Top 5 Resources for Religious Educational Materials for Kids that You Can Buy

Terri's Little Haven May 18, 2021September 27, 2023

Is it time to introduce your children to the world of religion? Many parents wish to teach their kids about worship and faith from a young age, but they aren’t sure about which resources to use in the process.

Nowadays, there is a wide array of religious educational materials online available for purchase. These can be bought in the form of books, DVDs, wooden figures, puzzles, laminated prints, etc. Their goal is to make Bible study creative, attractive, and interesting to youngsters.

Have a look at the top five types of such materials.

Books and DVDs

One of the most useful religious, educational materials for kids comes in the form of books and DVDs. These are helpful to parents, teachers, and ministers trying to introduce children to the world of religion. Books and DVDs are an excellent addition to bible stories, which makes them an important aspect of ministry curriculums for children. Read here about the benefits of bible stories for children.

The choice of these materials largely depends on the age and knowledge of the kids one is teaching. For instance, their grade levels and understanding of the Bible play a major role in the curriculum. The same curriculum cannot be used for children who have never been to church and those going to church for years. Most importantly, it should be age-appropriate.

Moreover, children are supposed to grasp different concepts at different ages. Therefore, it’s important for parents and teachers to determine the concepts they should articulate by the third grade, sixth grade, or the time they graduate from high school. The curriculum is expected to provide support in the course of elementary, middle, and high school, regardless of the time a kid starts his/her faith education.

For instance, many parents and teachers have found the book Young Children and Worship invaluable to their teaching efforts. The ultimate goal of this resource is to introduce children between the ages of three and seven to the power of worship. The methods it explains are exciting both for educators and young students.

Additionally, the sequel to this book is called Following Jesus, another valuable educational resource for young learners. The approach of the author, Sonja Stewards, is identical to that of her previous book, relying on precise instructions for teachers and parents to create a successful worship environment. Bible stories and parables are used to introduce kids to the topic of religion.

Mini stories

Another useful resource for bible study is the mini versions of bible stories. These stories are of great importance in the religious education of kids because of teaching them about the essential values in life. For example, the struggle characters face in these stories helps youngsters understand valuable life lessons, such as dealing with important issues. Also, these educational materials provide children with guidance on avoiding sin and following the Ten Commandments.

It’s important for the mini-stories to come with sculptures and other mini-items for kids to understand better. There is a myriad of such resources found online, using miniature items for children to get a real sense of the stories.

Wooden structures

Parents and teachers are encouraged to use wooden structures when teaching religion to youngsters, as visual representation helps them remember the stories better than just hearing them. For instance, by using a wooden ark in one of your lessons, you can introduce children to the Noah’s Ark story. You can explain how God instructed Noah to build a large wooden ark in order to prepare for the upcoming flood.

Besides using a wooden ark item in class, you can also use pairs of animal figures to explain how God asked Noah to put two animals of each species into the ark. These illustrations would definitely help youngsters learn about the long journey of Noah and his family, who lived for over a year on the boat before the Earth recovered from the devastating flood.

In addition, a wooden Bethlehem structure would be a nice requisite to use when telling the story about the birth of Jesus. There are special online stores, such as worshipwoodworks.com, providing Bible study lesson plans for children’s ministry. Handcrafted figures are genuinely helpful in these lessons, as they draw the attention of kids.

Hence, a Bethlehem figure would undoubtedly assist you while explaining how the Magi traveled to Jerusalem to find the newborn king of the Jews and worship him after seeing his star in the East. By following the star, these wise men arrived in Bethlehem and provided Jesus with many gifts.

Puzzles

Puzzles are another important resource of religious, educational materials for kids. These allow them to have fun while learning about worship. For instance, by using an Adam & Eve puzzle, parents and teachers can explain to youngsters how God created the first man and woman on the planet.

Furthermore, a puzzle can be of assistance while telling the story of Jonah and the Whale. An illustration would indeed impress children, as they will be interested to see how the whale saved Jonah from drowning by swallowing him and eventually threw him on the shores of Ninevites.

Prints

Laminated color prints are another useful resource of religious, educational materials. These prints are used to illustrate parables, such as the parable of the Great Banquet, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the Great Pearl, the parable of the Treasure, etc.

Most children find the Good Samaritan parable interesting, as it explains the trip a Jewish man took to Jericho and how he was robbed and beaten on the way. Nobody wished to help the bleeding man but one Good Samaritan. Although Jews and Samaritans didn’t see eye to eye, this man felt compassion and took care of the hurt Jew.