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

Read: John 21:15-17

“Why do we have to do this?” Grayson pinched his nose as he eyed his uncle’s barn.

“We’re helping out for a few days,” Mom said. “Come on, the sheep are waiting.”

Grayson dragged his feet as they walked over to the barn. Mom led the way to a pen of dirty, wooly sheep. She held out a handful of dry food, and all the animals raced over to her.

“You’re going to let them eat off your hand?” Grayson made a face.

Mom giggled as one of...

Read: Psalm 119:41-48

“Ouch!” grumbled Ember one morning as she yanked the brush through her thick hair.

“You could cut your hair, you know, or wear braids at night,” said her older sister Paige, who was propped up in bed with her Bible.

“Well, right now I just want to get it untangled!” Ember gritted her teeth as she pulled on the brush.

“Let me help.” Paige took the brush and started working on the snarls. “You should have strong arms after doing this so much,” she said as she attacked another section of h...

Read: Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27

Isaac watched as baby Eloise blinked, nodded, and finally closed her eyes. When he was sure she was asleep, he looked at his mom in the rearview mirror. “Mom? Do you think heaven is gonna be—I don’t know—boring?”

Mom glanced at him. “What makes you say that?”

Isaac squirmed. “Well, everyone’s always talking about how great heaven will be, but it sounds like all we’ll be doing is singing like we do in church. I like church okay, but I don’t think I’d want to be there all t...

Read: Philippians 2:12-18

“David, can you hold the door open for me?” Dad called. But David and Abby were too busy fighting over which video game to play to hear him. “David!” Dad called again.

“Yeah?” David looked up, startled.

“Please hold the door open so I can bring the ladder inside. I need to change a lightbulb.”

“Why do I always have to help you? Why can’t Abby do it? She never has to help.”

“I didn’t ask your sister. I asked you,” Dad said firmly.

David sighed but got...

Read: Luke 10:25-37

The screen door slammed behind Oliver as he bounded down the steps of his house. Humming, he headed toward the barn to feed the chickens.

Buck buck buck buck-AHHHH! squawked Omelet, Benedict, Scrambled, and Dippy as they raced around the corner of the barn. Omelet nibbled at Oliver’s fingers. “I’m not your supper, you crazy bird!” he said with a laugh.

Mom was turning the TV volume up when Oliver returned to the house. A news correspondent was reporting on a hurricane in another part of the country while wi...

Read: 1 John 1:5-9

“And please forgive me for the lie I told. In Jesus’s name, amen.” Aubrey climbed into bed, and Mom gave her a kiss and turned out the light. After lying to her mother a few days earlier, Aubrey had asked God to forgive her. But every now and then she still felt guilty, so she’d ask Him again.

The next afternoon, Mom suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, Aubrey, I was supposed to ask if you wanted to go shopping with Grandma this afternoon, and it slipped my mind! I’m afraid it’s too late now...

Read: Psalm 121; Matthew 11:28-30

James was happy to be camping with his dad, but…

“How much further do we have to walk?” His backpack was making him lean forward, and he felt a little like a turtle. Maybe he had overpacked.

His dad smiled. “Not too much further, bud. You’ve got this.”

James wanted to be strong and make his dad proud. They didn’t see each other often since his parents got divorced. But the weight was really getting to him.

“Almost there.” Dad quickened his steps.

When they r...

Read: 2 Samuel 9:3-11; Luke 14:13-14

“Lose your kickball scrimmage?” Dad asked.

Will buckled his seatbelt. “No. It’s Carter again.”

“The boy who uses a wheelchair?” Dad grinned. “He’s funny.”

“Dad! Should you say that about someone who can’t walk?”

“Why not? He wears a T-shirt that says ‘A Wheelchair Is How I Roll.’” Dad put the car in reverse. “He must have a great sense of humor.”

“Well, I wish he wouldn’t watch us from the sideline the whole game.” Will shoved his dirty sneakers into his duffle bag. “I don’t...

Read: Matthew 14:25-31

Jonah climbed up the playset at the park close to his family’s apartment. Sirens wailed as he settled at the top and looked at the city around him.

“Come on, Lydia.” Jonah offered his hand to his little sister. “It’s really cool once you get all the way up here.”

“It’s scary.” Lydia shook her head and started to go backwards down the ladder. “I’m going to stay on the ground by Nana.”

Jonah looked to where their grandma sat on a bench, taking a work call on her phone...

Read: Matthew 5:14-16; John 8:12; 15:7-8

Jayce and Caleb grabbed their flashlights and headed outside for a game of flashlight freeze tag.

Caleb moved among the shadows, silently sneaking up on friends and tapping them, freezing them in their spots. “Rats,” Chloe said. “I didn’t see or hear you, Caleb.” Chloe waited for a flashlight beacon to find her, unfreezing her to move again.

Caleb had gone off to tag others. Then his flashlight quit. He flicked it off and on, off and on. Nothing happened. That’s when Chloe tapped him on the back. “G...

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-8

“Incoming!” Kason ran at top speed and jumped off a stump into a pile of freshly raked leaves.

Grandpa leaned on his rake and laughed as Kason peeked at him from the center of the pile, where only the top of his head and eyes were visible. “Thanks for helping me today, kiddo! You deserve a nice jump or five!”

“Come on, Grandpa!”

Grandpa strolled over to the leaf pile and fell backward beside Kason. “Just as comfy as I remember,” Grandpa joked. Kason and Grandpa lay in the leaves facin...

Read: Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 John 3:1-2

Mai sat quietly at the dinner table, poking at her rice with her chopsticks. Usually she loved dinner—especially when her dad made his special noodle stir-fry—but tonight, nothing tasted good.

“Mai, sweetheart, you’ve barely touched your food. Is everything all right?” Mum asked.

Mai’s chest tightened. “I don’t want to do the presentation about Japan,” she blurted, tears stinging her eyes. “I don’t even like my culture!”

Her parents exchanged a worried glance. Before either could speak, Mai pushed back her chair and ran t...

Read: Psalm 78:34-39; Ephesians 4:26-32

“Stop following me around, Diego!” Santos yelled at his little brother.

“But I want to be with you,” Diego said tearfully.

“I don’t care! I’m tired of you following me everywhere!” Santos said as he stormed out of the house.

Later that day, Santos went inside to get a snack. “What are you doing?” he asked when he found his dad under the kitchen sink.

Dad crawled out from under the sink and fumbled around in his toolbox. “Oh, the faucet is leaking again, and I’m...

Read: Acts 4:1-12

How about you? Have you received the antidote for sin? The Bible says everyone has sinned by doing wrong things, and sin leads to death. There’s nothing we can do to save ourselves—the only way to be saved is through Jesus, God’s Son. Trust Him to save you from sin and death and give you eternal life with Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to t...

Read: Psalm 20:6-7; Romans 8:38-39

Editor’s note: This story may not be suitable for some children.

“Almost time for school,” Mom said as she picked up Rhea’s backpack. “Rhea! What do you have in here? Feels like a bag full of rocks!” She unzipped the top.

Rhea’s eyes grew round. “No, Mom, don’t—”

But Mom was already pulling out a can of hairspray, a camouflage jacket that belonged to Rhea’s brother, a bicycle helmet, and indeed, one large rock. “Is this for some kind of project at school?”

Rhea l...

Read: Genesis 41:46-57

“Guess what Joseph is doing?” exclaimed Ellie as she burst into the kitchen. “He’s burying acorns near the apple tree!”

“Who’s Joseph?” asked Mom. “The new boy next door?”

Ellie laughed. “No, Mom! Joseph is the squirrel who comes to our garden. But why would he bury acorns instead of eating them?”

Ellie’s brother Michael answered her question. “He’s storing them away to eat in the winter.”

Mom nodded. “While the weather is good, squirrels collect acorns and hide them,” she explained. “Then when winter comes and food is har...

Read: Lamentations 3:25-26; Romans 5:1-5

Hudson cast his line into the water. The bait landed with a small plop. On the other end of the boat, his grandfather quietly held his fishing pole. All was silent except for the sound of crickets chirping.

Suddenly, a loud squawk split the misty air. The sound came again, and Grandpa pointed across the bayou to an owl perched on the top branch of a tall tree. A large crow circled him, squawking.

“What’s that crow’s problem?” asked Hudson.

Grandpa shrugged. “The owl might be s...

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 11:33-36

“I think we’re going in circles,” Troy said as he and his dad and sister tried to make their way out of a corn maze. “I think we’ve been down this path before.”

“How can you tell?” Elinor asked. She looked up at cornstalks that were twice as tall as she was.

“Everything looks the same. Do you know the way out, Dad?”

Dad laughed. “At the moment, I’m not quite sure.”

“Hey, look!” shouted Troy. “There’s a platform-thing. We can climb up there and see where w...

Read: James 1:13-16

Mitchell sniffed the air as he walked into the house. “Mmm, cookies! Can I have one, Mom?”

“Not right now,” said Mom. “They need to cool, and we’re going to be having dinner soon. You can have one for dessert after we eat.”

“Okay,” said Mitchell, but he looked longingly at the cookies as they cooled on the counter. They smelled so good, and he knew they tasted even better. He was still standing there, looking at them, when his mother took another cookie sheet from the oven. “The more I smell these c...

Read: John 11:32-35; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

“Mom?” Libby stepped into the apartment kitchen. She had heard movement; she knew someone was up.

“What’s going on, sweetie? It’s early.” Mom sat at the island with a steaming mug in front of her.

“I can’t stop thinking about BJ,” Libby said. “I miss him, Mom.”

Mom held out an arm, pulling Libby close when she walked over to her. “I was thinking about him this morning too.”

Libby’s eyes filled. “He’s been gone for months. When am I going to stop crying?”

Read: 1 Peter 2:21-25

Ian picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the ground and opened it up. It was a flyer advertising a sale at one of the local stores. He crumpled it back up and threw it on the ground.

“Why did you do that?” Mom called to Ian from the porch.

“It’s nothing important,” Ian said. “Besides, that’s how I found it. Someone else left it there like that.” He kicked the paper to the side of the sidewalk.

“Ian, pick it up and throw it away, please. I kn...

Read: Genesis 2:1-3; Mark 4:35-38; 6:30-32

Lilia pulled her paddle into the canoe and laid it over her lap. Spencer followed her direction and did the same. After a few moments of floating down the river confused, Spencer spoke up. “Hey, Lilia,” he asked his sister, “why did we stop paddling?”

“Well, we’ve been paddling down this river for close to an hour, and I think it’s time we took a rest,” said Lilia.

“But I’m not tired! I don’t think we need a rest. Let’s keep going!”

“Sometimes we need...

Read: Psalm 119:102-105

Jalen finished his Bible reading, then checked off the corresponding reference on his sheet. “There!” he said. “I’m all done with this week’s youth group challenge. We had to read a different passage from the Bible every day this week.”

“That’s great,” said Mom. “It’s always good when others encourage you to read the Bible every day. Now it will be easier for you to keep doing it on your own.”

“Oh, I’m not planning to do that,” Jalen said.

Mom raised her eyebrows. “You’re not?”

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Manuel rushed onto the stage, set some props in place, picked up some others, and rushed back off. He was the head prop person for the play the youth group was putting on at church.

When the performance ended, Manuel finished what he had to do and picked up his jacket. He sighed loudly as he walked out of the auditorium and started down the church steps.

Pastor Weber stopped him as he was coming up the stairs. “Congratulations on the fine job you did on the play!” he said. “But wh...

Read: Colossians 3:1, 8-11

Dominoes wound their way through a large room in the basement. “Wow! You have quite a domino network here,” said Amelia’s mother as she came down the stairs. She carefully picked her way to where Amelia was and dropped to the floor beside her. “How did your speech go—the one you did with Ellen in history class?”

“Fine,” said Amelia. “I did really well.”

“And how about math? You said you’ve been doing your homework every night. Is that going better now?”

“It’s going great, Mom.” Irritated, Amelia...

Read: Matthew 6:31-34

“You look tired,” Mom said when Dylan came into the kitchen for breakfast one morning.

He sighed as he sat down for a bowl of cereal. “I am tired. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?” Mom carried a glass of orange juice over to him.

Dylan thanked her for the juice, then shrugged. Mom pulled out the chair beside him. “Were you thinking about Grandpa?”

“Sort of,” Dylan admitted.

“It’s hard knowing he’s in the hospital and facing some health issues,” Mom said. “But we need to keep pra...

Read: Psalm 40:9-10

Tyler jumped off the school bus and ran home. He burst into the kitchen. “Mom! Mom! Guess what?” He ran through the house until he found his mom. “I won the spelling bee! I did it!” His eyes shone as he held out a big blue ribbon for her to see.

Mom gasped and gave him a hug. “That’s wonderful, Ty!”

Tyler nodded. “Now I get to compete in the regionals next month! I’ve got to text Jack and tell him.” He picked up his tablet to send a message to his bes...

Read: Psalm 145:8-21; Luke 6:31

Maylie stroked Chester’s long orange fur. Her cat purred loudly. “Sir Chester Chatterson, would you like a morsel of cake?” Maylie placed a cat treat on a plate and poured water into a teacup for Chester.

Mom walked by as Chester lapped water out of the cup. “He let you put that top hat on him?” She laughed. “Just remember to let him leave when he’s had enough tea party time.”

After Chester wandered off, Maylie spotted Miss Priss grooming herself in the sunshine. Miss Priss was an older cat and...

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 going to be talking about the Bible the whole time! Why do I need it with me?” But her mother just smiled a...

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 mom had just come from the doctor, who had told them Minha’s test showed that...

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 knelt down to help. Removing the books from her bag, Mia thought her sister would be relieved, but instead she grew a...

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 bully instead of the other kids.”

“What did you do?” asked Dad as they turned a corner and walked do...

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. And it sounded like Mr. Morgan agreed with him.”

“He said that?” Mom asked.

“No. But it kinda seemed like he t...

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!” she cried. “Something’s wrong with this jam! It’s fuzzy and green in the middle.”

Mom took the jar and looked closer. “You’re right, honey. I...

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 his mom how he felt. It might make her sad again. His thoughts shifted to his best...

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 school, and she hoped to be selected again. However, to her disappointment, her more outspoken classmates got the most votes.

During music class, Ava listened as...

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, she’s the mother of the bees,” Dad said. “And you know how busy mothers are! But all the other bees have a par...

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 found Grandpa milking the cow.

“Good morning, Noah! You look like you could use some more sleep,” Grandpa said. “Did the s...

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 they know.”

“I wish Dad was still alive,” Olivia said once Mom had finished he...

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 thankfulness to God, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.”

“Yes, but…” Sophia looked doubtful. “It’s pretty hard to have an attitude...