Giving gifts is one of my favourite parts about Christmas. I love the joy of choosing the perfect gift for someone and then watching their face light up as they open it and see what it is.
We try not to go overboard on the gifts for our kids, so we’ve decided to get them each three gifts, plus some smaller items and treats in their stockings. They are also blessed with many lovely gifts from our extended family.
We give them one gift each, in line with the categories of something they really want (or will enjoy), something they need (a practical item), and something to nurture their Christian faith (typically a book, CD or DVD).
It can be hard to pick Christian gifts for your kids when there is a lot of stuff out there with iffy or just plain bad theology. So I thought it would be helpful to share some Christian gift ideas for kids that we have enjoyed and loved over the years. These are some of the books, CDs and DVDs that have encouraged our kids in their Christian walk.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you choose to purchase through them, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
Jesus Kids
By: Shai Linne
Medium: CD
Age: 0-9 years
Topic/Category: Theology
Shai Linne is a Christian Hip Hop artist best known for his music aimed at a teen/adult audience. The Jesus Kids CD* marks his first venture into the world of children’s music.
I am a huge fan of all Shai Linne’s music, and one of my (rap-loving) kids is too. What I love about his songs is that they’re not only theologically sound, but theologically rich. I’ve learned more theology from some Shai Linne songs than I have from books!
This CD has original songs, classic hymns (hip hop style) and “catechism interludes”. My favourite songs are Only Jesus and Jesus Kids. Only Jesus highlights how none of the heroes of the Bible measure up to God’s standard of holiness or are able to save us – only Jesus can. It’s such a great song because so much of the material aimed at kids talks about heroes of the faith as mere character examples for them to follow. But Shai’s song makes the stark contrast between Jesus and every other Bible character – he is the only one “good enough”.
Jesus Kids is a great call to action for young “Jesus Kids” showing how God loves children, how he can use them, and the important role they have to play in the Kingdom. It retells stories from the gospels like when Jesus told the disciples to let the children come to him, when Jesus multiplied the little boy’s loaves and fishes to feed the crowd, and when the children praised Jesus as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey. I love how this song highlights the importance of children in God’s kingdom.
King of Christmas
By: Colin Buchanan
Medium: CD or DVD
Age: 0-10 years
Topic/Category: Christmas
I actually bought the King of Christmas CD* before we had any kids to listen to it, when I was pregnant with my first child. I grew up listening to Colin as a kid, so I knew he would be mandatory listening in our family.
The DVD is pretty much the same songs, but in a different order and with great music videos, some talking and even a little cooking demonstration (which my kids love!).
Watching this DVD or listening to the CD always makes me a bit emotional because it brings back memories of the lead up to Christmas some years ago when my middle child was a newborn and my eldest had not yet turned two. Many days I would sit on the couch and pop on this DVD to keep my toddler entertained while I breastfed the baby. Listening to the songs now brings back a flood of memories of how hard that time was, stuck inside the house with my two littles in a heat wave. But I’m so thankful that the words of these songs are so Jesus-centred – while it was a hard time, I was filling my mind with the message of the gospel and the hope of Christmas.
On the DVD, my favourite music video would have to be “Merry, Merry Christmas” for it’s shameless parody of CSI:Miami (complete with Horatio’s glasses-putting-on sequence and bad puns). I love kids’ content that has jokes thrown in for adults that kids won’t get – plus, I’m a long-time CSI fan.
The King of Christmas album is full of joy over Christmas, while still keeping Jesus in full focus.
In ‘Merry, Merry Christmas’ he sings:
“More than Christmas trees,
More than families,
More than presents,
We need Jesus”
That’s the truth any time of year, but it’s an especially good reminder at Christmas, when so many other things are vying for our attention (and that of our kids).
Torchlighters
By: Christian History Institute
Medium: DVD
Age: 5-12 years
Topic/Category: Church History
Torchlighters* is a series our kids love to watch featuring true stories of people from throughout church history. Some of the themes are quite heavy, because they show imprisonment, torture and death (in a cartoon-style, child-appropriate way). But we think it’s important for our kids to learn about these parts of church history.
As Christians in the Western world, most of us have never lived through true persecution, which has been the norm for Christians throughout history. It’s great for kids to hear the stories of brothers and sisters in Christ from previous generations who faced great persecution or challenges for their faith and stood firm.
There are many great episodes, and I recommend watching the whole series. But our family favourites are the Amy Carmichael story* and the John Bunyan story*.
Dwell Richly in Romans
By: Jessica Harvey
Medium: Colouring book
Age: 6+ years
Topic/Category: Bible/Theology
This is the colouring book* I made, entirely based on the book of Romans. It’s done in the “adult colouring” style, but that just means it’s a bit more detailed and pattern-based than your average kids’ colouring book. It would still be very suitable for an art-loving child!
Every page has a verse or passage from the book of Romans, combined with beautiful pictures or patterns to colour. It’s a great way for your kids to dwell on the truths of Scripture while they relax and colour in.
You can buy the printable set right here on my site or you can buy the colouring book on Amazon*.
Everything a Child Should Know About God
By: Kenneth N. Taylor
Medium: Devotional Book
Age: 2-9 years
Topic/Category: Theology
We currently use Everything a Child Should Know About God* for family devotions. Each devotion takes up a two page spread – one page has a picture and the other page a short devotion, Bible verse reference and then a question.
I really love that it has you look up the passage in your Bible (rather than just printing the full quote) because it teaches kids how to look things up in Scripture, and also gets them in the habit of reading Bible verses in context, rather than just taking someone else’s word for it.
The questions are quite simple, often able to be answered easily by our 4 year old. So we like to also come up with our own questions from the passage for our 7 and 8 year olds, just to give them a bit of a challenge and help them to engage with what they’re hearing.
This devotion takes kids through biblical theology, teaching them everything they need to know about God and how he relates to us.
The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross
By: Carl Laferton, Catalina Echeverri (Illustrator)
Medium: Picture Book
Age: 1-8 years
Topic/Category: Salvation/Theology
The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross* is a beautifully illustrated picture book that tells the gospel message in a way children can clearly understand. I especially love the way it covers all the main points of the narrative arc of Scripture as well, starting in the garden of Eden, addressing the problem of Sin, how God solves the problem in Jesus, and how God will restore all things at the end.
I’ve been reading this book to our kids since our oldest was a toddler, and it’s still loved by us all. I tend to prefer children’s books that rhyme, and while this one doesn’t rhyme for the most part, it does have a good rhythm and cadence to it. I enjoy reading it out loud.
You can also get an activity book* which is based on the picture book – it has colouring pages and other activities for kids to work through.
Sing: Remembering Songs
By: Ellie Holcomb
Medium: CD and Picture Book
Age: 0-9years
Topic/Category: Trusting in God/ God’s love
Ellie Holcomb is a Christian singer who typically makes music for adults, but has now released her second album (and corresponding book) for kids.
Sing: Remembering Songs* is a lovely CD full of songs that aim to remind kids about God’s love for them.
Ellie Holcomb has a beautiful, sweet voice and her lyrics are artfully crafted to communicate biblical teachings in a simple way. Listening to her music always encourages me to look to Jesus and trust in Him completely.
“Don’t Forget to Remember” is a beautiful song all about the spiritual truths revealed in God’s physical creation – a message that is close to my heart.
She sings:
“Like every day when the sun rises high
The warmth that you feel is God’s love by your side
Oh, and just like the birds who keep humming their tune
Remember God sings songs of joy over you!”
The real gift of this song is that your kids will be reminded of God’s love as they experience the sun, stars, flowers and birds, long after they have listened to this song.
You can also buy the corresponding picture book, Don’t Forget to Remember*, which has all the words to the song illustrated with beautiful pictures. Here’s a video of Ellie Holcomb do a read-through of the book:
God’s Wisdom for Little Boys
By: Jim and Elizabeth George
Medium: Picture Book
Age: 3-9 years
Topic/Category: Christian Character
God’s Wisdom for Little Boys* is a lovely book about character development for boys. Each page has a character trait based on a verse from Proverbs, and applied into common situations that might arise in the life of a little boy.
What I love about this book is 1, that it pulls the character traits straight out of Proverbs, and 2, that it promotes such a positive image of boyhood and masculinity. Yes, much of the wisdom in Proverbs applies to both boys and girls, but this book applies the principles in a way that is specifically aimed at boys.
(There is also a God’s Wisdom for Little Girls* book by the same authors, but I haven’t checked it out yet.)
30 Prophecies: One Story
By: Paul Reynolds
Medium: Book
Age: 8-12 years
Topic/Category: Biblical history/Theology
30 Prophecies: One Story* is a fantastic book that I bought about a year ago, but have yet to really dig into. (A goal for the coming year, perhaps!)
It’s a kids’ book looking into 30 of the Old Testament prophecies that point to Jesus. It’s designed to really teach your kids how each of these prophecies is fulfilled in Christ, and how the Bible is one, unified story, not just a random collection of stories.
Each two-page spread features the following subsections:
- Prophet/Dates – Who made the prophecy and when
- Prophecy made – What the prophecy was about
- Then and There – What the prophecy meant to the original hearers
- Prophecy Fulfilled – How Jesus fulfils the prophecy
- Scarlet Thread – We can see God’s salvation in prophecy
- Application – How to apply God’s truth to your life
- Prayer – Communicating with God
It’s aimed at older kids, and while it still has pictures, they aren’t the focus (like in a picture book).
I think it would make a great devotional/Bible study guide for older kids. Or, for the home-school mums out there, I think this would make a fantastic basis for a unit in biblical studies!
How Great is Our God – 100 Devotions about God and Science
By: Louie Giglio
Medium: Devotional Book
Age: 6-12 years
Topic/Category: Science/God’s creation
I’m using How Great is Our God* to read to my boys at night when I tuck them into bed. (I will offer a disclaimer with this recommendation, because we haven’t actually read the whole thing yet. But what I have read, I love!)
It’s heavy on the science, in that it goes into great detail about the way things work and are made in the world, but ALWAYS in the context of God’s great power and creativity.
One of our boys in particular is very much into science, so this devotional is right up his alley. It’s really annoying when you’re watching a nature documentary or reading a book and it talks about how clever something in nature is, but then attributes it to Mother Nature, or evolution! The great thing about this book is that the wonder of the world is fully explored, and then fully attributed to God.
Tell me in the comments –
What are some great resources that have encouraged your kids in their Christian faith over the years?
*This is an affiliate link, which means if you choose to buy through this link, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!