Inside: Discover ten delightful family devotional books, each with a unique twist to help make learning about the Bible with kids more fun and meaningful.
At Our Everyday Parables, we are big proponents of weaving family discipleship into everyday moments and using engaging children’s books to inspire faith play and discussions. We love to equip families to make the most of daily activities as they pursue faith and compassion together. And we believe as children find God in nature and in the neighborhood, it will help their faith become vibrant and authentic.
Why Choose a Family Devotional Book?
Family devotional time can be an important part of that overall strategy to help our kids cultivate an authentic faith. Even just a few focused moments of family Bible study (because, let’s be real–sometimes that’s all kids give us) can help build a foundation for spiritual growth. Plus, when we pause and dig into God’s truth and goodness as a family, we start to share a common language of examples, word pictures, Bible stories, and anecdotes to draw upon in the everyday moments.
Now, I’m not saying taking that pause is easy, but if you’ve read this far, something tells me, you know that…and you want to do it anyway. One thing that can help us big time as we seek to engage in family Bible study is choosing a family devotional book that is both kid friendly and biblically rich. One that will have everyone laughing and learning!
That’s why I’m thrilled to introduce you to these family devotional books, each with a fresh approach to make studying the Bible as a family more engaging and fun. Whichever you choose, you’ll have a wonderful tool for encouraging kids, helping them grow in their faith, and empowering them to live out their authentic walk with the Lord in the everyday moments.
Family Devotional Books for Laughing and Learning
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The Bible Food Truck: Serving Up 75 Devotions for Kids about Food in the Bible
by Vanessa Myers
Find it: Amazon
The theme of this devotional has me all excited because: who doesn’t love a tasty morsel from a food truck? Of course, even if you’ve never eaten at a food truck, you and your kids are going to love this food-focused family devotional book that explores both familiar and less-familiar Bible stories in kid-friendly ways. Plus The Bible Food Truck is full of ideas to encourage kids to put the truth into action and use their creativity.
So, what’s inside this family devotional book?
Each lesson in this food-themed family devotional has:
- God’s Daily Special: In addition to the longer Bible passage to look up and read, there is a single verse pulled out for the family to focus on. (So helpful!)
- Faith To-Go: An easy action item kids and parents can take on if they like.
- Engaging anecdotes: Language and examples kids can really understand and latch onto.
- Prayers: A line or two to help jump start conversations with the Creator.
- Create Your Own Food Truck: Prompts at the end of each section leading kids to design their very own food truck. Prompts build on one another so–by the end of the book–kids’ food truck creations will be complete, including a logo, menu, mission statement, all the things!
Things to love about this family devotional
One thing I love about this food focus (other than food being really fun to talk about) is it gives families the opportunity to discuss some rarely-focused-on passages. Don’t get me wrong, the more familiar stories are in there–Noah, Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Jesus, and the disciples–but kids will also learn about Ruth, Abigail, Solomon, Elijah, Paul, and lots more.
In addition, the author takes the opportunity to talk about biblical word pictures involving food from Psalms and Proverbs like what it means to thirst for God and how God’s words are sweeter than honeycomb.
And finally, though the food theme is engaging and fun, it’s not the point. The point, of course, is God’s love and truth and that clearly comes through in this devotional book for families. The author simply highlights food to engage kids in an unfamiliar story or to approach a familiar story from a different angle. (We love using the familiar to teach the unfamiliar here at Our Everyday Parables. See our popular post on teaching kids about the Holy Spirit using the wind.)
Some of the spiritual takeaways include:
- God keeps his promises.
- God wants us to help people when they are in need.
- God cares.
- God provides.
- God forgives.
- God is trustworthy and wants us to trust him.
- God is amazing.
Jesus Listens: 365 Prayers for Kids
by Sarah Young, adapted by Tama Fortner
From the same author as the popular Jesus Calling series, Jesus Listens: 365 Prayers for Kids invites children and families into a conversation with God. As author Sarah Young says in the introduction, most books she writes as if Jesus is talking to the child. This devotional for kids is written for the child to have a starting place to talk to God.
So, what’s in this devotional for kids?
- Each entry is dated, starting with January 1st, but a child can start it anytime during the year.
- A Bible verse is written at the top of each page.
- At the bottom, there are three Bible verse references so kids can look up verses on their own for further study.
- And in the middle, there are beautiful prayers written from a kid to God.
Things to love about this children’s devotional
This book can be used during family time or for a child to spend time with God on their own. I like the idea of doing a little bit of both because, during family time, it may be helpful to model for kids different ways to use the book like stopping to meditate, praying aloud, using it as a springboard for journaling, etc., while during their personal quiet time, kids can develop their own rhythms for growing in Christ.
And even though there are lots of ways to go deeper, one thing I love about this devotional is that even if kids just read through each day quickly, they’re still receiving beautiful reminders of God’s love and promptings to draw closer to Him. Every prayer is full of truth and beauty.
Finally, most devotionals focus on the scripture and the application, ending with a very short prayer. This book is a great way to mix it up because while there are verses to meditate on, the main event is communicating with God through prayer.
Also, don’t miss the dedication, where the author talks about how important a relationship with Jesus is. Love it!
Some of the spiritual takeaways include:
- God made us and continues to create wonderful things in our lives.
- Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
- We can trust God.
- We are at our best when we depend on God.
- God knows us deeply.
- We can be real with God.
Fruit Full: 100 Family Experiences for Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit
by Christie Thomas
I love the approach of this new family devotional book on the fruit of the Spirit. You may know that the fruit of the Spirit is the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that comes when we are walking with God and letting his Spirit produce all kinds of good stuff in us. But so often we see that nice list of positive attributes, and we treat it like a to-do list, especially with our kids. Believe me, I’ve been there.
That’s why I love how intentional this book is about taking a different approach. By using examples of how Jesus and others displayed the fruit of the Spirit and by focusing on what it means to abide in Christ, Fruit Full helps families understand and grow in ways that can lead to beautiful and lasting changes.
So, what’s inside this family devotional?
- The first section of family devotions does a great job of explaining the whole concept of the fruit of the Spirit, which can be tricky for young people.
- Each subsequent section zooms in on one part of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
- For times when you can go deeper, there are optional hands-on activities at the beginning of each section. (I say “optional” because the busyness of family life is real.) The hands-on activities are not tied to a specific devotional, making it easy to slide one in anytime. Plus, they’re really thoughtful and fun!
Things to love about this family devotional
The kid-friendly voice, anecdotes, and examples make using this family devotional book fun! For example, I love how the author retells Jesus’ parable about the woman and the lost coin in the section on joy–it’s so vibrant and compelling. Kids and parents will relate to the personal anecdotes, like the one about getting a “big, ugly, puke-green suitcase” for Christmas instead of a camera in the section on goodness.
Some of the spiritual takeaways in this devotional include:
- Jesus fills us with his love and empowers us to love others.
- We can have joy even in hard times.
- God is patient with us.
- Jesus showed kindness to people who were unkind.
- God is both powerful and gentle.
This family devotional has other great features, as well, like:
With 100 family experiences in this awesome book, you’ll have no shortage of playful examples, biblical guidance, and engaging discussion questions.
And if you’re looking for something a little shorter, check out the reading plan in the introduction. The author explains how the last three lessons in each section tie together nicely and allow families to dig deeply into the fruit of the Spirit in less time. (Plus, those 30 lessons all focus on Holy Week, making them doubly great for Lent or Easter.) It’s like having a book within a book!
Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop: 52 Fizztastically Fun Experiments and Devotions for Families
by Brock Eastman
Any curious kiddos in your house? Then, you’ll love Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop.
This engaging family devotional communicates biblical truths using the wonderful world of science. Since God is the creator of the natural world and the architect of scientific principles, it makes sense that we can use them to learn about him.
So, what’s inside this family devotional?
Each lesson in this collection of family activities has:
- An introduction
- An experiment
- An explanation of the science behind it
- Scripture references to look up
- Spiritual applications
- Discussion questions
- Space to record observations
- A prayer
Things to love about this family devotional
The lessons are written in the wacky, exuberant voice of Dr. Fizzlebop, making them really fun and kid-friendly. They are great for helping kids learn the truths of the Bible as they make connections between the world they can see and the spiritual world.
Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop is laid out so families can tailor it to their kids’ attention span and developmental stage. For example, since the spiritual application is often touched on in the introduction, families can get a lot from just the intro and experiment when they don’t have time to go deeper.
On that note, it might be freeing to remember that very young kids don’t really need the explanation behind the phenomenon they’re observing in the experiment. It is enough for the smallest scientists to start by experiencing the wonders of God’s world and talking about what they observe. Just doing the fun experiments and making the spiritual applications will create lasting memories and encourage kids on their faith journey.
On the other hand, if you want to get super science-y, this book has tons of explanations and resources to help you and your family totally “geek out” on God’s amazing world.
Some of the spiritual takeaways in this FAMILY devotional:
- God created and sustains an amazing world.
- God wants us to pour out our hearts to him in good times and hard times.
- God wants us to live in his strength rather than go it alone.
- God hears us when we call.
- Jesus was a joyful servant, and he wants us to serve others too.
- Jesus offers forgiveness and new life.
- The Holy Spirit is our comfort and guide.
This family devotional book has other great features, as well, like:
- Holiday lessons (New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas)
- Interesting science tidbits interspersed throughout (called Fizz Facts)
- QR codes for accessing extra experiments online
- A glossary of science words used in the book
Finally, I love this quote from the author: “Studying science reminds me of the truth of who God is. I see the intricacy of his design when I look at a cell under a microscope or observe a honeybee as it flies from flower to flower. And I know he will never let me down because God is always working in the lives of those who trust him.”
coming soon
Here are more great devotionals we love. Reviews coming soon!
We would love to hear from you
Do you have a favorite family devotional book? Are you looking for tips for having family devotional time with your kids? Or maybe you have a tip to share! We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
MORE IDEAS FOR YOUR FAMILY FAITH JOURNEY
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LOOKING FOR MORE BOOKS TO HELP KIDS GROW IN FAITH?
I am looking for a daily Bible study book for my eight and twelve year old granddaughters but I’m looking for one using the KJV version only do you have one or recommend one?
Hi Judy, Thanks for reading and commenting! I wish I knew of one so that I could help you. It seems like there is one for younger kids, but I haven’t seen one for older kids. Praying you find a good resource for them.