Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids and families

Read: 1 Samuel 23:14-18 “I’m quitting basketball,” Tyler announced flatly as his dad entered the room. “Quitting?” asked Dad. “But you could hardly wait to join the team!” Tyler frowned. “I’m just a benchwarmer. Coach Adams hardly ever lets me play.” “Well, no, he hasn’t yet, but he told me you have great potential.” “If I’m so great, why doesn’t he let me play more?” asked Tyler. “Because the old...

Read: Philippians 3:12-16 “I don’t think I did well on that history test today—I should have studied more,” Breonna said as she followed Mom into a store. “And then Shirina got upset when I said her skirt looked like one you used to wear in high school. I meant it as a compliment, but she didn’t take it that way. I tried to explain and say I was sorry, but I still feel bad about it.” Breonna sighe...

Read: Proverbs 22:1; Isaiah 56:5; 1 John 3:1 Alexis rushed into the house. “Mom! Bree’s mom and new baby sister are home now! She’s so cute, and her name is Arabella. I love that name! How do people decide what to name their babies?” “Well, some are named after a family member or a person the parents admire, and sometimes parents choose a name for its meaning.” Alexis was surprised. “Names have me...

Read: Galatians 5:13-14 “Hey, Caleb!” Josh shouted when they got off the bus. “I almost forgot! Tomorrow I’m going to Planet Pizza, and I was wondering if you—” “I’d love to go!” Caleb started running toward his house before Josh could finish his sentence. “I’ll ask my mom!” That night, Caleb asked his mom about going to Planet Pizza with Josh. “Of course you can go,” said Mom. “I just spoke with...

Read: Acts 16:19-25 Josiah felt like his head was going to explode. “Get married! You’re going to get married? To Ryan? But what about Dad?” “Josiah, you know that after your dad left, he married someone else. He won’t be back,” Mom said quietly. “I thought you liked Ryan.” “Not for a dad! And I definitely don’t want Brenner and Simon for brothers either.” Josiah stomped to his room, fighting back...

Read: Matthew 24:35-51 Madelyn picked up the tissues and old drawings off the floor and threw them in the trash can. As she was making her bed, her little sister Aria ran into the room. Madelyn’s dad followed her. “Grandma’s coming!” Aria yelled. She had already told all her friends and teachers at preschool, and she still wanted to tell someone else the good news. “I know, Aria.” Madelyn picked u...

Read: Isaiah 55:10-11; James 1:21-25 “Mom, I can’t get the toaster to work!” called William. Receiving no answer, he went to the small office where his mother was working on her computer. “I want to make some toast, but the toaster’s not working,” he said. “It won’t heat up.” Mom shuffled through papers on her desk. “Is it plugged in?” “Umm…it always is, isn’t it?” William sighed. “I’ll go check.”...

Read: Luke 14:12-24 Connor stood beside his dad on the cracked, uneven sidewalk of Nairobi, Kenya, and watched in fascination at the hustle and bustle of city life around him. Horns blared, the sounds of people speaking other languages filled his ears, and the sour smell of diesel fumes from passing cars and buses made him want to hold his nose. “Hey, Dad!” he called over the noise. “What do they...

Read: Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32; James 1:19-20 “Mom!” Jessica cried. “Cassi hit me!” “Because you pushed me!” cried her little sister. Mom sighed. “Can’t we ever drive to school without you two fighting?” Jessica felt her face flush with anger at her sister. She tried to ignore her by picking a book out of her bag to read, but before she even finished a sentence, she felt Cassi’s elbow in her side....

Read: 2 Corinthians 8:16-24 Daisy ran to the left as her sister Mia threw the ball toward her. Daisy bumped into a tall vase as she caught the ball. She yelped as the vase crashed to the ground. The sea-green glass hit the wood floor and splintered into a hundred pieces. Flowers lay on the ground, and water was soaking into the rug. Oh no! Daisy thought. Mom and Dad will be furious! Just then Dais...

Read: Psalm 19:7-11 “My Sunday school teacher said we should read the Bible on our own every day,” Macey said on the way home from church. “I’m going to start doing that today.” “That’s great,” said Mom. “It’s good to spend time with Jesus in His Word each day. He uses it to refresh us spiritually and remind us who we are in Him.” That afternoon—and for the next couple of days—Macey read a whole c...

Read: Colossians 3:1-14 “Hi, Dad,” Kiera said as she sat down at the table for breakfast. “Are you going to have to work late again tonight?” Kiera’s dad was a manager at a large store. “Nope—it’s New Year’s Eve, so we close early today.” Dad sighed. “I’m ready for a night off. We’ve been busy all week with people returning and exchanging things they got for Christmas and with our annual after-Chr...

Read: Romans 5:8-15 Christmas was over, and Malachi and Nevaeh helped their parents remove the ornaments, lights, and strands of silver and purple garland from the Christmas tree branches. Soon the shimmering and festive tree looked bare except for the colorful tree skirt surrounding the tree stand. “Hey,” Malachi called out. “Look at that!” He pointed to a small box wrapped in green and red paper...

Read: Psalm 103:8-12 With her sidewalk chalk, India colored in the flowers she had drawn along the edge of the driveway. Then she stood back and frowned. Dad came out of the house and smiled at India. “What lovely flowers!” he said. “And I won’t even have to water them.” “No, but I’m going to,” said India. “I want them a different color.” Taking the garden hose, she aimed the stream of water at he...

Read: Romans 8:16-18; 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-8 “Why does Grandpa have to hurt so much?” Bentley asked his dad as they left the nursing home one afternoon. “I don’t know, Bentley. It’s hard to see Grandpa the way he is now, isn’t it?” They were silent as they walked out to the car and got in. “How about a hike up Piestewa Peak tomorrow?” Dad asked. Bentley’s eyes lit up. “Okay! I’ve been wanting to d...

Read: Romans 3:23-25 Matthew lined up his first putt. He bounced his golf ball off the side wall, past the spinning windmill, and it rolled to a stop just a few feet away from the hole. “Great shot, buddy!” said Dad. It was Matthew’s first time mini-golfing, and his dad was teaching him how to play. “That was a great way to start the game. My turn now, and then whoever is farther away from the hol...

Read: Philippians 2:1-4; Colossians 3:12 “Boo!” Blake shouted from behind the couch as his younger sister walked past. Gabby screamed and jumped in surprise, and Blake laughed as he climbed out. “Gotcha!” “Mom!” Gabby wailed. “Blake’s scaring me again!” Mom came into the living room. “Blake, we’ve talked about this before. You know it scares Gabby when you jump out at her like that. You need to st...

Read: Luke 2:8-14; Hebrews 12:1-3 “This is the worst Christmas ever!” Riley told her brother. “Not only did we have to move because of Dad’s job, we have to live in this tiny apartment because we can’t find a house.” She groaned as she tripped over a box on her way to the couch. “There’s no room in here!” Logan shrugged. “At least we have beds. When Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem, all they could...

Read: Isaiah 9:1-7; John 3:16 Christmas presents made Sam nervous. Santa’s “nice” list made him worried. As the days drew closer to Christmas, Sam’s anxiety about presents increased. Maybe it was the wondering— is Santa coming? Maybe it was the worry— was I good enough this year? Or maybe Sam was afraid he couldn’t buy the perfect gifts for his family with the little money he had. “Homemade gifts...

Read: Mark 4:35-41 “Oh no!” Dad exclaimed as the car slid off the road and into a snowbank. The wind was strong, the snow was deep, and they were stuck! Dad stepped on the gas pedal and tried to rock the car forward and then back. Nothing happened. So Mom got behind the wheel and Dad, Olivia, and Nina tried to push it free. But it was stuck tight. Dad sighed heavily. “Last winter I bought a shovel...

Read: Psalm 51:1-4, 7; Romans 3:23 “It’s still snowing, Grandpa,” said Evan. “We’ll have a white Christmas for sure!” Evan had not seen much snow when he lived in the valley, but now he was staying with his grandpa in the mountains. Grandpa nodded. “It makes the whole world look so clean, doesn’t it? It reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses. Isaiah 1:18 says our sins can be made as white a...

Read: 1 John 4:7-12 Jessie and Grandma clapped as Chloe emerged from backstage long after the audience left. Chloe had spent weeks preparing to audition for the role of Mary in her church’s Christmas musical, but she was instead cast as Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth. “Wonderful job, Chloe,” Grandma said. “You played an excellent Elizabeth.” Chloe sighed. “Thanks, Grandma.” “Do you get to keep the gray...

Read: James 2:1-4 On a bright winter day, Evelyn stopped by her Grandma’s house after school. She found her in the kitchen, pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven. “Hello, sweetheart,” Grandma said. “Grab a cookie. How was school?” “Pretty good,” Evelyn said. “But there’s a new girl in my class. She just moved here. I don’t like her.” “Oh? That doesn’t sound like my kind granddaughter. Why don...

Read: John 1:14-17; 3:16-17 Caleb and Vanessa sat in the back seat of the car on the way home from Christmas shopping. They didn’t dare say a word. Mom’s face said it all. They were in big trouble. They had saved up money to buy gifts, but when they got to the store, they pushed and fought over every toy. After a couple warnings, Mom marched them out of the store empty-handed. “I’m sorry, Mom,” Ca...

Read: Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 Nate and Peter watched as Dad assembled a miniature model of the human body they had gotten for their homeschool biology class. “I’m amazed at God’s creation,” Dad said, holding up the plastic heart piece. “Did you know that the human heart, which is only about as big as a clenched fist, can pump up to two thousand gallons of blood a day?” “I heard tha...