5 Great Bible Stories to Read to Your Daughter

I am the father of two wonderful little girls. We read a variety of stories each day, but often at night before bed we find ourselves in one kind of storybook Bible or the other. As I read to the girls, little as they are, I recognize that sometimes not every Bible passage is going to resound with them in the same way. For instance, the deep theology of Paul isn’t going to maybe strike them the same way as the story of Moses. This is to be expected, especially given that they’re still quite young and not reading on their own yet. The Bible’s stories can be especially powerful for our little ones, and we can lean into that!

Maybe you’re beginning to read Bible stories either straight from the Bible or from a Bible storybook for the first time to your daughters. You may be wondering, “Where should I start with reading the Bible to my daughters?” Of course there is likely no wrong place to start, but below I will list for you a handful of stories I think may be great places to start reading Scripture to your daughters.

1. The Story of Jesus Calming the Storm

In Mark 4:35-41, we see Jesus with His disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. A violent storm comes upon the group. The disciples panic. Jesus calms the storm with nothing more than a command.

I don’t know about you and our kids, but my little girls are still quite scared of thunderstorms. Thunder and lightning and wind whipping against the side of the house can send our little ones into a bit of a tizzy. No doubt this is part of why I’ve seen the story of Jesus calming the storm resound with our daughters.

What we can teach our kids with this story that Jesus is never unaware or powerless in our chaos. We can point to the contrast between fear and faith. We can talk about when we are tempted to be afraid instead of trust God—maybe in literal thunderstorms of our own.

Our daughters can grow in their love for and trust of God when they see that peace isn’t ultimately found in calm waters or comfortable circumstances, but the presence and power and Word of God in Christ.

Key verse: “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)

2. The Story of Ruth 

In the story of Ruth we see the sovereignty, wisdom, and kindness of God on display throughout the book, and especially in the life of Ruth, the book’s namesake. Ruth cares deeply for others and demonstrates the gracious, generous love of God that we see most clearly in Jesus Christ, an eventual descendant of Ruth through the line of David.

Of course Ruth is a female biblical character to be admired, especially for little girls navigating the stories of Scripture for the first time, but ultimately what our daughters can learn from the story of Ruth is about how God honors faithfulness and kindness even when it isn’t easy to be faithful or kind. In the life and story of Ruth, we see the intimacy and love of God on display, and this can give our daughters hope more than even the faithful actions of the book’s main character.

Key verse: “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.’” (Ruth 1:16)

3. The Story of David and Goliath

Look, there’s a reason David and Goliath is one of the most well-known stories from the Bible around the world, regardless of what anyone believes about God or His Word. On its face, it’s a compelling story of a young boy stepping up in place of His cowardly peers and defeating an otherworldly sort of foe with nothing but a rock and sling. An important lesson to teach little ones about the story of David and Goliath is that though David was brave, He is not the hero of the story. God is the hero of the story.

By walking through the story of David and Goliath with our daughters (or children generally), we can show them that true courage is found having faith in God’s goodness and power rather than our own. Just like God worked mightily through the faith of young David, so can He work through the faith of our daughters.

Key verse: “…and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.” (1 Samuel 17:47)

4. The Story of Esther

Esther lived with her uncle Mordecai some other Jews in the Persian capital of Susa following the Babylonian exile of Israelites from their land. Esther hides her Jewish identity and wins a sort of “beauty pageant,” if you will, to become the queen of Persia after the King deposes his wife, Queen Vashti, for not obeying Him. In her position as queen, Esther is eventually able to save her uncle Mordecai and all the Jewish people in Persia from an execution order pushed through by the evil government official named Haman. Eventually Haman himself is killed for attempting to kill Mordecai, who had saved the king’s life earlier in the story.

Though God is curiously never mentioned by name in the story of Esther, He is active throughout the book and His hand can be seen clearly in each movement of the narrative. The story of Esther can help our daughters see that God’s providence places us where we are for a reason—even if life is difficult and uncomfortable, God can work mightily through wherever He has us. Likewise, Esther can teach our daughters that bravery and leadership often look more subtle and subversive than the world often leads us to believe. We see Esther’s courage in her quiet obedience more than we do in grand heroic actions or eloquent speeches. Faith in God can manifest in a variety of ways, and Esther shows us one of those.

Key verse: “For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

5. The Story of Joseph and His Brothers 

Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, and everyone knew it—including his jealous brothers. One day, they stripped him of his colorful robe and threw him into a pit. Instead of killing him, they sold him into slavery. Yet over time, God raised Joseph from a forgotten prisoner to one of the most powerful men in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. While in this position of power, Joseph’s brothers came asking for food amid a famine. He revealed himself to his brothers and eventually he was also reunited with his father, Jacob.

Joseph’s story is a tragic story of conflict, hatred, attempted murder, and sin. He suffered greatly at the hands of people who were supposed to love and care for him. He was accused of wrongdoing and falsely imprisoned. And yet, the story of Joseph shows us that God can work wonders through even the worst circumstances.

Our daughters will eventually experience difficult, and perhaps even tragic, circumstances in their lives that seem impossible to explain—experiences that may lead them to wonder how a good God could even exist, let alone love them. The story of Joseph shows us that God can take pain and tragedy and turn it into blessing. The story of Joseph reminds us that even when it feels like God is so far off He may not exist that He is actually close at hand.

Key verse: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20)

Stories That Stick for a Lifetime

The Bible is full of stories of daughters, sisters, sons, and brothers learning to trust God amid storms, sorrows, and all other manner of difficulty. If you’re struggling with how to best introduce your daughters to the stories of Scripture, try starting with one of the stories listed above.

It is tempting to believe that children cannot understand the Bible because it is sometimes for even adults to understand. And, granted, there are some parts of the Bible that may not be easy for little ones to grasp. But stories like the ones listed above can be great starting points for our children to become interested in stories of salvation and God’s goodness that will stick with them for a lifetime.