A new school year is just around the corner and with it comes a more scheduled life. Personally, I always like getting back to the structure the school year brings. Maybe there are other areas besides academics that you’ve laid aside during the carefree summer days. A new structure provides the perfect time to introduce a new devotional book to your kids. When my children were young we liked to incorporate devotions into their bedtime routine. It doesn’t matter when you decide to do it. Just pick a time that works best for you.

There are tons of devotional books for kids. We used lots of them over the years with our children Some are gender specific and others can be used for both boys and girls. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Real Girls of the Bible (Faithgirlz!) by Mona Hodgson is a 31-day devotional showing that today’s girls come from a long line of strong biblical girls who really aren’t so different from them.. Each devotion includes a Scripture verse, prayer, Body Talk, and more fun tidbits to help your girl find her place in the world.

• The God and Me devotional series for girls (Legacy Press) are divided by ages, so make sure you get the one best suited for your child  The boys’ counterpart to these is the Gotta Have God series. They combine good Bible teaching with activities and puzzles each day.

• 365 Trivia Twist Devotions by Betsy Schmitt (Standard Publishing) is such fun! This colorful book is geared to kids 8 and up, and is chock full of interesting trivia facts and history tidbits, and how they correlate to God’s Word. Also includes every wacky holiday you’ve never heard of!

• No Boys Allowed by Kristi Holl and Jennifer Vogtlin (ZonderKidz) is for girls 9 and up. It covers topics these preteen girls are starting to be aware of such as beauty, language issues, and jealousy, then directs them to seek inner beauty that pleases God.

• Hide and Seek Critter Creation Devotions by Mona Hodgson (Concordia) is for ages 4-9 and is one of the first devotional books we used because my daughter wasn’t interested in any others up to this point. But the animal stories in this book and the suggested activities drew her in and set her on the path to accepting other devotional reading.

• If your child is into science, Absolutely Awesome (Tyndale Kids) by Michael and Caroline Carroll is the book for you. It celebrates the marvels of God’s amazing universe and offers tons of scientific facts along with Bible verses. Aimed at 8-12 year olds, this book is a sure hit for your future scientist.

• Finally, my Bible Blessings for Bedtime (Barbour Publishing) is a sweet read for kids 4-8 years old. Each devotion tells a brief Bible story with a blessing, then explains in easy to grasp language how God’s promise of blessing can become a reality in their life and concludes with a sentence prayer.

There are so many good children’s devotional books available, many very specific to a child’s interests. Find one and use it with your youngster. If he doesn’t enjoy that particular one, let him help you choose another one. You’re sure to hit on one that interests him and will encourage him in his faith.

What children’s devotional books have you tried? Which would you recommend to others?