Summer is coming to a close. If you are anything like my family, you have completely lost your routine throughout these warm months. Trips, summer camps, and fun days have filled your time. Throughout my school age years, a lot of my time was spent at Christian summer camps. These camps were always incredibly fun and caused me to look at God in different ways as I had different experiences focused on Him. One common thing that I remember was the emphasis that camps have on quiet times. Most of them featured a full thirty minutes everyday in which you were expected to spend time alone with God.
I have been fortunate enough to have parents who always heavily encouraged me to keep up a daily quiet time. They embedded the practice in me from a young age and I still prioritize it to this day. However, I know not every family is quite so intentional about daily quiet times with their young children. Your kids may have enjoyed a camp or two just like I used to this summer. They may have gotten some exposure to that kind of habit for the first time. Or they may have never experienced that kind of encouragement before. Whatever the case, this is a habit you need to be instilling in your children starting now.
I understand that this can be a very difficult thing to initiate. You may feel like it is not the sort of thing you can force on your child. I assure you that teaching them to be people of God includes teaching them to do these things even when they do not feel like it. Another issue many come across is their child may struggle with attention spans or motivation. This is something I would like to help with. While eventually, the goal is for a child to be comfortable studying Scripture completely on their own, we can use tools to help them get started on this journey. I used devotionals, an excellent beginning tool, as a child and they helped me begin my habit of daily time in the Word. Here are five devotionals I used as a young girl that I would recommend for any child.
#1 For Such a Time as This
This book, by Angie Smith, may be best for children who are too young to read on their own. It is also great for girls just starting out in their practice of quiet times and needing something a little more engaging to get them going. It includes 40 Bible stories of different women who we see as a part of God’s plan in the Bible, complete with absolutely beautiful illustrations. Each story finishes with a section describing what we learn about God, about us as humans, and a prayer for the girl regarding the concepts covered. This section is a great way of insuring good takeaways from the story and a great addition for older users to a Bible reading plan. Starting your child with a joint quiet time with you is an excellent way to model what they should be doing on their own.
#2 Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions For Kids
This popular series of devotionals by Sarah Young is well known by many. I take special delight in her version for kids. With a devotion every day, It starts them on forming the habit. Also, the devotion is short and simple, great for young minds! It includes a concept and Bible verse for today, along with a short message written in first person from God’s perspective. My favorite part is that at the bottom of the page, it gives a couple verses or passages for the child to find and read on their own. This is a great bridge to them studying Scripture without outside “help.”
#3 Between You & God
This one year devotion for girls by Sarah Byrd really encouraged me towards daily quiet times when I was young. I really enjoyed the way it felt applicable to me but also grown up. Each day has a question that a young Christian girl is wondering followed by an in-detail answer from a Christian perspective. It finishes with a verse that applies to the situation and some application questions. It is an amazing way to bring Biblical perspective to modern issues that tween girls may face. I would, however, definitely encourage it be used in addition to daily Scripture reading.
#4 The One Year Devotions with Jesus
These “365 devotions to help you know and love the Savior” by Joshua Cooley really engaged me as a child. Made a little more academically challenging, this is great for slightly older kids and even teens. It starts each day with a Bible verse which it expounds upon, giving context and historical background to the verse. It then gives ways that these concepts can apply today. It finishes with a summarized application and a fun fact about that day’s passage. I loved the extra knowledge it included and the relatable language the devotional used.
#5 New Morning Mercies for Teens
You are probably somewhat familiar with the New Morning Mercies series by author Paul David Tripp. This teen version of daily devotionals is great for the older kids in your life. Each day introduces a prompt followed by a lengthy contemplation on it. It then finishes with a verse that applies and a summarized reflection on the discussion. It is a great addition to a Bible reading plan and gives an encouraging connection to the Word.
These five devotionals have been great tools for me and helped me form amazing habits. While they are not the end goal, they are an amazing means to achieve Biblical independence and form good habits in your child. It may seem impossible to achieve, but we must remember that, “She is building mind and character as well as bone and muscle.” (Maria Montessori) Your child is currently forming who they are. That is certainly worth a little effort.