Books of the Bible Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free books of the Bible Sunday school lesson teaches kids that the Bible is God's Word: 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, all given by God and all pointing to Jesus (2 Timothy 3:16; Luke 24:27). Kids learn the two parts, the common study groups of books, how to find a verse, and why we love and read God's Word. It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Pick the one that fits your class. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

• Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 3 pages: a Follow the Light game, a short lesson with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, Psalm 119:105 with motions, and a favorite-Bible-story drawing.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 4 pages: the Library in One Book game, a tour of the Bible's two parts and its groups of books, five recall questions with answers, the Verse in Order game with five paper strips, and a book line-up of the Law and the Gospels.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: the Book or Not? game, how to find a verse, kids look up verses in their own Bibles, the story of King Josiah finding the book of the law, four thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a group race, students read 2 Timothy 3:14–17, Luke 24 and 2 Kings 22–23 out loud themselves, six discussion questions, a personal Bible reading plan, and two memory verses (2 Timothy 3:16 and Psalm 119:105).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: 2 Timothy 3:14–17 and Psalm 119:105, with Luke 24:27, 44 and 2 Kings 22–23 for older kids
• Main point: The Bible is God's Word. Every one of its 66 books comes from God.
• Memory verse: 2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV); Psalm 119:105 for preschool, both for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about books, a light that shows the way, or which names are books of the Bible.
2. Bible lesson: God gave the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21), its two parts and 66 books, the groups of books people use to study it, how the whole Bible points to Jesus (Luke 24:27), Timothy who knew the scriptures from a child (2 Timothy 3:15), and for older kids King Josiah, who found God's book and obeyed it (2 Kings 22–23). Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
3. Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
4. Memory verse: a game or motions to help kids learn 2 Timothy 3:16 or Psalm 119:105.
5. What this means for us: God's Word makes us "wise unto salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15), the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the books of the Bible word search, the books of the Bible crossword, the books of the Bible maze, the books of the Bible worksheet, the books of the Bible craft, a book line-up, a Bible look-up race or a reading plan, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching the books of the Bible

• The groups (Law, History, Poetry and Wisdom, Prophets, Gospels, Letters, Prophecy) are a common study help, not Bible text, and every lesson says so. The book names and order follow the King James Bible. The free books of the Bible printable chart lists all 66 by group.
• Keep it about loving and using God's Word, not only memorizing a list. Every age level opens a real Bible and reads from it.
• Learn one group a week. Kids who know the five books of the Law and the four Gospels can already find many of the stories they love.
• Short on time? Do the Bible lesson, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.