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

Read: Psalm 139:7-12 Peyton loved her new baby brother, Josiah, but lately it seemed like Mom and Dad didn’t have time for her anymore. She and her mom used to do things together, just the two of them. But now all Mom seemed to be able to do was focus on Josiah. He had some health problems that required much of her parents’ time. When Dad got home from work, he and Peyton went outside to play ball...

Read: Daniel 12:3; Philippians 2:12-16 The dark sky over Star Mountain Camp rumbled with thunder. “Macaroni and cheese, everybody freeze!” Sam, the camp counselor, called out over the rowdy summer campers. It had been raining all week, and everyone was getting restless. “For this next game, I’ll need volunteers,” Sam announced. Hands shot up all over the rec room. “You and you,” Sam said, pointing...

Read: Jeremiah 18:3-6 “What are you making, Grandpa?” Elena asked, walking over to the porch swing where her grandfather was shaving slivers from a small block of wood. Grandpa held it up to show her. “There’s an eagle trapped in this wood, and I’m setting it free.” Elena looked closely at the block in his hands and then up at Grandpa. “I don’t see anything in there.” Grandpa smiled. “Oh, it’s the...

Read: Psalm 119:129-133 “How about this pair, Mom?” Lizzie asked. She slid the glasses onto her face and peeked in the eye doctor’s mirror. “Those look nice on you.” Mom held up another pair. “But try these frames on first before you decide which ones you want.” “Isn’t it funny,” Lizzie said as she stared at her reflection, “how much we care about how the glasses look when they’re actually just to...

Read: Psalm 37:3-7 Something was rubbing against the chain when Lyle tried to ride his bike, and with his mom’s medical bills piling up, there was no way his family could afford a new one. “Dad said he would fix that.” His sister’s voice came from behind him as he started to work on the bike himself. “He’s looking over the budget again,” Lyle said. “He never has time.” Lyle tugged on the wheel wit...

Read: Ephesians 4:21-25; Colossians 3:9-10 Camden and Callie grinned at each other as Mom pulled the car up to the sandy shores of the lake. They grabbed their shovels, raced to the edge of the sparkling water, and began to create castles with deep moats in the sand. Suddenly, Camden cried out in pain and covered his eyes. “What’s the matter, sweetie?” Mom asked. Camden pointed an accusatory finge...

Read: Proverbs 15:1-4; James 1:19-21, 26 Gemma looked in horror as her chocolate milkshake began to spread over the table. “Why can’t you leave my stuff alone, Elle?” she yelled at her sister. “I didn’t mean to spill it,” said Elle. Her lower lip was trembling. “I just wanted a taste.” Mom unrolled some paper towels and took them to the table. “No, wait,” Gemma said. “I want to drink it! We’ve got...

Read: Matthew 5:13-16 “What are you doing, Auntie Laura?” Deb clambered onto the stool for a better look at the lemon her aunt was grating. “You said you’d make blueberry muffins…but you’re putting in lemon peel?” Deb grimaced. “It’s my secret ingredient,” replied Aunt Laura, tapping strands of lemon skin into the batter. Deb’s grimace remained stamped on her face. “But no one eats lemon peels.” A...

Read: Romans 12:4-8 Dallon grinned when he saw the mascot of his favorite baseball team coming toward them near the stadium entrance. “Look, Alli!” he said. But Dallon’s excitement turned to anger when the mascot gave him a high five but didn’t even acknowledge Alli. “Hey,” he called after him, “you didn’t talk to my sister!” His aunt touched his arm. “Let’s go inside.” Dallon and his aunt walked...

Read: Isaiah 40:28-31 Liam looked out the window of his friend Michael’s house as they finished their lunch. “Look at those trees,” he said. “They’re bending over from the wind.” “So were we, a few minutes ago,” said Michael. “It’s too hard to play ball with this much wind. I’m tired. We’ll have to think of something to do inside.” Liam pulled a movie out of his backpack. Michael’s mom took their...

Read: 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 John 1:8-9 Millee grunted as she helped her aunt lift the heavy dog into the tub. Titan was a giant, and it took both her and Aunt Jodie to pick him up. Millee turned on the handheld sprayer while her aunt mixed the soaps. Aunt Jodie was a dog groomer, and a few times a year Millee would bring her long-haired dog over to Aunt Jodie’s house for a good bath and a brush....

Read: 1 Timothy 4:8-12 Abby was happy with herself for coming up with a good morning routine. Each morning before she went down for breakfast, she picked up her Bible from her nightstand and read a bit from it, and then she prayed. It felt good to connect with God before she even talked to anyone in her family. Abby knew her aunt had been doing something like that for a long time, and she was the...

Read: James 1:22-25 After a delicious lunch on Father’s Day, Ophelia joined the rest of her family to watch Dad open his presents. “Open mine first, Daddy,” Evelyn said eagerly. “I made you a picture.” “Don’t tell,” said Ophelia, but everyone laughed as Evelyn insisted on helping her father open the package containing the picture she had drawn for him. Then they watched while he opened the rest of...

Read: Psalm 143:8-10; Titus 2:11-14 Austin’s black Labrador tilted his head to one side and lifted his front paw. “No, not shake! Lie down! Can’t you learn anything?” Austin sighed. “Let’s try something else. Fetch, Baxter! Fetch!” Austin hurled a ball across the yard, and Baxter raced after it. Before it dropped to the ground, Baxter leaped into the air and caught it in his mouth. “Wow! Good dog!...

Read: Genesis 1:26-31 Layna held her position as she landed a pirouette, the final move in the dance. She pushed her bellybutton as far back to her spine as she could, gazing at herself in the mirror. Her eyes then followed down the line of girls. She stood a head taller than any of them, and though she tried, she couldn’t get her stomach in far enough. “Nice job,” said Miss Susan, the instructor...

Read: Acts 11:27-30 Caden tugged his mom’s sleeve in the church hallway. “I need some money for our offering.” “Okay,” Mom said, opening her purse. Caden took the money she held out and dashed off to class. “I’m guessing many of you get your offering money from your parents,” Mrs. Hallman said after the class had taken the offering. “I have a suggestion. For the next month, why don’t you only put...

Read: Psalm 61:1-8 Reid sighed happily at the sound of a mountain stream trickling nearby. “I sure love hiking!” he said. “Me too!” said his twin sister, Nicole. “It’s so pretty out here today!” “Yeah,” said Reid. “I’m so glad school is over for the summer so we can do this again!” “Hey, you two, don’t get too far ahead!” Dad called from further down the mountain. The twins decided to rest and wai...

Read: 1 Peter 3:3-4 Luca’s grandfather patted the tire of the four-wheeler he had purchased. “I found this quad online and got a good deal on it,” he said with a smile. Luca wasn’t so sure. The fenders were dented, and the seat had a tear in it. The rack behind the seat was bent, and a headlight was cracked. “It doesn’t look very good,” he said. “Why didn’t you buy a new quad, Grandpa?” “Well, thi...

Read: Ephesians 4:1-3; Philippians 2:1-4 Lisbeth was shocked at the amount of noise that hit her ears when she stepped into the animal shelter behind her best friend. She had never heard so much barking before. “It’s not always like this,” Jenna said. She had been volunteering for a long time, but this was the first time Lisbeth had come with her and her mom. They walked down a hallway lined with...

Read: Isaiah 61:10; Matthew 20:28 “Jordan, could you please put Athena’s toys away while I give her a bath?” called Mom as she carried Jordan’s little sister to the bathroom. Jordan groaned. He was right in the middle of a video game. He slammed his controller down and stomped into his baby sister’s room. “This is so unfair!” he said as he threw Athena’s toys into the toybox. “I didn’t make this m...

Read: Psalm 136:1-3, 23-26; Philippians 4:4-8 "I hate that we don’t have money to do stuff!” Don wailed when he saw his mom in the garden. It was the last day of school, a day he’d looked forward to, but he came home pouting. He sat down beside Mom in a huff. “I love summer, but I hate hearing about all the cool stuff my friends get to do. One of them’s even going to Japan, and his hotel room has...

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 When he got home from school, Jason found his mom in the laundry room. “How was your day?” Mom asked as she looked up from a shirt she was ironing. “Terrible!” said Jason. “I failed a math test and have to take it over again. Then I found out my favorite teacher is moving away. And then I accidentally knocked down the principal’s daughter!” “Knocked her down? How did that...

Read: Psalm 1:1-3; 119:97-104 Naomi couldn’t wait! Any minute now the bus would arrive to take her and her dad to the chocolate factory. “Do you think we’ll get to taste any chocolate?” she asked eagerly. “I’m sure there will be some samples,” her father replied. “But don’t get too excited. We won’t eat more than a few bites, most likely.” Naomi’s face fell. “Oh.” She sighed. “Can we buy some to t...

Read: Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:28-30 Hope sat on the porch swing, staring at the blue cast on her arm. It stretched from her wrist to above her elbow and was covered in scribbled messages and doodles from her friends. She held out her arm and frowned. “This is not how I wanted to spend my summer.” Dad sat down beside her, holding two popsicles. He handed her the blue one—her favorite. “How are you...

Read: Psalm 18:28; John 8:12; 2 Corinthians 4:6 “We’re almost there!” said Jeff. He sprinted along the path toward the lighthouse in Peggy’s Cove. He crossed the large flat rocks surrounding the building. He didn’t notice his mom pause to help his little sister, Sarah, clamber onto a boulder. While his family admired the ocean, Jeff climbed a few concrete steps built into the rock leading to one o...