Over the years I have had several opportunities to write devotional books for young children. One of those books is The One Year Book of Devotions for Preschoolers (Tyndale 2004). This book is 12 years old and is still going strong. This book features one devotion per page with a Bible verse, prayer, and illustrations from the Little Blessings series. The text and illustrations are closely tied together to help explain the message of the devotion. Young children are literal and do not understand metaphors, therefore, it is often necessary to explain what you are trying to teach.

For example, the following devotion has a picture of one of the characters playing with toy sheep:

The Shepherd and His Sheep

Do you see the toy sheep? Real sheep never have to worry. Do you know why? It’s because a person called a shepherd takes care of them. If the sheep need food, the shepherd leads them to a place where they can eat. If the sheep are tired, the shepherd watches over them while they sleep. If one sheep gets lost, the shepherd finds it. The Bible says that God is our Shepherd and we are his sheep. He loves us and takes care of us just like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.

My Bible Verse: The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. Psalm 23:1

My Prayer: You are my Shepherd and I am your sheep.
You give me food and a safe place to sleep.

Devotions for children can cover a broad range of topics from obeying your parents and being kind to others, to learning about God’s love and the sacrifice of his Son. The topics are endless, but the language is critical. Using words like “blessings” are fine as long as they are explained. For example: God gives us many things like food and sunshine and families. The things God gives us are called blessings. God gives us many blessings because he loves us.

When I write devotions for children, I write them in second person. Many adult devotions are written in first person which allows the writer to draw from his or her own experiences to develop the devotion. This does not work for young children because they cannot relate to the writer. It is important to make the devotion about the child and not the writer.

I am pleased that The One Year Book of Devotions for Preschoolers is still in print. God’s messages are timeless, and with a new batch of preschoolers ever few years, the market is timeless as well. My purpose in writing is to teach children that God loves them and cares about them very much. That’s what it’s all about!

Crystal