for parents. Discovering apps and services that reinforce the values your family holds and will protect their little eyes is a win!
We all need more ways to convey Biblical truths to our kids that fit into our busy lives and we all need daily reminders of what it means to be a Christ-follower. Access to an app that delivers our home reminders of who God is and what his Word teaches us in an engaging and easy to access way is the great way to keep our families connected to our faith.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes
Amanda Idleman is a writer whose passion is to encourage others to live joyfully. She writes devotions for My Daily Bible Verse Devotional and Podcast, Crosswalk Couples Devotional, the Daily Devotional App, she has work published with Her View from Home, on the MOPS Blog, and is a regular contributor for Crosswalk.com. She has most recently published a devotional, Comfort: A 30 Day Devotional Exploring God's Heart of Love for Mommas. You can find out more about Amanda on her Facebook Page or follow her on Instagram.