Christian Resources in Spanish (Our Favorite Children's Bibles)
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Ever since I found out I was pregnant with my first son, I have been on the hunt for quality Christian materials for kids in Spanish. We knew that we would raise our children bilingually, so I was delighted when I received a bilingual children's bible at my baby shower--it was the perfect gift for our family.
As Christian parents, sharing our faith with our children is most important thing that my husband and I do on a daily basis. We want them to know who Jesus is, what he did for us, and what it looks like to trust him in both the everyday and the big, life-determining moments of life.
But we can’t do it alone! We rely on quality literature, music, and other resources to help us teach our kids the Christian faith. And over the past four years, I’ve been building quite the stockpile of materials that do just that—and today, I’d like to share a few of our favorite children’s bibles in Spanish. If you are a homeschooling family who speaks—or is learning—Spanish and you would like more bilingual resources for religious education, today's suggestions are for you. These resources have been tried and tested by our family and are our favorites. Please note that we are a Protestant family, but all of these bibles would also be suitable for use by a Catholic family (as far as I can tell--Catholic readers, correct me if I'm wrong here!).
So without further ado, my recommendations:
Children’s Bibles:
Biblia Ilustrada Gigante (The Big Picture Story Bible)—Spanish Language
Age/Proficiency Level: Toddlers/Beginners to Advanced
Description: This large children’s bible, with beautiful illustrations, recounts 21 stories from the Bible in simple language that shows the connection between the Old and New Testaments—a biblical theology for toddlers, if you will. This is a great resource for nightly family devotions if you have younger kids; we started using this with my older son when he turned two, and he still loves this bible at age four. The Spanish edition is new, so we just purchased it this year for our younger son as a Christmas present. If your children are just starting to study Spanish and you’d like a children’s bible for them, this is what I recommend—the language is straightforward, but descriptive, and the illustrations are appealing to all ages and not babyish in any way.
La Biblia Para Principiantes (The Beginner’s Bible)—Spanish Language
Age/Proficiency Level: Toddlers/Intermediate to Advanced
Description: This children’s bible provides a comprehensive overview of the most important stories from the Old and New Testaments in language that appeals to older toddlers and preschoolers (or your intermediate-level Spanish student). And it is a lot of stories—if you read through them all, your child will be well acquainted with the whole of the Bible in Spanish! One caveat for parents considering this purchase: the illustrations of this Bible are clearly for younger kids, so it may not be particularly appealing to families with older Spanish learners (think 10+).
Lee y Aprende: La Bibla (The Read and Learn Bible)—Spanish Language
Age/Proficiency Level: Preschoolers and Elementary Age/Intermediate to Advanced
Description: For bilingual preschoolers or elementary-aged children, or for the confident Spanish learner of any age, I highly recommend the Lee y Aprende Bible. The stories are considerably longer than in the other two Bibles I recommend, with more sophisticated vocabulary, so it’s best for students who have had at least two-three years of Spanish (in most cases). This is the Bible that we’ve been reading through with my older son most recently and I feel like it’s a very helpful tool for preparing him to read the actual text of the Bible, since the language most closely resembles that of Scripture. Note: there’s also a board book version of this bible for very young kids, but our family hasn’t had a chance to review it yet.
Do you use foreign language resources to help with religious education in your home? If you do, please leave your recommendations here (along with a note about your religious affiliation, so we’ll know who they will be most useful for)—they don’t need to be in Spanish!