How Can I Encourage Spiritual Growth in My Young Children?

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Every summer, parents ask the same question: “How do I keep my kids busy?” I think we may be asking the wrong question. A better question might be: “Who are my kids becoming, and how can I guide their spiritual growth?”

This summer, my wife and I are especially aware of how quickly our boys are growing up. Our sons are 10, 8, and 3 years old, and I can feel how formative this season is for them. The habits they develop, the stories they believe, and the values they embrace today will help shape the men they become tomorrow.

When I was growing up, there was a popular saying: “You are what you eat.” There is some truth to that. We are shaped by what we consume.

The same is true spiritually.

Summer creates a unique challenge for parents. During the school year, our children’s schedules naturally provide structure. They spend time learning, participating in activities, attending church, and interacting with healthy adult influences. Summer often removes many of those rhythms.

What fills the gap?

What Can My Kids Do For Spiritual Growth That Doesn’t Involve More Screen Time?

For many families, screens quietly become the default answer. A few minutes of entertainment turns into hours. Days begin to revolve around consuming content rather than creating memories, serving others, or growing in faith.

I am not anti-technology. My children enjoy movies, games, and age-appropriate media just like many other kids. But I have learned that spiritual growth rarely happens by accident. The values and habits we hope to see in our children usually develop through intentional experiences and consistent conversations.

Children do not drift toward spiritual growth and maturity. They must be guided toward it.

Our children are developing a worldview. They are learning what matters, what success looks like, and what kind of story they should live for. If we are not intentional about helping shape that narrative, the world is more than willing to do it for us. Video games, YouTube, social media, streaming services, and countless other voices are competing for our children’s hearts and minds. As parents, we have the responsibility and privilege of shepherding them.

What Are Missional Moments and How Do They Impact Spiritual Growth?

So this summer, our family started something we call “Missional Moments.” The goal is simple: helping our children discover that they are missionaries right where they are. Not someday. Today.

Each week we focus on a Bible verse and a biblical value. We spend a few minutes talking about it as a family and then look for practical ways to live it out. Every Missional Moment follows five simple steps: Learn, Live, Pray, Give, and Share.

One of the things I appreciate most about the Missional Moments framework is that it engages both the head and the heart.

Many families do a wonderful job helping children learn Bible stories and memorize Scripture. Those things are essential. But children also need opportunities to practice what they are learning in order for spiritual growth to occur.

The five simple steps—Learn, Live, Pray, Give, and Share—help connect biblical truth with everyday life.

• Children learn Scripture.
• They look for opportunities to put it into action.
• They pray for people and situations around them.
• They practice generosity.
• They talk about what God is teaching them.

Over time, these small habits begin to shape a child’s understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Faith becomes more than information. It becomes participation.

One of our favorite weeks focused on Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:35-36: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…”

1. Learn

We memorized the verse together and talked about what Jesus meant. Who are the thirsty people around us? What needs do people have that we often overlook? How does serving others reflect the love of Christ? The conversations were simple, but meaningful.

2. Live

We live in Texas, and summer heat is no joke. That week we challenged our boys to start looking for thirsty people.

We loaded our vehicle with a cooler full of bottles of water and sports drinks. Before long, they started noticing people they had never paid attention to before: construction workers, landscapers, delivery drivers, first responders, and people walking through parking lots in the heat. When they spotted someone, they would ask if they could offer them a cold drink. Their eyes were opening to the needs around them.

3. Pray

Along with each bottle of water, the boys included handwritten notes with Bible verses, pictures, and words of encouragement.

Then they asked a simple question: “Is there anything we can pray for you about?”

The responses were incredible. People shared concerns about work, health, family members, and financial struggles. Our family had the opportunity to pray with complete strangers and encourage them in Jesus’ name.

4. Give

We also wanted them to connect with needs beyond our own community.

I serve with The Bucket Ministry, a nonprofit that shares God’s love through the gift of clean, safe, drinking water. For $50, a family can receive generational access to clean water along with opportunities to hear the Gospel and engage in discipleship.

After learning about families around the world who lack clean water, our boys decided they wanted to help. They worked, completed extra chores, and asked friends and family to join them.

Together they raised $150.

Three boys.

Three filters.

Three families’ lives changed.

Three reminders that God can use children to make an eternal difference.

5. Share

Throughout the week, our boys told grandparents, friends, neighbors, and others about what they were learning. They shared stories about the people they met and talked about why clean water matters. They explained why they were raising money.

Without even realizing it, they were becoming ambassadors for God’s Kingdom.

By the end of the week, our children had memorized Scripture, prayed for others, served their community, learned about global missions, practiced generosity, and shared their faith. And something unexpected happened.

Not once did they complain about being bored.

Not once did they ask for a screen.

It turns out that children often don’t need more entertainment. They need more purpose.

Our kids are looking for adventure. They want a cause worth living for. They want to make a difference. The Gospel offers exactly that.

As parents, we sometimes underestimate how much our children are capable of spiritually. We assume they are too young to serve. Too young to pray for others. Too young to make a difference. Yet throughout Scripture, God repeatedly works through young people who are willing to trust Him.

Children may not lead organizations, preach sermons, or travel the world, but they can encourage someone who is hurting. They can pray with a neighbor, practice generosity, and can share the love of Christ in simple and meaningful ways.

Perhaps more importantly, these experiences help them discover that faith is not merely something they believe. It is something they live.

And that realization can shape a child for years to come.

Final Thoughts on Spiritual Growth and Missional Moments

This summer, your children will spend hundreds of hours becoming someone. The question is not whether they will be formed. The question is who, or what, will do the forming.

• Will it be YouTube?
• Will it be TikTok?
• Will it be video games?

Or will it be parents who intentionally help their children discover God’s mission for their lives?

A driveway can become a mission field.

A neighborhood can become a mission field.

A bottle of water can become a mission field.

A simple act of kindness can become an opportunity to share the love of Christ.

And who knows? God may use those small moments to shape your child’s heart for a lifetime.