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

Read: Isaiah 41:8-10 Zoe couldn’t wait to go on her youth group trip to the state park, where there would be camping, hiking, swimming, and bonfires. She packed her duffle bag and was about to zip it up when her mother walked in. “Aren’t you going to pack your Bible?” Mom asked, pointing to the dust-laden book on Zoe’s nightstand. “You might want it.” Zoe reluctantly put it in her bag. “We’re goin...

Read: James 1:5-8 Minha sat on the beach watching the waves crash into the shore. It was a windy day, and the waves were huge. Minha had a lot on her mind, and watching the water calmed her. Mom came and sat next to her. After a while of sitting in silence, Mom finally asked, “How are you doing?” “I’m just so scared of making the wrong decision,” Minha said as she fought back tears. Minha and her...

Read: Psalm 38:1-4 Grounded and bored, Mia slouched in the chair as she watched her baby sister play. Little Riley, growing tired of her blocks, made her way to Mia’s backpack that leaned heavily against the brick hearth. Riley picked up the straps and tried to lift the weight of Mia’s bag—an impossible feat, since Riley was barely able to walk on her own. As Riley began to cry in frustration, Mia...

Read: Colossians 3:12-17 Jacob stepped off the bus and walked toward Dad. “How was your day?” Dad asked as they began walking home. Jacob shrugged. “It was all right,” he said quietly. “Something wrong?” asked Dad. Jacob kicked at a rock on the sidewalk. He was embarrassed to talk about what had happened, but he knew he could trust Dad. “That older kid pushed me around again. He’s picked me to bul...

Read: Luke 21:9-19 Caden was lying on his bed with his head propped on his hands and a worried look on his face when his mom stopped at his door. “How was school, Caden?” she asked. “Did something happen?” “Not really.” Caden hesitated. “We did have a discussion in social studies, though. One of the kids started talking about nuclear war and how the whole world is going to blow up and end soon. An...

Read: 1 Samuel 16:7; Romans 3:23 Isabella’s tummy grumbled as she grabbed the peanut butter from the pantry and the new jar of strawberry jam from the refrigerator. Mom laid bread out on two plates and handed her a butter knife. “I’m so hungry, I could eat a rhinoceros!” said Isabella, unscrewing the lid from the jam jar. She started to stick her knife deep into the middle, then stopped. “Mom!” sh...

Read: Mark 10:13-16 “Is something wrong with the macaroni, buddy?” Graham’s mom asked as she watched her son push the pasta from one side of his plate to the other. Graham looked at his uneaten dinner. “No, it’s fine. I’m just not hungry tonight. May I be excused?” “I guess so,” Mom said quietly. Graham headed to his bedroom. He sank into his bed and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t want to tell h...

Read: Psalm 139:13-18; Ephesians 2:10 Ava walked into her new classroom feeling nervous yet excited. She had lived her whole life in a little town in Taiwan, but was now starting a new adventure in the big city of Taipei. After everyone scrambled to their seats, the teacher had the students introduce themselves and helped them choose their class leaders. Ava was a class leader at her previous scho...

Read: Colossians 3:16-24 Cesar kept his distance as his dad lifted the cover from a beehive. “There sure are lots of bees, aren’t there, Dad? And they all look busy.” He grinned. “They’re as busy as bees!” Dad smiled. “You’re right. Each of the hives has lots of them—thousands, in fact. But there’s always just one queen bee in each hive.” “What does she do?” asked Cesar. “Rule the others?” “Well,...

Read: Psalm 91:1-6 Grandma looked up from making breakfast when Noah came into to the kitchen. “You look tired,” she said. Noah yawned. “I was up a lot last night because of the storm.” “It sure was noisy!” Grandma remarked as she began mixing pancake batter. “I was up some myself.” “Did Grandpa go to the barn?” Noah asked. Grandma nodded, and Noah put on his rubber boots and went outside. He foun...

Read: Romans 5:3-6; James 1:2-4 “Why are we stopping?” Lucas asked as they came to a stop behind a line of cars. “Oh no!” said Lucas. “We’ll be late! It’s bad enough being new at school, but being late and having everyone stare at me will be worse!” “I’m afraid I’ll be late for my job interview too,” Mom said, tapping her phone. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll give them a call so the...

Read: Philippians 4:4-7 “What an awful day!” said Sophia after school. “Why do I have to have Mrs. Hilton for a teacher? She’s a grouch, and nobody likes her!” “It sounds like this would be a good time to remind you of the verses we read for devotions this morning,” Mom said. “‘In everything give thanks,’ remember? Because Jesus saved us and is always with us, we can have an attitude of praise and...

Read: Luke 10:30-35; John 15:12-13 As Victoria stepped off the school bus, she caught a glimpse of her best friend—at least, her best friend in elementary school—staring stonily out the window. Now part of the popular group, Melissa didn’t even look at Victoria. She hadn’t even seemed to notice her the whole first week of middle school. Inside, Victoria slipped off her backpack and slumped on the...

Read: Luke 18:9-14 “Whoa!” called Uncle Mike when his horse suddenly reared as a snake slithered across the path. “Whoa, boy!” But even though he was an experienced rider, Uncle Mike fell from the horse, and it galloped off toward home. “Uncle Mike!” exclaimed Beck, pulling his own horse to a stop. He was spending the day on Uncle Mike’s ranch. “I think my leg is broken,” Uncle Mike said after ass...

Read: Matthew 6:19-21 Emily burst through the door. “Mom, I’m back! I got paid for walking Bandit. I have enough! Can we go to the store before I go to Mrs. Stevens’ house to pack up the donations for those flood victims? Please ?” “How about some down time instead?” said Mom. “You’ve run yourself ragged all summer earning money for those Bangle Brights. How many do you need?” Mom raised one eyebr...

Read: Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:1-3 “How about slicing this cheese, Bryson?” Mom said as Bryson helped her prepare sandwiches for lunch. “Sure,” said Bryson. He got out the cheese cutter and went to work. As Bryson began slicing cheese, two-year-old Asher ran into the kitchen. “Some!” he said, holding out his hand. Mom shook her head. “Sorry, Asher. No cheese for you. It makes you sick.” Asher fr...

Read: Matthew 5:44; 1 Peter 2:20-23; 3:15-18 “Maria and I are going to do something about those kids who tease us for going to the after-school Bible club,” Bailey told her mom on the way home from school. “Do what, exactly?” Mom asked, coming to a stop at a noisy construction zone. “We’re going to write a letter telling them they’re sinners headed straight for hell and have everyone in our Bible...

Read: Psalm 25:8-14; Titus 2:11-14 Madison was sitting at her desk doing math homework when her little sister walked in. “I want to write numbers too,” said four-year-old Ava. Smiling, Madison wrote the numbers from one to ten on a piece of paper. Then she took Ava’s hand and helped her begin to write. “One…two…” Ava pulled her hand away. “I can do it!” “Okay,” said Madison, going back to her home...

Read: Matthew 9:10-13 “Singur invited me to his birthday party next Saturday,” Owen told his mom and older sister, Chloe. “He’s an awesome soccer player.” Owen pretended to headbutt a soccer ball into a goal, then raised his arms in victory. “You could get him a hat with his favorite team’s logo on it,” Mom said. Owen shook his head. “Singur always wears a turban. It’s part of his religion. He’s a...

Read: Psalm 141:3; Ephesians 5:1-4 “I can’t believe it! I studied hard for that history test, and I only got a B!” Madelyn said as she and her mother walked Chestnut, their shaggy brown Yorkshire terrier. “But Ella said Jade cheated and got an A. It’s not fair!” “Ella caught Jade cheating?” Mom asked. “I don’t think she saw it happen, but Ella hears about everything. It must be true because Jade n...

Read: Psalm 19:1-6; Ephesians 2:8-10 “Come here, Mr. Wiggle Worm,” Peter said as he put an earthworm in a can. “Hey, Dad, are worms good for anything besides bird food and fish bait?” “Yes,” said Dad. “They help the earth breathe.” Peter laughed. “Like lungs?” “Not exactly, but as worms burrow through the ground, they let fresh air through the soil. The more they eat and digest the soil, the bette...

Read: Psalm 126:1-6 “I met a new friend today, Daddy. She gave me her peach!” Charity reported gleefully. She grabbed her dad’s hand as they walked to their new apartment from her bus stop. “Your first day at a new school, and already a new friend? Awesome!” Daddy answered. “Tell me about your friend—and this peach.” Charity skipped to keep up with Daddy’s long legs. “Slow down, Daddy, and I’ll te...

Read: Psalm 33:13-22 Devin looked at the house plan his mom was studying. “I still think you could remove the mudroom and make my bedroom bigger,” he said. Mom smiled. “I think we’ll trust the designer’s plan. We’ll find something to do with that space.” That afternoon, Devin’s shoulders slumped as he walked into the house. “I can’t believe my best friend moved. School’s not the same without Trav....

Read: Matthew 4:1-11 “I’ll probably fail our math test today,” Carter told Lucy as they walked to school. “I’m really bad at multiplication.” “Yeah, me too,” said Lucy. “But I’m not going to fail. Want to know why?” She slid a card from under the cuff of her sleeve. “See? The multiplication tables are all right here!” She grinned. “I’ve got an extra card. Want it?” She pulled a card from her pocke...

Read: Romans 12:9-15 “What’s wrong, Elijah?” Mom asked as Elijah got in the car. Elijah sighed. “Mrs. Lewis told our class that Henry won’t be in school for a few days. His dad had a heart attack and died early this morning.” Mom gasped. “Oh no! That’s awful.” Elijah nodded. “Principal Brown came and told us he went to Henry’s house this morning. He said Henry and his mom and little brother are ve...