Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd;I shall lack nothing.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The LORD is my shepherd, so I shall lack nothing. A shepherd feeds, leads and protects the sheep, and the psalm says the LORD does that for me.
Psalms for Kids
Psalm 23, 91, 139, 100 and 8, with key verses explained simply for children and a printable sheet.
Some psalms suit children because they are short and full of pictures: a shepherd, green grass, wings, stars and gates to walk through. Psalm 23, Psalm 91, Psalm 139, Psalm 100 and Psalm 8 are each covered below with their key verses. Psalm 34 even speaks to children directly: come, you children, listen to me.
Each section takes one psalm and picks the verses a child can hold on to, with a short note on what the words mean. The last section has verses about children and young people. Tick the ones you want and print them for a bedroom wall or a lunchbox.
Psalm 23 for kids
A psalm the heading attributes to David, about God as a shepherd who looks after his sheep.
Psalm 23:2
He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Green pastures and still waters: a place to lie down, eat and drink. It is a picture of rest and of having enough.
Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the LORD’s house forever.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life. The psalm ends with a home in the LORD's house forever.
Psalm 91 for kids and youth
A psalm about God as a safe place. It uses the pictures of a fortress, wings and angels.
Psalm 91:2
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;my God, in whom I trust.”
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
He is my refuge and my fortress. A fortress is a strong castle, and the psalm says God is a place like that to run to.
Psalm 91:11
For he will put his angels in charge of you,to guard you in all your ways.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
He will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. The next verse pictures them carrying you so your foot does not hit a stone.
Psalm 139 for kids
A psalm about being known completely. God knows when you sit down, get up, lie down and speak.
Psalm 139:1
LORD, you have searched me,and you know me.
O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
LORD, you have searched me, and you know me. The psalm starts by saying God knows everything about the person praying.
Psalm 139:10
even there your hand will lead me,and your right hand will hold me.
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Even at the far side of the sea, your hand will lead me. The psalm says there is nowhere a person could go that is too far for God.
Psalm 139:14
I will give thanks to you,for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Your works are wonderful.My soul knows that very well.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. The psalm thanks God for how the body was made, and says my soul knows that very well.
Psalm 100 and Psalm 8 for children
Two praise psalms. Psalm 100 is five verses long, and Psalm 8 looks up at the sky at night.
Psalm 100:1
Shout for joy to the LORD, all you lands!
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all you lands. The King James Version says make a joyful noise, so any child can join in.
Psalm 100:3
Know that the LORD, he is God.It is he who has made us, and we are his.We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
It is he who has made us, and we are his, the sheep of his pasture. It is the same shepherd picture as Psalm 23.
Psalm 8:2
From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength,because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength. Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 21:16 when children praise him in the temple.
Psalm 8:3
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars, which you have ordained,
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
The writer looks at the moon and the stars, the work of God's fingers, and asks why God cares for people at all. It is a psalm to read outside at night.
Psalm verses about children and youth
Verses that speak to or about children and young people.
Psalm 34:11
Come, you children, listen to me.I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Come, you children, listen to me. The psalm stops to teach children directly, and the next verses tell them to keep their tongue from evil and do good.
Psalm 119:9
How can a young man keep his way pure?By living according to your word.
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
How can a young man keep his way pure? The psalm answers in the same verse: by living according to your word.
Psalm 71:17
God, you have taught me from my youth.Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
God, you have taught me from my youth. The writer, now old, looks back on learning about God when young.
Questions
What is the best psalm for kids?
Psalm 23 is a good start. It is six verses long and built on one picture, a shepherd looking after his sheep.
How do you explain Psalm 23 to a child?
Start with the picture. The LORD is like a shepherd who leads the sheep to grass and water, stays with them in the dark valley and brings them to his house.
What is Psalm 91 about for kids?
Psalm 91 is about God as a safe place, like a fortress or a bird's wings. Verse 11 says he puts his angels in charge of you.
What does Psalm 139 teach children?
That God knows them completely. Verse 13 says God knit them together before they were born, and verse 14 says they are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Which psalm verses are about children?
Psalm 34:11 speaks to children directly, Psalm 8:2 speaks of the lips of babes and infants, and Psalm 127:3 calls children a heritage of the LORD.
What is a short psalm for kids to memorize?
Psalm 100 is only five verses. For a single line, Psalm 23:1 or Psalm 56:3, when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you, are easy to remember.
Other moments
Psalms for Family and HomePsalms About MothersPsalms for FearPsalms for Sleep and Night PrayerPsalms for a BirthdayPsalms for Baptism
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