New Children’s Bible Videos Help Kids Understand Gospel Topics

Contributed By Caitlin Carr, ChurchofJesusChrist.org staff writer

  • 4 June 2016
 

Play “The Baptism of Jesus” video above to hear a child explain that he is reading the scriptures, praying, and following Jesus in order to prepare for his own baptism.

Article Highlights

  • Use these videos to help children understand and apply stories from the Savior’s life.

“If kids don’t want to watch them, then we’re just forcing them to ‘eat vegetables,’ so to speak. But if you can hide the vegetables in a chicken nugget, then they’ll be excited to partake of it.” —Joe Fowler, producer

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Teaching children from the scriptures can sometimes be challenging. It’s not unusual to find a child more interested in playing with his zip-up tie during Primary or doing headstands on the couch during family home evening. But a new teaching resource can help engage even the youngest children in the scriptures.

The Life of Jesus Christ: Children's Narratives is a set of 10 new videos parents and teachers can use as a fun yet spiritual way to include children in gospel conversations. Clips of current Bible Video footage coupled with interviews of kids retelling the story from the scriptures in their own words make for an uplifting and entertaining experience. 

The videos were published on the Mormon Channel website Wednesday, June 1. Each video tells a different story from the Bible, including favorites such as “The Good Samaritan” and “The Birth of Jesus.” The videos tastefully combine humor (such as a child explaining how Wise Men brought gifts of “gold, myrth, and Frankenstein”) with children’s sweet and pure testimonies of the Savior.  

“We cast young children to be cute, and then we cast older kids who knew the stories well to make sure [they] were being told the right way,” explains film and video producer Joe Fowler.  

While these videos portray the Bible stories accurately and simply, they also serve as a springboard for a gospel conversation among viewers. Each video includes a discussion question where the kids on camera share what they learned. “The questions are meant to explore what children think of the story,” says Bill Elliott, director of media for the Priesthood and Family Department. “It’s always great to hear the meaning of the story in their own words.”

Brother Fowler says that the primary audience for these videos is children. He hopes the videos will get them excited about the scriptures in a format designed for them. “If kids don't want to watch them, then we’re just forcing them to ‘eat vegetables,’ so to speak,” he explains. “But if you can hide the vegetables in a chicken nugget, then they’ll be excited to partake of it.”

Two brothers do their best to remember the gifts the Wise Men brought the Savior in the video “The Birth of Jesus.”

Brother Elliott and Brother Fowler developed the idea for these Bible videos for children back in 2014, and after over two years of hard work they’re excited the videos are finally released. “I'm very proud of this project,” said Brother Fowler. “It’s one of the coolest things I’ve been able to do with the Church.”

The videos can be found in the following places:

Children explain gospel topics on a level that kids and adults alike can understand.

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