Abrahamic Study Hall · Bible for Kids
Growing in knowledge, faith and goodness.
Genesis, the Gospel and the Quran: three reading paths for children, young people and families. Let us begin with the origins, open the great stories of the Abrahamic Scriptures, and learn to know GOD, ask questions and care for one another.
The young readers’ library
The first book on our journey is Genesis. From here, you can continue with the Gospel and the Quran: three ASH reading paths already available, told in language children and young people can understand.
Genesis
The Bible retold for children and young people
Light, life, the garden and the first covenants: begin with the great questions about our origins and discover the stories that open the Bible.
Creation · Wonder · Responsibility
Read GenesisGospel
The preaching of Jesus
An encounter with the life of Jesus through the Gospel accounts: beginning with his birth, a journey towards faith, attentive listening and love for our neighbour.
Welcome · Listening · Compassion
Read the GospelQuran
The preaching of Mohammed
A first introduction to the Islamic faith and the teachings of the Quran, beginning with al-Fātiḥa and the themes of al-Baqarah: gratitude, mercy and the search for the right path.
Mercy · Prayer · Generosity
Read the QuranReading with guidance. These links open ASH adaptations and introductions for young readers. Each path should be accompanied, according to the reader’s age, by reading Scripture and talking with an adult. The three illustrations evoke the themes of the journey and of study.
Biblia: a library open to all peoples
The word Bible comes, through the Latin Biblia, from the Greek τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía: “the books”. The name thus preserves the image of a collection, of many voices brought together in study. For ASH, this image can also inspire a spiritual library that welcomes readers from every people.
Why not recognise a place for the Scriptures of the different Abrahamic traditions within an international canon for study, through which we can learn to know one another, respect one another and seek goodness together?
ASH’s proposal: an international canon for study
ASH supports the development of a shared reference collection, in which the Hebrew Scriptures, the Gospels and the Quran can be studied with care, freedom and respect. Genesis opens this journey; the Gospel develops its encounter with the Christian tradition; and the Quran offers an approach to the Islamic tradition.
In this proposal, recognition means making room for knowledge, understanding the value a text holds for those who regard it as sacred, and engaging with its teachings. Everyone retains the freedom to express their faith, convictions and questions. The library can be shared, while interpretations remain open to dialogue.
In religious language, a canon is a collection of texts recognised as authoritative by a community. The Gospels already belong to the Christian canon; the Quran is the Scripture of Islam and does not belong to the Jewish or Christian biblical canons. The “international canon for study” proposed here expresses ASH’s educational and spiritual vision: a proposal to be developed through dialogue, distinct from existing confessional canons. The etymology of Biblia inspires its imagery, without determining on its own which books a religion recognises as revealed.
For younger readers, the starting point is simple: I can get to know the book another family cherishes, listen to its story and talk about it respectfully. Learning together can help us preserve our roots and build peaceful relationships.
Encountering Scripture from an early age
Bible for Kids is Abrahamic Study Hall’s project introducing children and young people to the sacred Scriptures of the Abrahamic traditions. It grows out of a desire to bring stories into homes that can be heard, understood and remembered, while maintaining their connection to the source texts and the depth of their teachings.
Reading a story together can become a precious moment in family life: a voice telling the story, an image awakening wonder, a question worth taking time to explore. Through the men and women of Scripture, we encounter trust and fear, generosity and jealousy, mistakes and new beginnings. This allows us to speak about our relationship with GOD and our responsibilities towards others in language close to young people’s experience.
Our aim is to support free and thoughtful growth: learning to recognise goodness, seek truth, care for life and respect every person. Knowledge bears fruit when it helps us live with greater justice, gratitude and compassion.
A story retold for children is an adaptation, distinct from a complete translation of Scripture. The Quranic path likewise offers an educational presentation distinct from the text of the Quran itself. References allow adults and young readers to return to the original passage. Illustrations, questions and activities accompany the reading; any imagined scenes or dialogue must be clearly identifiable as narrative additions.
Knowing our own roots, respecting those of others
The stories of the Hebrew Bible belong to the tradition of Israel and are also included in Christian Bibles, with differences in arrangement and canon. The Gospels and the other writings of the New Testament belong to the Christian canon. ASH’s pages on the Hebrew canon, the Christian canon and the Islamic canon help adults find their bearings.
Many biblical figures also appear in the Quran, in accounts with their own distinctive features. Within ASH’s Abrahamic outlook, recognising these connections invites dialogue while keeping the differences between texts and interpretations clear. From an early age, we can learn to express our faith sincerely and listen respectfully to the faith of others.
A reading path that grows with the reader
Every child has their own pace, sensitivities and interests. These age ranges offer general guidance when choosing the language and length of a reading.
Ages 4–6 · Listening
Short stories read by an adult, pictures to look at and one question at a time. The focus is on familiar experiences: being welcomed, helping, giving thanks, caring for a plant or an animal.
Ages 7–10 · Understanding
Follow how the story unfolds, recognise the characters’ choices and read a few verses together. Drawings, short summaries and practical activities help children reflect on what they have encountered.
Ages 11 and above · Exploring further
Approach complete passages, their context and different interpretations. Distinguish a narrative from a parable or a poem, compare translations and discuss difficult questions too.
For the youngest children, looking at a picture and listening to a few sentences may be enough. Age suggests a starting point; attention to the individual guides the journey.
Six Bible readings to begin with
The following cards offer brief narrative summaries, a question and an activity proposed by ASH. The references identify passages to open in the Bible with an adult; the summaries do not reproduce their full text.
To continue with the Islamic Scriptures, open the Quran for children and young people, with its introduction to al-Fātiḥa and al-Baqarah. For more biblical stories, explore the collection 10 interesting Bible stories for children, always accompanied by reading the biblical passages indicated.
Passing on the Word in everyday life
The Book of Deuteronomy places the teaching of children within the ordinary moments of the day. Before inviting adults to pass on the words they have received, it asks them to keep those words in their own hearts. For ASH, this order offers an essential educational insight: what we teach also gains strength from the way we live.
| Verse | Hebrew | English working translation |
|---|---|---|
| 6:6 | והיו הדברים האלה אשר אנכי מצוך היום על לבבך׃ | These words, which I command you today, shall be upon your heart. |
| 6:7 | ושננתם לבניך ודברת בם בשבתך בביתך ובלכתך בדרך ובשכבך ובקומך׃ | You shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the way, when you lie down and when you rise. |
The Hebrew text is presented without vowel points or cantillation marks. The English working translation was prepared for this page. The verb rendered “teach them diligently” evokes attentive, repeated teaching. The table presents both cited verses in full.
A child learns from the words we use to explain justice and from the actions through which we practise it. Apologising, listening without humiliating and respecting those who are different are everyday opportunities to give credibility to what we read together.
The study Newborns and children in the Holy Scriptures brings together further texts and insights for adults on the value of young children and the responsibility to welcome, protect and educate them.
How to read together
A short, shared reading can become a family habit. We suggest five steps to adapt to the sensitivities and attention of those taking part.
- Choose. The adult reads the passage first and considers which parts to explore together. You can begin with a single scene, explaining that it belongs to a wider story.
- Listen. Read calmly, explain unfamiliar words and make room for interruptions. A drawing can help children imagine the setting of the story.
- Ask. Ask what struck, surprised or worried the child. Welcome unexpected answers too: dialogue helps us understand a child’s thinking.
- Return to the text. Compare a detail in the story with the corresponding verse. Older readers can be asked to distinguish what the text says from what the reader imagines.
- Put it into practice. Choose a simple, achievable action: give thanks, help, put right a small wrong, share. At your next reading, you can talk about how it went.
Welcoming difficult questions too
The Bible includes conflict, injustice, suffering and death. Adults can approach these gradually, avoiding descriptions that exceed a child’s capacity to cope and explaining that recounting an action does not necessarily mean approving it. Even important figures make mistakes: this opens a conversation about responsibility and the possibility of change.
In the flood account, for example, it is important to acknowledge the seriousness of what happens and to respond to any fears it raises. Children should never be taught that illness, misfortune or difficulties within their family prove that they are to blame or lack faith.
When a question goes beyond our knowledge, we can acknowledge this honestly and search together. Trust in GOD can coexist with patient study and an awareness of the limits of our understanding.
A notebook of discoveries
To give the journey continuity, set aside a page for each reading: the title, a drawing, a question and an action to try. Older readers can add the biblical reference and a new word. Over time, the notebook will preserve a record of the questions and discoveries you have shared.
Continue studying with ASH
The following resources offer ways to continue the journey. The longer studies and pages on the canons are intended mainly for adults and for young people reading with guidance.
- Genesis for children and young people, The Gospel for children and young people and Quran for children and young people: the three paths in ASH’s library for younger readers.
- 10 interesting Bible stories for children: a collection of stories to use as a starting point for opening the biblical texts.
- Newborns and children: passages from Scripture and reflections on the care and dignity of the youngest among us.
- Meanings of names in the Bible: an index introducing the names and people encountered during reading.
- Studies by topic: collections for exploring, with an adult’s help, themes such as peace, justice and the trials of life.
- Tanakh: the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament: guides to the books in their respective collections.
Every reading can plant a seed. A question held close, a word understood, a small act of kindness. This is the hope of Bible for Kids: that encountering the Word of GOD will accompany children and young people as they grow, and that knowledge will become respect, responsibility and love for life.
