Levels of Biblical Learning

A Wise Discipleship Plan For All Ages Birth – Graduation

Levels of Biblical Learning®

As kids grow, their understanding of foundational truths grows with them. Levels of Biblical Learning covers 10 biblical concept areas—God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Bible, Salvation, Creation, Church, People, Family, Community & World—that children and students can learn as they study God’s Word. The concept areas are presented through eight different age ranges, from infancy through high school, and reflect levels of understanding that follow how God designed children to learn.

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Select your age group to find out how they learn best:

Younger Preschoolers

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Young Preschoolers are:

Developing a sense of trust as needs are met consistently
Sensing attitudes and expression of love
Growing in trust of adults
Beginning to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors
Beginning to recognize simple pictures of Jesus
Singing simple songs about God and Jesus
Saying thank you to God
Listening to Bible stories

Biblical Concepts

God

God is good.

God made you.

God loves me.

God hears me.

God helps me.

God loves people.

Middle Preschoolers

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Middle Preschoolers are:

Identifying some Bible people and stories
Understanding that God, Jesus, and the church are special
Beginning to develop a conscience and are sensitive to feelings of shame and guilt
Retelling Bible stories
Recognizing that God and Jesus love people and help people in special ways
Expressing love for God and Jesus

Biblical Concepts

God

God is good to me.

God made everything.

God loves people and is with them.

God hears me when I pray.

God helps people.

God shows His love to me.

God loves me even when I make wrong choices.

God tells me to sing and pray to Him.

God tells me to do what He says.

God can do anything.

God does what He says He will do.

God knows everything about me.

God is real.

Older Preschoolers

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Older Preschoolers are:

Remembering Bible stories
Retelling Bible stories
Recognizing how God and Jesus love people
Seeing how God helps people in special ways
Using the Bible to ask questions about God
Making life application of Bible verses
Seeing Jesus as a friend and a helper
Starting to make conclusions about God

Biblical Concepts

God

God is good to everyone.

God created everything.

God is always with people.

God hears people pray.

God helps and provides for people.

God shows His love to people.

God loves people even when they make wrong choices.

God tells people to worship Him.

God tells people to obey Him.

God can do all things.

God always keeps His promises.

God knows everything.

God is real and true.

Younger Kids

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Younger Kids are:

Seeing Jesus as a friend and helper
Enjoying learning from the Bible
Beginning to have a simple understanding of sin
Seeing consequences to sin
Beginning to have a simple understanding of the gospel
Knowing the right answers but may not understand application
Interested in finding out more about God and Jesus and His plan of salvation
Using the Bible to ask questions about God
Making life application of Bible verses
Starting to make conclusions about God

Biblical Concepts

God

God is perfect.

God is Creator and worthy to be praised.

God is everywhere.

God hears and answers prayer.

God helps and provides for His people.

God shows love to His people.

God loves people enough to provide forgiveness for their wrong choices.

God tells people to worship Him and tell others about Him.

God expects people to obey, respect, and honor Him.

God is powerful and in control of all things.

God is fair and can be trusted.

God knows all things.

God is real, the only true God.

God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Middle Kids

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Middle Kids are:

Asking serious questions about religion
Developing values
Learning about being truthful and honest
Having difficulty making decisions
Beginning to feel the need for a Savior
Growing conscious of themselves and of sin
Wanting to do things the right way
Thinking in terms of right and wrong more than good and evil

Biblical Concepts

God

God is holy.

God is Creator and worthy to be praised.

God is everywhere at all times.

God knows what people need and desire but still expects them to pray.

God has concern and care for all people.

God loves and values people around the world.

God proved His unconditional love for people by sending Jesus.

God is worthy of worship.

God deserves respect, obedience, and honor.

God is all-powerful and in control of all things.

God is faithful and just.

God is all-knowing.

God has always been and always will be.

God is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (the Trinity).

Preteens

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Preteens are:

Developing concepts of love and trust
Hearing their conscience
Developing a value system
Forming concepts of personal worth
Seeking spiritual answers
Making many choices but may not follow through on long-term commitments
Feeling deeply about their own experiences
Beginning to adopt a religious belief system of their own

Biblical Concepts

God

God is holy, and perfect.

God, the Creator, is to be worshiped, not His creations.

God is omnipresent—He is everywhere at all times.

God hears people's prayers and communicates with them.

God has concern and care for all people, no matter their status, race, or ethnicity.

God loves and values people around the world, no matter their status, race, or ethnicity.

God proved His unconditional love for people through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ.

God expects people to worship Him with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength.

God deserves respect, obedience, and honor. God wants us to live for His glory.

God is omnipotent—He is all powerful, sovereign, and good.

God is righteous.

God is omniscient—He is all-knowing.

God is eternal.

God reveals Himself to us as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (the Trinity).

Middle School

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Middle Schoolers are:

Continuing to develop core beliefs and values during these years
Beginning to think critically about their worldview and the worldviews of others
Dealing with issues surrounding identity and self-image
Asking questions about God’s will for their lives
Learning the social and cultural norms in relationships
Developing a strong ability to connect biblical truths to life situations
Being taught the importance of having boundaries in all spheres of life
Learning to consistently practice spiritual disciplines

Biblical Concepts

God

There is one God who reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is eternal, and has existed for eternity past and will exist for eternity into the future.

Because God is holy, He is altogether separate from and far above people who are sinful.

God is worthy of our worship because of how He relates to us and because of who He is, and we owe to Him our attention and affections.

God relates to His people according to His covenant promises, He is faithful, and He always keeps His promises to us.

God is Creator, all creation is a result of His work, and people were created to live in relationship with Him.

God communicates to us through His Word and hears and answers when we pray.

God is omnipresent (all places at all times), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipotent (all-powerful).

God is loving and righteous and will one day make right all that sin has damaged.

High School

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High Schoolers are:

Comfortable in articulating their beliefs and values to those around them
Conscientiously aware and socially active regarding the cultural issues surrounding them
Asking how their faith is consistent or contradictory with other beliefs
Continuing to develop ideas pertaining to personal identity and self-image
Learning to navigate social and cultural norms in relationships
Exercising more independence and looking forward to life after high school
Learning fiscal responsibility through work and stewardship
Capable of exercising more leadership responsibilities within the church

Biblical Concepts

God

There is one God who reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person of the Trinity has distinct personal attributes.

God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is eternal, and although He is not bound by time, He chooses to operate in it in order to relate to us.

Because God is holy, He is altogether separate from and far above people who are sinful and deserves our reverence and obedience.

God is worthy of our worship, and to devote our attention or affections to worldly things which are rightly owed to God is idolatry.

God is Creator, all creation is a result of His work, and people were created in His image and as His crowning achievement to live in relationship with Him and reflect His glory.

God communicates to us through His Word and hears and answers when we pray, and our spiritual maturity depends on these spiritual disciplines.

God is omnipresent (all places at all times), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipotent (all-powerful), and exercises sovereignty over all creation.

God is righteous, grieves the impact of sin on the world, and will one day make right all that sin has damaged.

As kids grow, their understanding of foundational truths grows with them.

Example progression of understanding

Younger Preschoolers - God loves people
Middle Preschoolers - God shows His love to me
Older Preschoolers - God shows His love to people
Younger Kids - God shows love to His people
Middle Kids - God loves and values people around the world
Preteens - God loves and values people around the world, no matter their status, race, or ethnicity
Middle Schoolers - God is Creator, all creation is a result of His work, and people were created to live in relationship with Him
High Schoolers - God is Creator, all creation is a result of His work, and people were created in His image and as His crowning achievement to live in relationship with Him and reflect His glory

Resources

Ages and Stages: A Discipleship Framework for Church and Home - Birth to High School - Pkg. 10

A Wise Discipleship Plan For All Ages Birth – Graduation