Spiritual Growth for Kids -- New Year Resolution #1

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe another year has begun. Hazel turned nine this past weekend and we had two very fun parties to celebrate. It has been a busy time in our house. However now the festivities are over and I am beginning to think about what I want 2018 to be like for me and my family. Have you thought about your new year? I know I want to focus on me and my family this year. I want to take the time to grow in my relationship with God and get myself healthier and more fit. I also want  to grow in my relationships with Steven and Hazel. And I want to help Hazel grow in her relationship with God. To this end I am sharing with you two great books to help her do just that. The first is Jesus Always: 365 Devotions for Kids by Sarah Young and adapted by Tama Fortner. 

Have you read any of Sarah Young's devotionals before? I love her Jesus Calling and read every day every year. I find the messages help me connect with Jesus and put my thoughts where they need to be for the day. It is very important for my own mental being. I want Hazel to have something like this and thought this book would probably do it for her. The devotions help focus the reader on God's love and support each day. Now what child does not need that? I know Hazel does. My plan (although I haven't started yet) is to read the devotions with her every morning at breakfast so she is starting her day knowing Jesus is with her and loves her no matter what happens during the day. I think this will really help her stay focused on more positive ideas each day and hopefully improve her days a bit. 

Of course she may want to read the devotions on her own, but I want to start by reading them together to make time for us to focus together on God and have a time to pray together each morning before she goes off to school. How do you bring God into your kids' day? 

Now Hazel has many versions of the Bible and Bible story books. We have reviewed several here including a NIV Study Guide Bible. This Bible is at school where she is required to have a NIV Bible. One day when she was working at home due to being sick, she needed her Bible and we did not have an NIV version at home. When I saw the NIV Color Code Bible published by Thomas Nelson, I knew it would be perfect for her to have one at home. I wanted her to have this version at home since it is the version her school uses. The NIV Color Code Bible is special because all verses that have to do with animals, family, love, God, sin, Jesus, praise/prayer, washed clean, growth or heaven are highlighted in different colors. Now I wasn't sure what to expect by that and thought the entire Bible would have different colors throughout it, however it is only the verses about these topics. 

The back of the book has Bible Journaling pages as well as a table of measurements and weights and maps to better understand the stories of the Bible and what the world was like. This is a wonderful version of the Bible for kids and the highlighted verses help kids find scripture about certain topics quickly. I hope you will check out both of these books and help your kids grow spiritually this new year!!