6 Keys to Spiritual Growth for Kids and How to Teach Them

A child has just accepted Jesus as their Savior—this is fantastic news! But what now? Do you just send them on their way with a thankful satisfaction knowing that they are “safe and saved”? No! This child has taken the first step in beginning a relationship with God, and this relationship should continue to grow with the child for the rest of their life. You can help foster this relationship by understanding and teaching the 6 keys to spiritual growth for kids.

Six things a child can do to grow spiritually are to:

1. Pray;
2. Read the Bible;
3. Give as God leads;
4. Go to church;
5. Have friends who are also believers; and
6. Tell others about Jesus.

These six things are essential for spiritual growth for kids, but instead of just giving a child a list of ways they can get to know God better, you can help them remember them by using simple hand gestures. Why use hand motions? It has been proven that, at best, we remember 10% of what we hear, 50% of what we hear and see, and 90% of what we hear, see, and do.1 With that being the case, if you combine these six keys to spiritual growth for kids with hand motions, children are 90% more likely to remember and apply these spiritual growth for kids essentials.

1. Pray

The first key to spiritual growth for kids is to pray. Don’t assume children know how to pray, but rather explain what prayer is and how they can pray well. Prayer can be explained to the child as simply talking to God, no matter where they are or what they’re doing. There are several things they can talk to God about. For instance, they can praise God by telling Him how good He is, they can thank God for who He is, the things that happen in their life, and for saving them through Jesus, or they can confess their sins. No matter what they pray, developing a daily habit of talking to God is an essential key to spiritual growth for kids.

Hand Motion:

To demonstrate this key, fold your hands together in front of you as if praying. This first motion symbolizes and helps children remember to pray as an important part of spiritual growth for kids.

2. Read your Bible

Just like they can talk to God through prayer, let children know God can talk to them through His Word, the Bible. As the second key to spiritual growth for kids, it’s important that you encourage kids to set aside time to read God’s Word every day. You may wish to provide them with a devotional book such as The Wonder Devotional book for older children or an Every Day with God devotional book for younger children, available through CEF Press®. You may also need to provide Bibles if they don’t already have one. Help them set a realistic goal on how much to read each day, such as reading the same number of verses as they are years old (i.e., an eight-year-old could read eight verses a day). The book of Mark is a great place to suggest they start reading, as it’s full of action and key verses for spiritual growth in kids. Be sure to mention that they can also work on memorizing different verses throughout the Bible as they read scripture as well.

Hand Motion:

To demonstrate this key to spiritual growth for kids, open praying hands with the palms facing upwards, while keeping the sides of your hands together to symbolize holding a book.

3. Give as God Leads

Another key to spiritual growth for kids that can help them grow closer to God as they obey Him, is by giving. While this does include tithing, there are many different ways kids can practice serving and listening to God by giving to others around them. Some of these ways might include helping their parents without being asked, helping a sibling with chores, or helping friends and younger siblings with homework. For older children, you might suggest they ask if they can volunteer at their church by working with the younger kids in children’s church, helping with set-up or clean-up, or handing out bulletins. Whether it’s by giving money or by giving time, God loves it when we give to Him and serve His Kingdom. He doesn’t need our money or time, but it is a wonderful gift to get to do good in His name because we love Him—making it essential for spiritual growth for kids.

Hand Motion:

To demonstrate this key to spiritual growth for kids, move your hands out and away from your body as if giving something to someone.

4. Go to Church

The Bible says that believers should meet together to encourage each other (Hebrews 10:25). Church is a wonderful place where this happens. As the fourth key to spiritual growth for kids, encourage children to regularly attend a church that teaches from the Bible. If a child cannot go to a church, ask their parent or guardian if you may invite the child to ride to church with you, or ask if they can go to a weekday, after-school Bible program for kids. Child Evangelism Fellowship® offers many such after-school programs encouraging spiritual growth for kids through their Good News Club®, which you can find in your area or host yourself.

Hand Motion:

To demonstrate this key to spiritual growth for kids, fold and clasp your hands together with the pointer fingers extended and touching to symbolize a church with a steeple.

5. Make Friends with Other Believers

If kids are able to attend a church, Bible program, or Good News Club®, it will be much easier for them to find friends who are also believers. And if a child has friends who are also trying to live for God, it will help them to grow and learn how to serve Him throughout their daily life, making this another essential key to spiritual growth for kids. Through fellowship with each other, a group of children can encourage and be encouraged by each other as they get to know God better.

To explain this to kids, use the illustration described in Ecclesiastes 4:12, where it says that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. Just like how one string by itself is weak, but twist three together and they are three times stronger together for it, so it is when you have three Christian friends who support each other.

Hand Motion:

To demonstrate this key to spiritual growth for kids, open up your hands from the church hand motion demonstrated above, and weave your fingers together while wiggling them to symbolize people moving around inside.

6. Tell Others About Jesus

Last but not least, as a final key to spiritual growth for kids, encourage the children to tell others about Jesus and what He has done for them and the world. The Bible tells believers to go and share the Gospel (Mark 16:15), and children who believe in Christ have this responsibility and honor as well. To encourage spiritual growth for kids, you may give the children a tract, such as the “God Loves You!” or the “How to Have a Very Special Friend!” tracts available through CEF Press® that they can use to share with someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus. Encourage the child to tell their friends and family about Jesus, and how they can believe in Him and have their sins forgiven.

Hand Motion:

To demonstrate this key to spiritual growth for kids, open up and bring your hands to your mouth as if telling someone something.

These are just a few of the things a saved child can do to grow spiritually. Instead of just leaving a newly saved child to try and figure out how to get to know God better on their own, take the time to teach them specific ways they can get to know God better, and help them learn these keys to spiritual growth for kids through the accompanying hand motions. By accepting Christ as their Savior, a child is saved for eternity. However, it is by growing in their personal relationship with God that a child’s life will be obviously changed for the better. Spiritual growth is essential for every believer, regardless of how old they are. Help teach these essential keys to spiritual growth for kids in a way they’ll remember for a lifetime.

¹The 7 Laws of the Teacher. Atlanta: Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. p. 29. Used by permission.