Books of the Bible Worksheet for Kids: A 20-Minute Find-It Race

Use this books of the Bible worksheet activity with a small Sunday school class of mixed ages, second grade and up, with younger kids paired with an older partner. It is a find-it race. Kids look up six Bible references in their own Bibles and mark each find on a free worksheet. It takes about 20 minutes, or about 10 if you race to three references instead of six. You need two free printables, Bibles, pencils and tape.

the goal is not to check all the boxes on your curriculum, but to give each child a chance to get into the Bible, have fun, and help them experience the love of Jesus through a kind environment, through making friends, through a teacher who prays for them and knows their name.

Tony Kummer, founder of Ministry-to-Children, in 2026

In this race, every child gets into the Bible. Each pair hunts down a verse, puts a finger on it and holds the Bible up.

Books of the Bible find-it race at a glance

• What kids do. Sort a few books into the Old and New Testament, count all 66, then race to six Bible references and match each one to what it says.
• Ages. Mixed ages. The worksheet is for second grade and up. Younger kids join the race with an older partner.
• Group size. One child to about 20. Pairs work best.
• Time. About 20 minutes for six references, about 10 for three.
• Supplies. A Bible for each pair, one worksheet per child printed back to back, pencils, tape and 9 to 12 coloring pages.
• Bible verses. Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 40:8, 2 Timothy 3:15 and 2 Timothy 3:16 (in two parts).

Free printable books of the Bible worksheets for the race

Both printables are free PDF downloads: a 2-page worksheet and a set of coloring pages. Teaching the books of the Bible with them also takes Bibles, pencils, tape and two paper signs.

Learn About the Bible worksheet (2 pages)

Get the free Learn About the Bible worksheet. It comes from Shirley McKinstry and is for elementary kids, second grade and up. Print it back to back so each child has one sheet.

• Page 1. What is in the Bible? (a connect-the-dots that counts the books in each testament), a Bible Writers Puzzle with six Bible writers, and what “inspired” means.
• Page 2. Other Names for the Bible (a code puzzle), What Does the Bible Teach about Itself? (look up six verses and draw a line to what each one says), and The Bible and You (a checklist).

Page 2 is the books of the Bible activity sheet for the race. The verse match is where kids record each find.

Books of the Bible coloring pages (66 pages)

The free Books of the Bible coloring pages have one sheet for each book, Genesis to Revelation. You only print a few for the race. Print Psalms, Isaiah and 2 Timothy, plus 6 to 9 more books from both testaments, such as Genesis, Exodus, Jonah, Daniel, Matthew, Luke, Acts and Revelation.

Saturday night prep (10 minutes)

1. Print one worksheet per child, back to back, and one for you.
2. Print the coloring pages for Psalms, Isaiah and 2 Timothy, and 6 to 9 more books.
3. Make two signs, “Old Testament” and “New Testament.” Tape them on opposite walls, or at the two ends of a table.
4. Look up all six references in your own Bible once, so you know where they sit.
5. Write the answers from the key below on your copy of the worksheet.

How to run the books of the Bible find-it race

1. Old or New? (3 minutes) Hold up a coloring page and say the book’s name. Kids look in the table of contents and point to the Old Testament wall or the New Testament wall. Tape the page under the right sign. Do 6 to 9 books, but keep Psalms, Isaiah and 2 Timothy for later.
2. Count the books (2 minutes) Kids do the connect-the-dots on page 1. The Old Testament has 39 books and the New Testament has 27, so the whole Bible has 66. Ask which wall would end up with more pages.
3. Open to the middle (1 minute) Everyone opens their Bible near the middle. Most kids will land in or near Psalms. That is the first stop in the race.
4. Race to the verses (10 minutes) Tape the Psalms page under the Old Testament sign and say “Psalm 119, verse 11.” Pairs race to find it. When a pair finds it, they put a finger on the verse and hold the Bible up. When every pair has it, one child reads it aloud. Then everyone draws a line on page 2 from the verse to what it says. Race to Psalm 119:105 next, then Isaiah 40:8, then 2 Timothy 3:15 and the two parts of 2 Timothy 3:16. Tape up each book’s page as you go.
5. Close (2 minutes) Do The Bible and You checklist together. Close in prayer, thanking God for giving us His Word.

For the 10-minute version, skip the counting and race to three references: Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 40:8 and 2 Timothy 3:15.

Answer key for the verse match

• Psalm 119:11: Remembering what the Bible says keeps us from sinning against God.
• Psalm 119:105: The Bible is a light to show us where to go and what to do.
• Isaiah 40:8: The Bible lasts forever.
• 2 Timothy 3:15: The Bible helps us understand salvation through faith in Jesus.
• 2 Timothy 3:16 (first part): The Bible is inspired by God.
• 2 Timothy 3:16 (second part): The Bible teaches us what to do and corrects us when we are wrong.

Running the race with a small, mixed-age class

The race works with any count because pairs race the clock, not each other. When every pair has found the verse, the whole class wins that round.

With one child

Race together. Keep your Bible closed until the child finds the book in the table of contents, then both of you hunt for the verse. On the second verse, try to beat the time from the first one.

With pre-readers (ages 4 to 6)

Pair each young child with an older one. The young child holds the coloring page, tapes it under the right sign and calls out “Found it!” for the pair. The older child reads the verse. Young kids can color their page while the others finish the worksheet.

With older kids (ages 9 to 12)

After the first verse, take away the table of contents. Older kids find each book by flipping, using the walls as a map: Psalms near the middle, Isaiah a bit after it, 2 Timothy near the back. Let one of them be the reader for each round, and hand early finishers the Bible Writers Puzzle.

Questions to ask after the race

• Which reference was the hardest to find? What helped you find it?
• Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” When do you need a light to see where you are going?
• Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” What is the difference between a flower and God’s Word?
• 2 Timothy 3:15 says the Scriptures can make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Who is the Bible pointing us to?
• Which wall did 2 Timothy go on? Which wall did Psalms and Isaiah go on?

What each child takes home

Send home the worksheet and one coloring page of a book the child found. This free books of the Bible worksheet for kids has two parts most classes will not finish in 20 minutes. A parent can do them at home with the child.

• Bible Writers Puzzle answers. Across: 2 Jeremiah, 4 Luke, 5 Solomon. Down: 1 Paul, 2 John, 3 Moses.
• Other Names for the Bible answers. God’s Word and Scripture.

Where the find-it race fits in your Sunday

• Before any lesson. Run it as a 20-minute Bible time before the story. Kids who can find Psalm 119 can find this week’s passage too.
• The next week. Keep the two signs up. Race to the passage for that Sunday’s story instead of the worksheet references.
• For older kids who want more. The Understanding Bible Layout lesson series has three lessons for ages 10 to 14 on how the Bible is put together, the Old Testament and the New Testament, with a Bible book bingo game.
• For a whole month. The Books of the Bible 4-week series has four lessons for ages 6 to 12: the story of God’s people, poets and prophets, the good news, and the church is born.

Want ideas for practicing the list at home with a young child? Ministry-to-Children has one family’s way to memorize the books of the Bible, with songs, cards and tracing.

More books of the Bible pages

• Bible divisions worksheets, two pages for each section of the Old and New Testament.
• 8 books of the Bible games on Ministry-to-Children, for a class that wants to move.
• All 66 books of the Bible coloring pages, the free PDF used in this race.
• Need the whole first lesson for a small class? Sunday School Works has a books of the Bible Sunday school lesson for a small class.