Telling Bible Stories to Toddlers Archives

The Complete Guide to Bible Storytelling: Every Tip and Trick in One Place

Bible Storytelling – where do we begin?

The Complete Guide to Bible Storytelling is here to help answer that question.

We have the stories already written for us in the Bible. But when we tell them to young children in a Toddler group setting we need to do more than relate a narrative in a monotone voice. We need to keep the toddlers engaged, we want their adults to listen and it’s a bonus if we, the storyteller enjoy the experience.

This post brings together every storytelling tip shared on the blog.

Some of these things I’ve learnt over time. I’ve been telling Bible Stories in Toddler Groups for a long time. When I began I was nervous and sometimes unsure what to say. I’ve worked hard to get better at Bible Storytelling and it’s now something that I love to do.

The following tips are dotted around the blog – in this post I’ve grouped the tips together by theme. Preparation, Props, Delivery, Teamwork.

Preparation and Mindset

Prepare from the Bible narrative – don’t rely on your memory. The accurate details matter. Some practical how to’s here

Sometimes we think we know a Bible story but we’ve forgotten something or added something. So, start with the Bible.

Practice the story. Here’s how

Keep a record of all the Bible stories you tell

Plan ahead. Last minute is no fun. (read full post)

Using Props and visuals

Build anticipation by using a story bag

Collect and use props that bring the story to life. Here’s a selection of props we use…

Model of a flat roofed house — Bible time house for Bible Stories about homes Jesus visited

Paper plate emojis for Bible storytelling in Toddler Group — Bible time house for Bible Stories about homes Jesus visited

Store your props! Ideas here

Get knitting! (or find someone who can). My knitted Bible characters are invaluable. I don’t use them every week but they have proved to be a big hit with toddlers and their adults so they feature a lot in my stories.

Knitted dolls for Bible Storytelling props for Toddler Group — Abraham, Sarah and Isaac

Knitted dolls used as Bible Characters for telling Bible Stories to toddlers — Abraham, Sarah and Isaac

Collect helpful resources to have to hand when you need them. Ideas here.

Pair toddler groups crafts with the Bible Story to help toddlers remember what they have heard.

Voice, Actions and Delivery

Make sure everyone can see you – It’s easier for toddlers and their adults to listen when they can see what’s going on and feel part of story time (read full post)

Make sure everyone can hear you (some ideas here)

Your voice is so important. Use it to add interest for your listeners. Ideas here

Announce it’s time for the story with a theme song

Know how you are going to begin the story (read full post)

Have a clear ending to your story (some examples in this post)

Keep your story short. Brevity is your best friend.

Don’t fill your bible Story with so much verbal descriptive clutter that is full of terminology toddlers couldn’t even begin to comprehend that the audience is bamboozled and bored and left to look around for something else to do. (I hope you get my meaning!) Concise post here

Add value to your story – have a look at this post. The idea is to keep everyone engaged and listening and joining in. If everyone feels included the bible Story will be enjoyable for you, the storyteller. Actions to do and sound effects to make! These ideas are for all the listeners, toddlers and adults.

Repeat, repeat, repeat (see full post)

Lean into the things that are familiar for toddlers when you tell the Bible Story. Ideas here

Tell toddler group Bible Stories in such a way that your listeners know that the Bible is important to you. Tell them in such a way that your listeners will know that Jesus is important.

In other words Tell it like you mean it. The Bible is true, it is God’s word for everyone. I try to include the phrases, ‘The Bible says’, or ‘The Bible tells us’ whenever it fits naturally into the story (once per story).

Grounding our Toddler Storytime in God’s Word is valuable.

Involve your church/other toddler group leaders

Don’t do everything yourself. Ask others to lend a hand

Christmas is always a busy time of year. Share the load

Share your ideas with us

Although the post title calls this ‘A complete Guide’, it is of course just a snapshot. If you’ve been telling Bible Stories in Toddler Group please add your own tips and tricks in the comments. There’s always more to learn.

Engaging Toddlers with Bible Stories: Free Mini Course

Engaging Toddlers with Bible Stories is a free training course full of practical ideas for telling Bible Stories in Church based Toddler Groups.

Getting started in Bible Storytelling in a Toddler Group is sometimes daunting this training course aims to

Give you confidence in your storytelling
Provide practical ideas for including your audience of toddlers and their adults in the Bible Story time
Offer a simple way of putting together a Bible Story script for Toddler Group Bible story time.

There are four short videos packed with practical ideas. And by short we mean short – you don’t need much time to watch.

Why a training course for Toddler Group Leaders?

I’ve been telling Bible stories to toddlers in baby and toddler groups for over 14 years and over that time I’ve learnt a lot. Being part of a team and listening to other people telling stories has been really helpful – we can learn so much from others. This mini course is really just what I’ve learnt so far!

Who’s it for?

Use this Toddler group training course as a refresher if you’ve been telling Bible Stories to Toddlers for years, or as a starting point if this is something you’ve never done before but would like to have a go. It is lots of fun to tell stories to young children and very rewarding and the more you tell Bible Stories to young children the better a storyteller you become.

Telling Bible Stories to young children in Toddler Group is very special. The Bible is full of wonderful stories about real people that are relatable. There are stories about families, animals, journeys, the ordinary everyday and the miraculous – and most importantly they are about the truth of Who God is and what he is like and how we can be in his family. Telling these stories is a privilege.

What’s included in this Toddler Group Training?

We cover how to put a story together, how to get your audience joining in and listening and we share some examples of stories to tell.

What do I need to take part in the course?

You just need a bit of time, a way of watching the videos (all are in this post or on our You Tube Channel), a notebook, a pen and a Bible.

How much does it cost?

It’s free! So jump in and have a listen. Start at the beginning or skip to the video that interests you the most. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful.

There are four short videos – it won’t take too much of your time to watch. They are full of practical hints and tips. Beginning with thinking about our audience to finding the focus of your story to putting a simple story together and then telling it.

All you need is a pen, notebook and your Bible. You can watch them all in one sitting or spread them out.

Getting Started In Bible Storytelling to Young Children – Introduction

Session 2 – Finding your Focus

Session 3 – Engagement with the Bible Story

Session 4 – Build and Tell your Story

I hope that you enjoy this mini course for Toddler Group leaders and find it helpful.

See this page for some hints and tips for telling great Bible Stories to young children for more ideas for your Toddler Group.

FAQ’s about Engaging Toddlers with Bible Stories: Free Mini Course

Can Toddlers sit and listen to Bible Stories?

Yes and No! Toddlers can listen well to engaging Bible Stories that are told in a way that is suitable for them. Think short, clear Bible Stories that use suitable language and include props and/or actions.

Are all Bible Stories suitable for toddlers?

It’s good to think about the suitability of Bible Story content when telling Bible Stories in Toddler Groups. Avoid violence and focus on the familiar – homes Jesus visited, animals in the Bible, Saying thank you to God. Bible stories that have a clear narrative with a clear problem and solution are straightforward to tell. For example Jesus calming the storm. The storm is the problem, Jesus calming the storm is the solution.

How long should a Toddler Group Bible Story be?

Great question. Toddler Bible Stories can be several minutes long. If you have props and ways of including toddlers by doing actions during the story, Toddlers can enjoy a good story in Toddler Group that lasts several minutes.

How do I stop parents talking in the Toddler Group Bible Story?

Stopping parents talking during a toddler group Bible Story can be very difficult. Here’s a few ideas to try

Always begin story time the same way. Choose a song or rhyme and ask everyone to sing or say it with you. Then tell the Bible Story.
As everyone settles ask parents – ‘please can adults be quiet during the story. It helps me a lot and I really appreciate your help in this.’
If parents talk during the story you can include an action for everyone to do, or ask everyone to repeat a phrase.
Think about your set up. Have everyone sit near enough to the story teller that they feel that they need to llisten.
Sometimes it’s really helpful to have other toddler group leaders sitting among the adults. They can set an example to other adults.

Easy Story Bag Ideas

Story Bag Ideas that are easy to find and use! If you tell Bible Stories in a Toddler Group setting or with young children in Sunday School you will probably have used a Story Bag. (It’s slightly different from providing a Story Bag for sharing in a small group or one to one as you will probably be telling the story rather than reading it from a book. In a large group the storyteller should be in charge of the props, make sure everyone can see them. Also there is no need to include a copy of a book!)

A Story Bag is a very useful tool in keeping children engaged with a story. Items appear from the bag throughout the story. These items can aid understanding; an unfamiliar object is often easier to show than to explain.

Easy Story Bag Ideas for the beginning of the story

Taking things out of a bag can build excitement and anticipation. When I begin a story I often start by introducing the main character…for example

I’ve bought someone with me today who is in our story. Are you ready to say hello to Mary? Let’s practice.. ‘Hello Mary’. I’m not sure she can hear you! Let’s try again, ‘Hello Mary’. (I take Mary from the story bag)

This makes a good start to the story. Everyone has joined in with saying hello to the main character. Children (and adults) are waiting to see what happens next.

Another way to begin is by taking an object out of the bag that is central to your story such as a model of a Bible time house or a boat. You could begin story time like this…

Today in our story bag is somewhere that Jesus often visited! Let’s find out where? (Take the house from the bag) It’s a house! It’s where his friends Mary and Martha lived. One day they invited Jesus to come and see them…

Story bag Ideas for the middle of the story

If you have started your story by introducing the main character or place then the next items in the story bag should help the story move along.

For example – having said hello to Mary you could help the children think about what she was doing..

Mary was having an ordinary day – she might have been cleaning (take a duster from the bag and pretend to dust and a brush and brushpan and pretend to sweep)..

There are lots of things that people in Bible Stories do that are ordinary and every day like cooking and eating so you can include everyday items in the story bag to help children understand the story.

Here’s a list of items I’ve used

Bread rolls
Purple cloth (Story about Lydia)
Large blue cloth (Sea, lake)
Play boat
Pans
Bowls
Dusters/Cloths
Sewing supplies (Tabitha/Dorcas)
Fruit/Veg (Harvest)
Pringle carton characters
Knitted dolls
Toy camels
Knitted donkey
Toy sheep
Model of flat roofed house (Make your own from a cardboard box or use duplo)
Mat – for man to lie on (Man with four friends)
Toy animals
Model of Noah’s Ark
Rock/Stone
Sand
Coins
Large leaves (Palm Sunday)
An apple
A toy snake
A crown
Toy boat
Toy building tools (useful for lots of stories – Tower of Babel, Noah, Building the Temple, Nehemiah, Parable of the Builders)
Red cord/yarn (Rahab rescues the spies)
Cushion/Pillow (Jesus asleep in the storm)
Characters made from wooden spoons
Concertina people (great for crowds – Feeding of 5,000)
Paper plate faces (use to explain feelings)
Puppets – bought or make your own by adding a lollipop stick to a cut out character
Paper plate angels/shepherds – How to make a paper plate shepherd instructions and paper plate angel instructions
Oil
A Bible

There are so many things you can use in a story bag to help bring the story to life.

At the end of the story

Finishing a story well can be more difficult than getting started. So it’s worth thinking through an ending that is clear. If you know how to finish your story it won’t just trail off…

A Story bag is really useful at the end of a story. If you have used a character then you can end with ..

Mary had an amazing day. Let’s say goodbye .. (and everyone joins in with )’Goodbye Mary’, as you place her in the story bag

If you have used an object like a model of a house you could end the story something like this..

Jesus had been to visit the house. (Put it back in the bag) I wonder where he will go next?

You don’t have to use a story bag every week but it is a great way to keep children and adults listening to your story. Choose a bag that you like and that will be easy to take items from. A basket works well – you can cover items with a cloth to hide them.

My Story Basket!

My Story Bags!

Here’s a Bible Story using props –

Here’s a collection of Story bag Prop Ideas on Pinterest

Storytelling tip #12

Collect together resources that can help you

Go Teach and Scripture Union have some great resources that will help you tell Bible Stories in Toddler Group. Children’s Story Bibles and Bible Story books written for young children can be a big help too. They will give you ideas of how to phrase things and how to put a simple story together. You don’t have to buy loads – just slowly start collecting resources that you find helpful.

Storytelling tip #10

Start a file of your storytelling ideas

Keeping a collection of ideas is great – if you have a few weeks and you don’t know what to do you have ideas to fall back on. Think of themes – homes Jesus visited, stories people told, things God made. Under these headings add specific stories, prop ideas and craft ideas. Keep in a file, notebook or card file holder.

Storytelling tip #5

Use the Bible – not your memory

When preparing a Bible story rely on the Bible rather than your memory. Read the story a few times. Get it into your head. Read it out aloud. Sometimes we think we know a Bible story but we’ve forgotten somthing or added something. So, start with the Bible.

Let’s Share Bible Stories with Toddlers

“Hello friends, hello friends. How are you, how are you? It’s time for a story, time for a story. Come and listen, come and listen.”

We sing this song to the tune of ‘Frere Jacques’ every week at toddler group. We gather round the story chair in a semi – circle; some sit on the rugs and others on chairs and then we share a story together.

By saying ‘share a story together’ I mean that I don’t just read a story from a book or recite a story script. It is story telling – a much more interactive group activity. We are ‘in it together’, taking part, joining in.

There are different ways of creating a joining in experience when telling a story. Here are a few ideas

Sounds to make – the sound of the storm on the lake
Actions to do – climbing the tree with Zacchaeus
Saying hello to the characters in the story as they come out of the story bag
Singing a song – include ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ part way through the story of the shepherds and angels.

So how do you choose which stories to tell?

As a church-based group (although we meet in a community hall) we tell stories from the Bible. It can help if each story is connected to a theme for half a term. Animal Bible stories, Homes Jesus Visited, Stories Jesus Told, Creation. Choose stories that you feel comfortable with and will enjoy telling.

When to have Story Time?

Pick a time in your session when there are less distractions. If you want the children to join in, then serve snacks before or after. Try to time things so that hands are free to take part in the story actions. If possible, have a space where there are no toys or do Story Time at the beginning or towards the end of the session.

Create a space

The storyteller needs to be seen and to be on the children’s level. Choose a low seat and create a semi – circle. Clean rugs encourage parents/carers and children to sit on the floor, but chairs are good for adults who need a higher seat.

The idea is to know the story well and encourage interaction with the group. The Bible is full of the most wonderful stories. Enjoy sharing them!

(This is an article I wrote for CEF Britain’s Newsletter)

Here are some of the items I use when telling stories…