Bible-Based Journal Prompts for Kids (Ages 6-12) — 20 Simple Prompts You Can Print Tonight
⏱ 14 min read
A note for parents before the prompts: This article is written for you, but the prompts are written for your child. These Bible journal prompts for kids ages 6-12 are on purpose — short sentences, friendly words, questions a seven-year-old or a twelve-year-old can both answer (in their own way). You can read the prompt aloud, or hand the printable to them, or sit beside them with your own journal and do the prompt yourself. Any of those work.
Kids’ journaling, at this age, isn’t about producing polished writing. It’s about giving a child a regular, low-pressure place to think about God on paper — to draw, to write a sentence, to ask a question, to sit with a Bible story long enough for it to start meaning something to them personally. The journal is just the room. God meets them in it.
I’ve grouped twenty prompts into five topics — five about God, five about themselves, five about Bible stories, and five about how to be kind. Each prompt has the scripture it grows out of, a question in kid-friendly language, and a tiny suggestion for the answer (a drawing, a sentence, a list). Use them in any order. Skip the ones that don’t fit your child. Repeat the ones that did.
How to use these Bible journal prompts for kids (a short guide for parents)
Pick one prompt at a time. Don’t try to do five in a session. One prompt per sitting is plenty for an eight-year-old. Two is plenty for an older one.
Read the verse together first. Out loud. From a kid-friendly translation if you have one — the NIrV, the NLT, or a children’s Bible. The verse is the spine of the prompt.
Let the answer be small. A drawing counts. One sentence counts. “I don’t know” counts. The point is the regular returning, not the depth of any one entry.
Sit with them, if you can. A child who journals alone may do it once. A child who journals next to a parent doing the same thing is much more likely to come back to it.
Don’t grade the writing. Don’t correct the spelling. Don’t comment on the drawing. The journal is a safe place — that’s most of what makes it work. (If an older sibling is asking for a teen version of the same practice, our Christian journal prompts for teen girls are the next step up.)
Topic One: Who is God? (Prompts 1-4)
These four prompts are about helping your child meet God a little more personally — not the abstract idea of God, but who God actually is to them.
1. God made you on purpose
Verse: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” — Psalm 139:13
Prompt for the kid: God made you on purpose. That means He picked out the color of your eyes, the way your laugh sounds, the things you’re good at. What is one thing about you that you think God might have made on purpose? You can draw it or write about it.
Tiny suggestion: A drawing of themselves with one arrow pointing to something specific — their freckles, their hands, the way they can run fast. Words can be optional for younger kids.
2. God talks to you
Verse: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” — John 10:27
Prompt for the kid: Jesus said the people who love Him learn to hear His voice — kind of like how you know your mom’s voice when she calls you for dinner. When do you most feel like God is near? Write or draw one time you felt close to God this week.
Tiny suggestion: A drawing of the place — outside, in bed, at church, on a walk — with a small sentence underneath.
3. God is bigger than you can imagine
Verse: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” — Isaiah 55:8
Prompt for the kid: God is bigger than the biggest thing you can think of — bigger than the ocean, bigger than the sky, bigger than space. What’s the biggest thing you’ve ever seen? Now imagine God is even bigger than that. Draw it.
Tiny suggestion: Two drawings side by side — the biggest thing they’ve seen, and a shape representing God bigger than it. No words required.
4. God is your friend
Verse: “I have called you friends.” — John 15:15
Prompt for the kid: Jesus said the people who follow Him are His friends. What do you do with your best friend? Now write or draw one thing you’d like to do with Jesus this week — talk to Him, sit with Him, tell Him about your day.
Tiny suggestion: A short list of three things they’d tell their best friend, and then a sentence: “I will tell Jesus about ___ today.”
Topic Two: Who are you, according to God? (Prompts 5-9)
These five prompts help your child see themselves the way God sees them — beloved, brave, useful, kind, growing.
5. You are loved no matter what
Verse: “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God.” — Romans 8:39
Prompt for the kid: No matter what you do — good or bad, easy day or hard day — God’s love for you doesn’t get smaller. Write one thing you were worried about this week. Now write this underneath: “And God still loves me.”
Tiny suggestion: Two sentences. That’s the whole entry.
6. You are brave when God is with you
Verse: “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God goes with you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6
Prompt for the kid: Brave doesn’t mean you’re never scared. It means you do the thing even when you’re scared, because God is with you. What is something you’re a little scared of doing? Draw it. Then draw God next to you, doing it with you.
Tiny suggestion: Two figures in the drawing — the kid, and a sun or a light beside them representing God. Helpful for kids who feel anxious about new things.
7. You are good at things on purpose
Verse: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10
Prompt for the kid: God gave you stuff you’re good at — and He gave it to you for a reason. Make a list of three things you’re good at. Now write one way you could use one of them to help someone this week.
Tiny suggestion: A list of three (drawing fast, being kind to little kids, fixing things, telling jokes, being a good listener) and then one sentence.
8. You can talk to God about anything
Verse: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7
Prompt for the kid: You can tell God anything — the happy stuff, the sad stuff, the stuff you don’t want to tell anyone else. What is one thing you’d like to tell Him today? Write it like a letter. “Dear God, ___.”
Tiny suggestion: Start the letter with Dear God and let them go. Even four sentences counts.
9. You are growing into who God made you to be
Verse: “And we all… are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory.” — 2 Corinthians 3:18
Prompt for the kid: You’re not finished yet. God is still growing you, like a plant. What’s one thing you’ve gotten better at this year? Draw a small seed at the bottom of the page and a bigger plant at the top — and label the plant with the thing you’ve grown in.
Tiny suggestion: A simple seed-to-plant drawing. Good visual for kids who are stuck.
Topic Three: Bible Stories You Can Live Inside (Prompts 10-14)
These five prompts take a familiar Bible story and ask the kid to step inside it. They are very age-friendly — drawing-focused for the younger end, more writing-focused for the older end.
10. David and Goliath
Verse: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” — 1 Samuel 17:37
Prompt for the kid: David was the smallest one — and he won, because God was with him. Draw a picture of something in your life that feels really big and scary, like Goliath. Then draw yourself in front of it. You don’t have to be bigger than it. You just have to be brave like David was.
11. The Lost Sheep
Verse: “Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” — Matthew 18:12
Prompt for the kid: Jesus told a story about a shepherd who left ninety-nine sheep to go find one lost one. The lost one was you. How does it feel to know Jesus would come find you, even if you got really really lost? Write a sentence or draw a picture.
12. The Storm and Jesus Asleep in the Boat
Verse: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” — Mark 4:40
Prompt for the kid: Jesus’ friends were on a boat in a big storm and they thought they were going to drown — but Jesus was just sleeping in the back of the boat the whole time. He wasn’t worried at all. When have you been worried about something big? Draw the storm, and then draw Jesus in the boat with you.
13. The Boy with the Bread
Verse: “Here are five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” — John 6:9
Prompt for the kid: A little boy gave Jesus his lunch — five loaves of bread and two fish — and Jesus made it enough to feed thousands of people. The boy gave the small thing he had. What is one small thing you have that you could give to God this week? Write about it.
14. Jesus and the Children
Verse: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” — Matthew 19:14
Prompt for the kid: Jesus loved being with kids. He told the grown-ups not to keep the kids away from Him. If Jesus walked into your room right now, what would you want to show Him? Write a list of three things, or draw the room with Jesus in it.
Topic Four: How to Be Kind (Prompts 15-20)
These last six prompts are about how a kid lives out faith in real life — at home, with their friends, with people who are hard, with themselves.
15. Kindness when nobody is watching
Verse: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” — Matthew 6:3
Prompt for the kid: The kindest thing you can do is the thing nobody sees. Write down one kind thing you could do this week that nobody would know about. Then do it. Don’t tell anyone afterward.
16. Saying sorry properly
Verse: “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them.” — Matthew 5:23-24
Prompt for the kid: When you’ve hurt someone, the right thing is to say sorry — not the “I’m sorry but…” kind of sorry. The real kind. Is there someone you need to say sorry to? Write what you would say. Then say it.
17. Forgiving someone who hurt you
Verse: “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” — Colossians 3:13
Prompt for the kid: Forgiving someone doesn’t mean what they did was okay. It means you’re not going to keep being angry about it forever. Is there someone you’re still a bit angry at? Write their name. Then write: “I’m going to ask God to help me forgive them, even if it takes a while.”
18. Being kind to the kid nobody else is being kind to
Verse: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” — Matthew 25:40
Prompt for the kid: At your school, there is probably one kid that the others aren’t very kind to. Write their name (just for you — nobody will see it). Now write one kind thing you could do for them this week. Then do it.
19. Saying thank you to God for small stuff
Verse: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Prompt for the kid: Make a list of ten small things from today that you’re thankful for. Not big things — small things. The breakfast. The friend at recess. The weather. The book you’re reading. The dog. Ten things. Go.
20. The verse you’re going to remember this month
Verse: Pick one. Any of the verses from prompts 1-19. The one that landed hardest.
Prompt for the kid: Of all the verses you’ve read in this journal, which one do you want to remember? Write it out by hand, slowly, on a clean page. Decorate around it however you want. Hang it somewhere you’ll see it every day.
Pause for a second, parents
These Bible journal prompts for kids work best when the parent isn’t trying to make them work too hard. Don’t make journaling into a chore. Don’t quiz them afterward. Don’t read what they wrote unless they offer.
The aim is simple — to give your child a regular small habit of meeting God on a page. Twenty prompts is enough for one a week for almost five months. Or one a day for three weeks if they’re enthusiastic about it. There’s no right pace. (If the anxious-kid version of this is what you actually need, our Christian journal prompts for anxiety work for older children and teens; the Christian journal prompts for women are the slow letter for the parent walking out of a hard year.)
Frequently asked questions
My child can’t read yet — can a six-year-old still use these Bible journal prompts for kids?
Yes, with a small adaptation. Read the verse aloud. Read the prompt aloud, slowly. Then let the child answer with a drawing instead of writing. A four-year-old can draw the family tree (Day 2 of Topic Three). A five-year-old can draw David in front of his Goliath. The drawing is the answer — and for younger kids, drawing is usually a deeper answer than writing would be. A small dictated sentence underneath the drawing, written by the parent in the child’s words, makes a beautiful record. Many of these prompts work for kids as young as four when read aloud.
How often should we do these — daily, weekly, or whenever the child asks?
Whenever fits your family’s rhythm best. Twenty prompts is plenty for one a week for almost five months, or one a day for three weeks, or one whenever the child is willing — there is no right pace. Most families land naturally on two or three a week, often at bedtime or after dinner. Pushing for daily can turn the journal into a chore the child resists; letting it stay rare can let it fade. Two or three a week, sat with for five minutes each, is the rhythm that tends to last past the first month. The slow, low-pressure return matters more than the count.
What if my child writes something concerning — about fear, sadness, or a problem at school — in their journal?
Take it seriously, but gently. The journal is one of the safer places a child can practise being honest about hard feelings, and the entry is a sign the practice is working, not failing. Don’t react in the moment; don’t lecture about it. Pray quietly with your child after, asking God to be close to whatever they wrote. Then look for a low-pressure moment — a car ride, a walk, the bedtime conversation — to ask gently do you want to tell me a bit more about that? If what they’ve written suggests something more serious, it’s the same path as any other parenting concern: a quiet conversation, a trusted teacher or pastor if needed, and continued steady presence. The journal didn’t cause the worry. It surfaced something already there, which is the first step in helping them carry it.
The Everspring kid’s journal — for the daily version
If your child has caught the practice and wants more, the Everspring New Christian Devotional is a daily version. One verse per day in kid-friendly language, a small drawing space, one short prompt question, and a one-line prayer.
It’s designed for kids — not for adults pretending to write at a kid’s level. The fonts are friendly. The pages have room to draw. The verses are chosen for kids’ actual lives — friendship, fear, family, growing up — in language they can read. The same shape as the Bible journal prompts for kids in this article, walked daily.
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The Everspring New Christian Devotional is a daily journal designed for ages 6-12 — friendly fonts, drawing space, kid-language verses, and one short prompt per day. Built so a child actually wants to open it.
