5 Minute Devotions for Kids: 6 Short Read-Aloud Openers for Sunday School

These are six free 5-minute devotions for kids that a volunteer can read aloud to open Sunday school or children’s church. They are made for a small class of mixed ages, about 4 to 12, with fewer than 25 kids in the room. Each one needs only a Bible: read one verse, share a one-minute thought, ask one question and pray one line. Read one on Saturday night, and it is ready for Sunday morning.

What Is in Each 5-Minute Devotion

Every devotion below has the same four parts, so kids learn the pattern and settle in fast. No object, no craft and no printing are needed.

1. Read (about 1 minute). Open a real Bible and read the verse out loud, slowly. Let kids see that the words come from the Bible.
2. Say (about 1 minute). Share the short thought. It is written in a child’s words, so you can read it as it is.
3. Ask (about 2 minutes). Ask one question. Each devotion gives an easier question for little ones too.
4. Pray (under 1 minute). Pray one line and have the kids repeat it after you.

Bible reading is one of the most important activities you can do with children. I believe that every Sunday school session, family devotion and children’s church meeting should include a time of Bible reading. Since the Bible is God’s Word, we should do our best to listen to it.

Tony Kummer, founder of Ministry-to-Children, writing in 2008

5 Minute Devotions for Kids (Free)

Use them in order, one each Sunday, for six weeks. The verses are from the Berean Standard Bible. Read them from whatever Bible your church uses.

1. Hope: The God of Hope Fills Us Up (Romans 15:13)

Read: Open your Bible to Romans 15:13 and read it slowly. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Say: Hope is looking forward to something good. Maybe you hope for snow or for a birthday party. But sometimes the snow melts, and the party gets moved. The Bible calls God “the God of hope.” His hope does not melt away. God promised to be with us. He promised to forgive us because of Jesus. And one day he will make everything new. Paul says God wants to fill us with hope until it spills over, like a cup that is too full. When we trust God, he pours in joy and peace, even on a sad day.

Ask: What is one good thing God promised that you can look forward to? For little ones: Who is always with you, even when you are sad?

Pray (kids repeat): God of hope, fill us with joy and peace today. Amen.

2. Love: We Love Because God Loved Us First (1 John 4:19)

Read: Open your Bible to 1 John 4:19 and read it slowly. “We love because He first loved us.”

Say: Who loved you when you were a tiny baby? Maybe a mom, a dad or a grandma. They fed you and held you before you could even say thank you. God’s love is like that, only bigger. God loved us before we ever loved him. He sent Jesus to die for our sins while we were still far away from him. That is why we can love other people. We do not have to earn God’s love. We already have it. So when we share, forgive or sit with the new kid, we pass on the love God gave us first.

Ask: Who is one person you can show God’s love to this week? For little ones: Can you point to someone in this room that God loves? (Everyone!)

Pray (kids repeat): God, thank you for loving us first, and help us love others. Amen.

3. Trust: Trust the Lord with All Your Heart (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Read: Open your Bible to Proverbs 3:5-6 and read it slowly. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Say: Have you ever walked in the dark while holding someone’s hand? You can’t see the path, but you trust the person who can. Proverbs tells us to trust the Lord with all our heart. Not half of it. All of it. “Lean not on your own understanding” means we don’t have to figure everything out by ourselves. Sometimes we don’t know why things happen. God does. He sees the whole path. When we trust him and follow his ways, he makes our paths straight. He leads us where we need to go.

Ask: What is something hard that you can trust God with today? For little ones: Does God ever get lost? (No! He always knows the way.)

Pray (kids repeat): Lord, we trust you with all our hearts, so lead us today. Amen.

4. Perseverance: Keep Doing Good and Don’t Give Up (Galatians 6:9)

Read: Open your Bible to Galatians 6:9 and read it slowly. “Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Say: Who here has learned to ride a bike? Did you ride well the very first time? Most of us fell down. We got back up and tried again, and one day we just took off. Paul tells us not to get tired of doing good. Doing good means being kind when no one sees. It means telling the truth when it is hard. It means helping at home without being asked. Some days it feels like it doesn’t matter. God says it does. Paul says a harvest is coming, like a farmer’s field full of food at the end of the year. So keep going, and don’t give up.

Ask: What is one good thing that is hard for you to keep doing? For little ones: What do you do when you fall down? (Get back up!)

Pray (kids repeat): God, help us keep doing good and never give up. Amen.

5. Truth: Jesus Is the Way and the Truth (John 14:6)

Read: Open your Bible to John 14:6 and read it slowly. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Say: What does it mean when something is true? It means it is real, and you can count on it. People sometimes say things that are not true. Even good friends can get mixed up. Jesus said something amazing about himself. He did not just say he tells the truth. He said he is the truth. Everything Jesus says is real, and every promise he makes will happen. Jesus also said he is the way to God the Father. We don’t find our own way to God. Jesus is the way. When we trust him, we belong to God’s family forever.

Ask: Jesus said he is the way. The way to where? For little ones: Who is the truth? (Jesus!)

Pray (kids repeat): Jesus, you are the way and the truth, and we trust you. Amen.

6. Service: Jesus Came to Serve (Mark 10:45)

Read: Open your Bible to Mark 10:45 and read it slowly. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Say: Who is the most important person in a palace? The king! Everyone serves the king. Jesus is the King of kings. But when he came to earth, he did something surprising. He said he did not come to be served. He came to serve. Jesus washed his friends’ dirty feet. He fed hungry crowds. Then he gave his life on the cross to rescue us from sin. That is the biggest gift ever given. When we follow Jesus, we get to serve too. We can pick up toys, help a younger kid or ask someone new to play.

Ask: How can you serve someone before you leave church today? For little ones: Who can you help clean up today?

Pray (kids repeat): Jesus, thank you for serving us, and help us serve others. Amen.

Where to Use a Short Devotion in Sunday School or Children’s Church

A short devotion works best at the very start, before the lesson. It tells kids that this time is about God and his Word. Here are good places to use these Sunday school devotions:

• To open class. Gather the kids who are already there and start. Late kids can join at the question.
• To open children’s church. Read the devotion after the kids leave the main service, before your lesson or video.
• While you wait for a teacher. If the lesson leader is running late, a ready devotion fills five minutes with something good.
• To close. Ask the question again at pickup time, and let kids tell a parent the answer.

How to Lead a Devotion Time in 5 Minutes

You do not need training to lead a devotion time. You need a Bible, the page and five minutes. Here is how:

1. On Saturday night, read the devotion out loud once. It takes about two minutes, and you will know it well enough for Sunday.
2. Mark the verse in your Bible with a sticky note or a bookmark so you can open right to it.
3. Sit in a circle. Chairs or the floor both work. Sit at the kids’ level.
4. Read the verse, then the thought. Read the thought as written, or say it in your own words.
5. Ask the question and wait. Count to ten in your head before you help. Quiet kids need time to think.
6. Pray one line. Say it in short parts so the kids can repeat it.
7. Stop at five minutes. A short devotion that ends well is better than a long one that drags.

When you finish the six, you can write your own devotion ideas with the same four parts: one verse, one thought in a child’s words, one question and one line of prayer.

One Devotion for a 4-Year-Old and an 11-Year-Old Together

In a small class, the youngest and oldest kids often sit side by side. These tips help one devotion reach both of them:

• Let an older child read the verse. A 10-year-old can read it, and a 4-year-old can hold the Bible open.
• Ask both questions. Ask the little-ones question first, so the youngest get to answer before the older kids.
• Give older kids a job. One can lead the prayer line, and another can help a younger child find the verse next week.
• With only one or two kids, make it a talk. Ask them to answer the question, then share your own answer too.

More Free Help for This Sunday

• Want printable sheets kids can do on their own each day? See the printable devotions for kids with monthly Kids Can! sheets on Ministry-to-Children.
• Rather hold up an object while you teach? Try these 5-minute children’s sermons with an object.
• Mostly preschoolers this week? Use the preschool Bible lessons for the youngest group.
• Want devotions for families to do at home? Kids Bible Lessons has devotions for kids and families at home.
• Need a lesson to follow the devotion? Get the free 4-lesson Sunday school sample pack for ages 6 to 12.