My Favorite Family Devotions for Busy Schedules
Several years ago we started incorporating family devotions into our daily routine. It’s something each one of us looks forward to. Over the years, the depth and length of the devotion has increased, but it’s still a treasured time.
Our goal is to read every night, but sometimes life happens, so we do our best! Included below is what our routine looks like and a list of my favorites, including what we’re currently using. The devotions listed below can all be completed within ten to fifteen minutes, making them perfect for busy schedules!
Remember, even something short and sweet is better than nothing at all! The more children hear and learn about God, the better chance they have of storing Him away in their hearts. I’m constantly amazed at how much my kids remember, even months later.
Our Family Devotions Routine
Daily devotions work best for us at night. I find it a great way to bring the family together at the end of the day and “settle down” for the night. Since we’re usually all tired (mom too!), I try to keep things around 10-15 minutes long.
In the past I’ve done the reading; however, a couple months ago the two older children started asking to read the Bible portion. What an amazing addition to our time together! Bible passages are now divided in half, so they each have a turn.
We typically read the devotion, answer any questions, and pray as a family. Then we all take turns talking about something we’re thankful for and/or that brought us a smile. Sometimes the kids will offer an additional prayer after that!
And if everyone is still hanging in there (meaning if baby R isn’t melting down yet!) – I read one chapter from a story book.
Favorite Family Devotions
In no particular order, here’s our list of favorites with a few details and reasons why. All of these can be done within 10-15 minutes. Click on the links to purchase and start using with your own family!
I love how these devotions take you on a journey right through the Bible. It’s not just the big stories, but all the little ones in-between too. They’re designed to take around 10 minutes. Answers to questions are provided, which has helped hubby and I learn too! These are my top favorite and what we’re currently working through!
Taken from the Introduction: “Each week starts off with a creative activity, exercise, or bit of trivia to introduce the passage. On days one through four you review a portion of the week’s Scripture passage. Special attention is given on day three to connect the current passage to the gospel. On day four we’ve added a question for your older children to ask you, and day five you and your family investigate a Bible passage from the book of Psalms or an excerpt from one of the prophets to discover how the passage points forward to Christ.”
The combined devotions cover Genesis to Revelation and take a couple years to work through. But honestly, no one has ever said they’re bored, so don’t let that deter you! Since Jason and I walk away learning things, I would say the devotions are suitable for children age 5 all the way to adult!
Age: 5 and up
Duration: 78 weeks
Time: 10-15 minutes
 | Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God By Marty Machowski |
These short and sweet family devotions offer a few things. Each two-page devotion includes a Bible passage, a small written excerpt connecting God with various topics, closing prayer, and a “How Great” section.
The “How Great” section offers a couple fun, real life facts about the topic, which the kids always enjoyed. Topics include animals, weather, science, plants, space, and the human body. Graphics are engaging with real life photos interspersed.
If you read five devotions a week, this would last five months. It is geared towards children Kindergarten and under. The devotion could easily be completed in five minutes, but I often tried to ask simple follow up questions to see if they understood what we read.
Age: 3-5 years
Duration: 100 devotions
Time: 5-7 minutes
 | How Great Is Our God: 100 Indescribable Devotions About God and Science By Louie Giglio with Tama Fortner |
These artistic, two-page family devotions focus on character traits of different kinds of animals. They include a single Bible verse, short excerpt, and four questions for further discussion.
The book itself isn’t very long, but the questions are great for little minds learning how to process things. They inquire about what was read, ask the child to think about their own emotions or how they would respond, and bring things round with “How/Why would God…” geared questions.
Easily completed in five to seven minutes, even if taking the time to look at the art work on each page. Perfect for the animal lover!
Age: 3-5 years
Duration: 40 devotions
Time: 5-7 minutes
 | My Big Book of 5-Minute Devotions: Celebrating God’s World By Pamela Kennedy with Douglas Kennedy |
This is not a true devotional, but we still enjoyed reading the stories and the kids were always commenting/making observations on the illustrations.
The storybook features main stories from both the Old and New Testament. It starts with Genesis and works to Revelation. There are no questions or closing prayers, but you can always create your own.
Each story is about seven to ten minutes long. If you choose to read the listed Bible passage, plan for an additional ten to fifteen minutes.
Age: 4-8 years
Duration: 44 stories
Time: 7-10 minutes
 | The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name By Sally Lloyd-Jones |
We used this book as part of our homeschool curriculum, but it would be a fabulous devotional for family time as well! This book presents theology in a child friendly way, breaking down big topics into bite size pieces. Additional Bible verses are given for further research and questions/answers are provided in the back of the book.
It spurred several good conversations with the kiddos. Watching them connect ideas, God’s truths, and Bible stories was so heart warming. Theology topics included are: God, People, Sin, Promise and the Law, Christ, Holy Spirit, Adoption into God’s Family, Change, Church, End Times, God’s Word.
The Ology: Ancient Truths Ever New
By Marty Machowski
Age: 4-10 years
Duration: 71 devotions
Time: 10-15 minutes
Unique, colorful illustrations and clear wording made this a kid favorite in our house! The author takes you on a journey from Genesis to Revelation showing children how the separate parts (Pentateuch, History, Poetry, Prophets, Gospels, Acts & Epistles, and Revelation) of the Bible all fit together.
We used this as part of homeschool curriculum, but it would be a great family devotional as well. Broken down into 104 chapters, each “lesson” recounts part of the Bible and ends with a short prayer. The kiddos often begged to read “just one more please!”
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook
By Kevin DeYoung
Age: 6-12 years
Duration: 104 chapters
Time: 5-10 minutes
The Ultimate Family Devotion
There is one “devotional” that will never match any other, and that’s the Bible itself. Have your child pick a name/story from the Bible they’re interested in, go more in depth on Sunday’s church service, or just pick a book to read through.
On several occasions, my children have asked to listen to the Bible on audio. I love doing this, in part because it frees up my hands, but also because I usually pick up something to ponder too. There are many Bible apps available with this feature; I personally use the You Version app.
What family devotions are your favorites? What does your family routine look like? Share with us in the comments below!
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