These amazing Christian films for children will encourage virtuous dialogue and help make screen time more useful for their spiritual development. We’ve divided them into Christian, family-friendly, and children’s cartoon films.
Are you looking for some more Christ-focused shows to replace your kids’ current screen time? You’re in the proper location! With this list of the top 5 Christian films for kids, you can stop worrying about what shows or films your kids will watch.
Top Christian Films for Children
Given the fast-paced world of today, screen time might truly seem like a necessity. Even while it could make our roles as parents more difficult, we can still make sure that our children’s screen time is healthy! The Bible advises us to safeguard our thoughts and the things that enter them. This is particularly important for our children, as it is our responsibility to protect their minds as best we can while they are still young.
Finding the RIGHT things for children to see—things that enliven and illuminate their thoughts—is the key. Making the RIGHT screen time choices with Christian TV series and films is one way we may do that!
As you may be thinking, there aren’t many possibilities for children’s faith-based films. This list is meant to help with that! From babies to teenagers, all ages will enjoy these films on this list. The primary purpose and calling that God has put on our life as parents is to lead children back to Christ. These films are fantastic to watch as a family because they will help create an atmosphere where you can have spiritual conversations with each other and instill those fundamental values in your children’s lives.
There is no “magic” age at which Christian children’s television programs or films should be viewed; begin with some of the cartoons on this list and progress to those that are better suited for families and older children. You can start as early as you like, substituting shows with God’s truths for your children’s Cocomelon! These amazing Christian films for children will encourage virtuous dialogue and help make screen time more useful for their spiritual development. I’ve divided them up into family-friendly films, Christian holiday films for children, and kid-friendly cartoons!
1. The Prince of Egypt (1998)
The Prince of Egypt (1998) emphasizes that choosing tough realities over self-serving comfort leads to true fulfillment and offers insightful lessons about identity, faith, and moral courage. As demonstrated by the tense connection between Moses and Rameses, the movie shows that hope may triumph over tyranny and the courage needed to oppose injustice, even when doing so means confronting those you love.
Important lessons discovered include:
- Moses shows that doing what is right frequently means sacrificing comfort by eschewing a life of privilege in order to embrace his identity and defend his people.
- The Power of Faith and Hope: As stressed in “When You Believe,” the movie emphasizes the importance of faith and tenacity as weapons against oppression.
- The story demonstrates that people can be a part of a greater, divine purpose that goes beyond their own goals.
- The painful, personal battle between brothers (Moses and Rameses) is depicted in the story, humanizing conflict and showing how opposing values can destroy even strong ties.
- Freedom and Responsibility: It emphasizes that pursuing freedom entails having the duty to lead with fairness and compassion.
Strength in Vulnerability: Moses’s journey shows that genuine effectiveness results from depending on a greater cause rather than one’s own strength.
In the end, the film examines how humanity has a common bond when social differences are eliminated.
2. Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)
The DreamWorks animated adaptation of the biblical Joseph story, Joseph: King of Dreams (2000), emphasizes themes of providence, resiliency, and treachery. A number of important teachings about faith, forgiveness, and overcoming adversity are presented in the film.
Crucial Knowledge Acquired:
- The Power of Forgiveness: As seen by Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers for selling him into slavery, a major theme is learning to forgive those who have wronged you, particularly in cases when the betrayal was severe.
- Putting Your Trust in God’s Plan (Providence): Based on the quotation, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good,” the movie highlights how God can transform bad intentions into positive ones. The song “You Know Better Than I,” which emphasizes trusting God through life’s challenges, highlights this.
- Resilience in Adversity: Joseph’s tale shows how to uphold moral principles and integrity in the face of unjust treatment, including being sold into slavery and wrongfully imprisoned.
- Humility and Self-Control: Joseph eventually uses his position of authority to save his family rather than punish them after learning to put aside his ego and desire for vengeance.
- Taking Advantage of the Circumstance: The song “Whatever Road’s at Your Feet” promotes finding the positive side of challenging, unforeseen circumstances.
- The Perils of favoring and Jealousy: Jacob’s blatant favoring of Joseph sparked family strife, underscoring the damaging effects of jealousy and preferential treatment in a family.
- Faithfulness in Temptation: Joseph’s resistance to Potiphar’s wife’s temptation highlights the need of upholding moral principles and loyalty.
The movie is regarded as a kind, family-friendly, and motivational adaptation of the biblical tale that is appropriate for imparting these ethical and spiritual teachings.
3. Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002)
The biblical tale of Jonah and the Ninevites serves as the main basis for the 2002 film Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, which emphasizes the value of kindness, mercy, and second chances. The movie teaches that one cannot run from God, stresses the importance of obeying God’s will, and underlines the limitless nature of God’s love.
Among the film’s most important lessons are:
- Compassion and Mercy: The story’s lesson to not take pleasure in the misery of others is echoed by the main topic, which is that mercy should be shown to everyone, including those who do not deserve it.
- Second Chances: The narrative encourages forgiveness and redemption by showing that God is a God of second chances.
- Obedience to God: Jonah’s voyage emphasizes the significance of obeying God’s instructions and the repercussions of escaping His calling.
- God’s Universal Love: The film demonstrates that God loves everyone and wants everyone to repent, not only those who appear deserving.
- The Nature of Mercy: It emphasizes that mercy is about being kind and compassionate rather than about being fair.
The film uses Jonah’s story to teach Bob and the crew, the primary protagonists, how to be kind to others in their own lives.
4. Facing the Giants (2006)
According to the book Facing the Giants (2006), overcoming obstacles by viewing them as chances for personal development rather than as grounds for giving up is the key to success. Persevering through “death crawls” (unseen hardships), keeping a cheerful outlook regardless of the results, and believing that God has a purpose in both trials and victories are important teachings.
Facing the Giants teaches us important lessons, such as:
- Faith Over Fear: The main takeaway is to put your faith in God and go from fear-based thinking to faith-based action in the face of impossible situations.
- Purposeful Perseverance (The “Death Crawl”): Based on a powerful scene, the film emphasizes that people may do more than they believe by pushing past their mental and physical boundaries without turning around.
- Redefining Success Whether one wins or loses, success is about doing one’s best and honoring God, not merely about winning.
- Managing Failure: Failures are seen as learning experiences rather than as the end product.
- Perspective Shift: Pay attention to God’s might rather than the size of the “giants” (issues).
- Intentional Living: The movie promotes serving God in all facets of life, not just during trying times, including work, family, and personal behavior.
The movie highlights that people may overcome challenges in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives if they give up their fears and put in the necessary effort.
5. Heaven Is for Real (2014)
The 2014 film Heaven Is for Real centers on Colton Burpo, a young child who tells his family and neighborhood that he went to paradise while undergoing emergency surgery. The existence of a loving afterlife, the importance of having a childlike faith, finding hope in mourning, and promoting candid conversations about spiritual experiences are some of the most important principles.
The following are some of the film’s main teachings and themes:
- Heaven as a Physical Reality: Rather than being merely a nebulous idea, the movie depicts paradise as a joyful, painless, and actual place.
- The Strength of Childlike Faith: Colton’s naivete enables him to see spiritual truths without the cynicism of adults, inspiring viewers to welcome faith with awe.
- Comfort in Loss and Grief: The narrative offers consolation to individuals in grief by implying that loved ones are waiting to be reunited in a serene location.
- Skepticism and Faith Intersecting: The film emphasizes Todd Burpo’s battle to reconcile his religious education with his son’s unexplainable, first-hand account.
- Jesus’s Love for Children: The movie highlights a loving, intimate Jesus who values children through Colton’s descriptions.
- Sharing Spiritual Experiences: The film urges viewers to open out about their “mystical moments” or personal testimony without worrying about being mocked.
The movie also acts as a reminder to live with eternity in mind, which can alter one’s perspective on relationships, everyday life, and anxieties.
